Celebrating 45 years of Cherry Trees

We were absolutely delighted to welcome friends, supporters and families to a special garden party on Saturday 13 September to celebrate our 45th birthday.                                                                                                                                                        

It has been quite a journey since 1980 when our founder Dr Helen Foley formed a group of parents and local residents with the aim of providing respite breaks for the families of children with complex disabilities.

There have been many successes and challenges along the way, but with the support of our community we are still going strong and providing outstanding care 45 years later.  

We would like to thank every single person – from individuals to groups and businesses - who have helped us be there for those who need us most since we first opened our doors.

And it was a real pleasure that about 70 members of our Cherry Trees community, including volunteers, supporters, trustees and former trustees, came to our lovely garden here at our house in East Clandon to celebrate with us. 

As guests mingled to read boards highlighting some of the key points in our history, they sipped on drinks including delicious cuvée from our neighbours at High Clandon Estate Vineyard. 

There was also the chance to watch a new short video containing messages from some of our families explaining what Cherry Trees means to them (you can see this at the bottom of the page).

We then all gathered to hear some speeches, starting with a wonderful recollection of Dr Helen Foley’s vision, delivered by our President and founding parent Trudi Harris MBE.                                                                                                    

“Without Helen, none of this would be here... Helen was an extraordinary woman, she was a visionary, there’s no doubt about that,” she said. 

“Helen was one of these consultants that not only looked at the patient, but she looked at the circumstances of the patient. She looked at the parents, she looked at the circumstances in which they lived, and she realised what a strain and how tired all these parents were.” 

We also heard from Chris Jarvis, one of our former parents, about the impact Cherry Trees has had on his family.  

Two of his three sons, Oliver and Freddie, have spent many happy years visiting us for short breaks, and Chris gave a heartfelt thank you for what the charity has done for his family.

“Oliver and Freddie have very different and specific special needs. Prior to Cherry Trees we were really struggling as a family,” he said.

“It took a lot of pressure off us as a family. We were really struggling in terms of not sleeping, trying to cope with Oliver and Freddie. We’ve also got a younger son Harry who’s mainstream but he often gets sort of left out of the conversation.”

"And I think it’s important to note that Cherry Trees is not all about the young people who come here, it’s about the families, and the support the families get. And as I said, it’s had a transformational effect on us.”

Rob Hope, our Head of Partnerships, also spoke, emphasising how the firm foundations built since first opening our doors has allowed the team to build and grow, delivering outstanding care to so many families (and being recognised as such with an Outstanding judgement from Ofsted for the last three years in a row). 

He also signalled our plans for growth, with our new five-year strategy that will see us support more children from more families, due to be launched in early 2026. 

The afternoon was rounded off with a hearty rendition of happy birthday and a tasty selection of cakes made by some of our brilliant volunteers.  

Thank you to everyone who could join us, and to the many more who couldn’t be there on the day but have been a huge part of our 45 years. It really was a birthday to remember and we are so grateful for your support.