Copyright © All rights reserved. THE ADAMSON TRUST Scottish Charity Number SC016517


The Adamson Trust is a long established Perthshire charity based in Crieff.

We are able to give financial help with the cost of holidays or respite breaks for disabled children aged between 3 and 17 with physical, mental or emotional impairments. We can only give help for this purpose.


Who Can Apply?


Individual families can apply and, in addition, we accept applications on behalf of groups of children, organisations and other registered charities.


​How Do I Apply?


The application form asks for some detailed information about the child, and also about the planned holiday. It is essential that this is provided.

In mid-2020 the Trustees reduced the number of meetings from four to three a year,  reflecting the impact of the pandemic. However, many charities were able to resume running their clubs and outings in 2021 for the first time in 18 months -  after what was a particularly difficult time for handicapped children and their carers - and the Trust has reverted to holding four meetings annually. These are at the beginning of February, May, August and November. Applications must be received by December 31 for the February meeting, by March 31 for the May meeting, by June 30 for the August meeting, and by September 30 for the November meeting.


To apply  please  download the appropriate forms at the top of the page.



Welcome to The Adamson Trust

16-year-old Alexandra, who has Downs Syndrome, on a 4-day trip to Northumberland which The Adamson Trust helped to fund.  With her parents, Alexandra visited two museums, including the Roman Army, Hexham Abbey, all very interactive and great for visual learning, and, among other sites, Alnwick Castle where she enjoyed seeing and hearing about films made there, including Harry Potter.

The Adamson Trust, a charitable trust, was set up in 1947 by Agnes Adamson, a Crieff resident, with an endowment of £10,000 to buy and support a respite home or to give holiday grants for disabled children. However, the Trustees at the time decided instead to finance holidays and respite breaks for children with a wide range of illnesses or disabilities. The original endowment has grown with careful nurturing.  


The conditions for receiving a grant are straightforward and should not discourage anyone from applying. The child must be between 3 and 17, and we require evidence of a disability or illness from a medical or social services professional. We may ask for evidence that the grant has been used for the holiday proposed. Grants usually cover a relatively small part of the holiday cost, and the Trustees may - but by no means always - seek assurances that the family has sufficient personal or supplementary funding to cover the balance. We also believe that disabled children should be able to go on holiday with or without their families. In the latter case, an added benefit is respite for the family.


The number of applications we receive has increased markedly and the six Trustees often have to consider many more applications than the available funds for a quarter can meet. They prioritise the most needy, focussing always on the disabled or ill child. Each decision by the Trustees is final.


Most applicants are from Scotland or England, although the number from Northern Ireland and Wales has increased in recent years. Applications from other charities and schools remain fairly steady, but most are from individual families. Some have children with physical disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome or cerebral palsy, others have children who seriously ill, or who are autistic or have other neurological-developmental problems.

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Who we are and what we do

Teddy, aged 4, having the best time on a 2022 holiday in Wales - and it wasn’t just the ice cream. He lived in a “tent house,” watched the smoke from a wood burner, explored a castle, played on a beach and went on long walks with his parents and sister. And the family made a social story of the holiday which Teddy, whose disabilities include autism and learning difficulties, shared with school friends. “It will be a memory we will treasure,” Teddy’s mother,  Rebecca, said of the holiday, which The Adamson Trust helped make possible.

AT New Group Application Form 2024.pdf AT New Indivdual Application Form 2024.pdf

The disabled children’s holiday charity

11-year-old Danny, whose difficulties include autism and social anxiety, had never really had a holiday until 2022 when he and his mother, Kylie, had a Butlins holiday sponsored by Friends of Holcot, a small charity in Edenbridge, Kent, which aims to help local children who are disabled or disadvantaged and which The Adamson Trust supports. In her note, Kylie explained what it meant to them both.

Right after another hospital visit and in time to celebrate her 3rd birthday, Thea, who lives in rural Orkney, went to Inverness. Thea, who has spina bifida,  loves being outside, and at home the family’s outdoors are not navigable by wheelchair. "We had such a wonderful day spent going around the park and island walk in Inverness,” Thea’s mother, Taliah, told The Adamson Trust. "We also took Thea and her siblings to the Landmark adventure park … it was such a lovely day spent outside enjoying the forest and having new experiences together. Thank you so very much for this support and for the work you do. These are such happy memories we will cherish forever. "

Maya, 8, who is autistic, having a cupful of fun at Butlins in Skegness on a day outing in the summer of 2022 with the charity Umbrella, which supports disabled children and young adults in Derby City and southern Derbyshire. Umbrella used a grant from The Adamson Trust toward the cost of hiring a coach to take a group of 109 people to Skegness.

14-year-old Mae, from Norwich, suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which causes unusually flexible joints, considerable pain, and means she uses a wheelchair. Mae was on holiday in 2022 in the Peak District with her mother, Emma, who endures the same syndrome, her father and brother. “The grant has enabled us to book accessible accommodation which is essential because we have two wheelchair users in our family,”  Emma wrote. “My children have already put together a list of all the things they want to do."

©The Adamson Trust 2022