We believe that everyone deserves a holiday, but many of our holidaymakers do not have the chance to take a break away from their daily routine because of their medical conditions. By supplying suitable level-access accommodation, and taking care of their care and support needs, not only do we enable them to have a holiday, but their carers also benefit from a week’s respite.

The Green Island Holiday Trust has been providing unique holiday experiences for people from Dorset (including Corfe Mullen) who are living with disabilities since 1991 when the charity was founded by Jo Davies.

We have a wonderful new venue for our holidays in 2023, Wraxall Yard, nestled in the stunning Dorset countryside. The beautifully designed, former barnyard buildings, offer wonderful, accessible holiday accommodation and provide the ideal base for us as we continue to create our holiday magic.

The personal touch

Over the years we have resisted calls to expand and offer more holidays as by remaining small and true to our origins, we are able to keep our personal touch and ensure that our holiday experiences are very special for all those involved.

How we are run

As a registered charity, the Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees, who bring a wealth of diverse experience and skills to managing the charity.

An appointed Co-ordinator is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Trust and the practical organisation of the holidays.

Everything else is done by our incredible team of volunteers who help us tailor our holidays to peoples’ needs, but also make sure that fun, good food, companionship, suitable care and safety are our top priorities.

Poole Sailability is an RYA-accredited volunteer run charity whose mission is to permit local people with disabilities to sail. In a normal year, weather dependent, we run over 80 sailing sessions offering around 1,000 spaces on board our 4 Hawk 20 sailing boats, always in the safety of Poole harbour. This is done in two ways;

Outreach programme

We endeavour to be as inclusive as possible in our community programme and have welcomed groups from such organisations as Bowra, The Youth Cancer Trust, Young Carers, Green Island Holidays and Downs, Parkinsons, ME and MS groups. We also involve young people from local SEN (special educational needs) schools with weekly sessions during their summer term. In 2022 many of these pupils received their RYA Sailability Entry Level and Bronze level certificates.

Community outreach is a key focus of our activities allowing many people, who would simply never experience it otherwise, to enjoy sailing or even learn to helm the boat under the guidance of our very capable skippers.

Club sailing

For those who wish to take their experience further and sail regularly, we also run two club sessions per week. These are more hands-on for those who wish to develop their sailing skills under supervision but you can also come along just for the pleasure of being out on the water.

The charity is run by an enthusiastic group of around 50 volunteers and is based at Rockley boatyard. Funding comes from the local sailing community, local trusts and businesses and some national companies and charities. We welcome donations of all sizes and are always looking for volunteers, not only for sailing but to drive our safety boat, welcome our guests on the quayside and to help with back office administration.

We offer a trial sail so if you are interested in sailing or volunteering take a look at our website poolesailability.org.uk or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Going for bust is a breast cancer charity, dedicated to raising funds through its charity shops for local hospitals and support groups in the fight to combat breast cancer in the Dorset and Hampshire areas.

The charity was set up by local people who have been directly affected by breast cancer and felt that charity shops offered the best opportunity to provide both sustained and substantial support for people who live in the area as there was a clear shortfall from funds supplied by the NHS.

The name “going for bust” is intended to be both uplifting and forward thinking whilst generating a positive message, which is hopefully reflected by the attitude of the staff and volunteers in the shops, many of whom have been directly affected by breast cancer.

Since its inception at the beginning of 2013, with the opening of the first ever charity shop committed to solely targeting breast cancer, we have been able to open a further twelve shops due to its success.

As well as our charity shops we also have a support centre open in the centre of Wimborne.  we offer a range of services, including a wig fitting and supply service for those suffering hair loss due to chemotherapy.