December 2021 Newsletter

                        Group Trips 2022

Our groups trips are something special, and we have missed them over the last 18 months.  Whether you wish to travel alone on our groups or with your partner, companion or family - our groups are open to everyone.  We are hoping we can safely bring back groups in 2022 and would love to hear from you all if you would like to join us.

We are hoping to offer two groups at the moment for 2022, in May and September 2022, details will now be announced in the New Year - with all the current uncertainty with the Covid pandemic again, we have made the decision to wait until January 2022 to announce more details.

If you would like to be added to our groups mailing list to be the first to be notified of details when available please email laura@holidaydialysis.co.uk to register your interest.

May 2022 - TBC

September 2022 - TBC

 

We are often asked how we got into arranging dialysis travel.  Freedom is a family business that has passed through three generations, so we thought for our final newsletter of 2021, we would tell you our story.

Freedom was established in 1986 by Michael Mildenhall (my grandfather) as Freedom Apartments and Travel - a travel agency that specialised in rentals of privately owned apartments and villas.  The companies busiest destinations back then was the Canaries, and Tenerife being at the top.  Christine Gleadell (Michael's daughter, my mother) joined the company in late 80's after relocating back to her hometown of Leicestershire with her young family.  The company had an ATOL and ABTA license and was busy sending lots clients on wonderful holidays around the world.

Michael and Christine both travelled to Tenerife often, as they had a large portfolio of privately owned villas and apartments that they provided rental services for.  It was during one of these trips that Christine met with a friend who lived in Tenerife, and also worked at the local hospital.  She asked Christine why no dialysis patients travelled from the UK to Tenerife, as they had visitors from many other Countries. At the time Christine knew very little about dialysis, so she returned to the UK and found out as much as she could about it, and why patients were not really travelling abroad.

With the help of the BKPA (British Kidney Patients Association) now Kidney Care UK, and a group of doctors and nurses, in the early 1990's they organised a group to travel to Tenerife and dialyse at the unit in Playa de las Americas - it was a huge success and it ignited a passion that is still very much alive today.  To give kidney patients on dialysis the Freedom to travel!

Freedom The Dialysis Holiday Specialists was born.  What started off as one holiday dialysis destination abroad, continued to grow year on year.  Laura Gleadell (Michaels granddaughter, Christine's daughter, me!) joined Freedom in 2000.

Fast forward to 2021 - almost 2022, and we are still here!  We now have over 400 units across 69 Countries and are the UK's only Holiday dialysis specialist company.  Although we have grown, we are still a small family ran business who are passionate about the service and help we provide.  

We are not a call centre where you are met with a different person every time you phone. When you call Freedom you will always speak to one of our trained consultants who are experienced in booking holiday dialysis. Our aim is to provide every patient with a personal service throughout the process of your booking.

Our business comes from recommendations and repeat clients, people who have enjoyed the peace of mind and confidence gained booking their holiday dialysis through Freedom and who continue to book with us again and again. They trust our knowledge and advice, knowing they can leave us to make the special arrangements that will make their dialysis holiday stress free.

I hope you enjoyed reading our story, and we look forward to continuing this holiday dialysis journey with you all.

All the best,

Laura Gleadell xxxx

                                Take a holiday the Freedom way!