The Knights Foundation Lodge
A dream that has truly been in the pipelines for quite some time, is becoming reality!
Did you know that when booking disabled accommodation, you might find that you have inflated prices due to the 'different requirements' and possible additional space you may need. Perhaps your accommodation is pushed out on the periphery of the resort, away from others, or in deed that the standard of your accommodation has been compromised because you needed a wet room or a ramp - well, most disabled families just accept this because they NEED the accessibility. But WHY should your luxury be compromised by accessibility?
This luxury Lodge has been a dream of ours for a many years, and we are delighted that it has now been launched. If you missed the BBC coverage of the official launch, you can view it HERE.
The Lodge is situated at Shorefield Holiday Park, (DanePark 73) Milford-On-Sea, in the New Forest, right by the beach - a fabulous location! There is a public footpath path behind our lodge (at the footer of the map below) which leads to the beach and cliffs (1/2 mile):
The park itself boasts fantastic entertainment with a Showbar, restaurant, ice cream parlour, arcade and convenience store. The swimming pool has a a beach entry pool (zero entry) and good disabled changing facilities. There is a gym and Health Spa located on the first floor of the main building, which has a stairlift for access.
The Lodge is both spacious and luxurious, allowing for extra space needed for wheelchairs. We have a wide ramped access with a large composite decking area, fabulous outside furniture, and ramped access into the Lodge. The decking is apparently the largest on the site, which shows how much Shorefield have got behind this venture, and are making it everything that we need for these special families!
The single bedroom has a 'gatch' profiling bed, with a state of the art hoist system fitted. The main bathroom has been adapted into a wet room, with the same hoist system as the bedroom, hand rails and a shower chair/commode. There is also a double bedroom with en-suite, and a twin bedroom. ** NB: all holiday makers should bring their own slings for use with the hoist, if needed **
We have also carried out extensive research into the local area, and will provide holidaymakers with a list of local attractions, and information on their accessibility and location of disabled toilets. We also have a list of 'Changing Places' toilets in the area, which will be very useful for some families that will be staying with us, and information regarding local Doctors/Dentist/Pharmacies in case they are needed during their stay.
We have had amazing feedback from families who have stayed in our Lodge over the last couple of months, and are delighted to be able to finally offer families access to this incredible newly adapted holiday home... we say home as it really does cater for everything and feels like 'home from home'!
If you would like to book the Lodge, please email lodge@theknightsfoundation.org with your requested dates, and we will check availability and look to get your holiday booked in for you. Would you please include the following information with your enquiry:
- Family Name
- Disabled Child's Name
- Disabled Child's Age and Year of Birth
- Siblings details
- Home Address
- Contact telephone number/s
- Contact email address/s
- Details regarding the Child's Disability
- Wheelchair user?
- Are hoists needed?
The Lodge is a huge financial commitment to The Knights Foundation, with a monthly cost of just under £5,000.00. We are hoping that we will be able to pay the Lodge in full over a 4 year period, and subsequently we aim to offer Holiday Breaks to families with disabled children for free. In the meantime, we are looking at heavily subsidising holiday breaks for families with disabled children, making it affordable but without compromising on luxury.
ALL entertainment passes are included in your stay, at no extra cost.
The Lodge is available 48 weeks a year, basically all year round excluding January!
For all enquiries, please contact lodge@theknightsfoundation.org