It had always been a dream of the charity that one day a home from home could be made available, free of charge, to families who have a child living with a life-limiting illness of have suffered a recent bereavement. After a huge fundraising drive by the charity and our loyal supporters Sophie’s Appeal purchased a static home at Rockley Park, Poole and made that dream a reality.
Sophie’s Rainbow Retreat was opened on 3rd March 2019, a special day for Lin and Mike as it would have been their daughter’s 21st birthday - a fitting tribute for such an inspirational young girl. Rainbow Retreat is a 6-berth caravan based at Rockley Park, Poole and is not far from Poole Hospital, should families need it, whilst staying at the retreat. Rockley has an indoor and outdoor pool, crazy golf, amusement park, restaurants, take-away facilities, entertainment, shops and access to the nearby beach.
The Rainbow Retreat logo has been taken from Sophie’s handprint, which she had stamped onto a tile. This image was transferred and used as a template to create the colourful helping hand logo, allowing Sophie to forever be remembered for what she started and continues to inspire.
If you would like to book a free respite holiday at the Rainbow Retreat, please fill out the online request form by emailing rainbowretreat@sophiesappeal.org. On receiving a Request Form eligibility will be checked and the Rainbow Retreat Manager will make contact ASAP with the outcome…
Our Rainbow Retreat Manager -
Abbie O’Reilly
Sophie was a big part of my life and being there through her illness and treatment was hard. Seeing the stress and sadness her family and close friends suffered was so difficult, but seeing the look on Sophie's face when she was planning or talking about raising money was amazing. I have been a supporter of the charity right from the start and loved going to as many events as I could.
Being the Rainbow Retreat Manager means I can be a part of helping families who are going through a hard time ... even a few days away can make so much difference.
To help fundraise download the Sophie Barringer Trust Information Booklet…
