“Since coming back from Lourdes she has shone with a new very bright light”: HCPT Pilgrimage gives disabled and disadvantaged children a holiday of a lifetime.
Did you know?
HCPT was founded in 1956 after Dr Michael Strode had been taking children with disabilities to Lourdes. Today, around 3000 people travel to Lourdes with HCPT over Easter week, taking around 1000 disabled or disadvantaged children and giving them a holiday of a lifetime.
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity provided funding towards HCPT from Portsmouth and Plymouth, enabling 25 helpers and 13 sponsored children affiliated with the Royal Navy to travel to Lourdes this Easter.
The aim of the trip is to provide fully inclusive holidays for children who may not normally be able to go away due to their disability or other circumstances. The trip also provides parents with a well-earned respite.
What they got up to
One of the key events in this week is the Trust Mass. This is the part of the week where the whole of HCPT comes together in the Underground Basilica. This is such an amazing moment as the children can see the thousands of other children just like them, and the helpers can see what a huge part they are playing in their child’s journey. This is the point where those children who had usually been quite reserved about singing and dancing forget about their anxieties and join in what feels like a massive party!
