Mission / History

About Dreamflight

Dreamflight takes children with a significant health condition or disability on the trip of a lifetime. For some, that means ten extraordinary days in Orlando, for others it’s an action‑packed UK adventure built around individual needs. No parents, just an extraordinary team of dedicated volunteers supporting them every step of the way.

For young people, families, volunteers, and everyone part of the Dreamflight family, these moments add up to something lasting. A way of seeing the world that is full of possibility. Perspectives that move from problems to potential, from limitations to opportunity. It’s a unique, irreplaceable experience – designed with expertise, delivered with love, and with impact that lasts far beyond the trip.

Our mission and history

Dreamflight was co-founded in 1986 by Patricia Pearce and Derek Pereira, both of whom worked for British Airways. Patricia had previously helped to organise a BA project, Skyride, which raised money to take underprivileged children on a one-hour ‘Christmas party’ flight. Patricia and Derek decided to go one step further and take deserving children to Walt Disney World, and Dreamflight was born.

The first trip took place in November 1987. Dreamflight has operated every year since, and over 7,000 children have now experienced their ‘holiday of a lifetime’.

Each October, 192 children from across the UK come together to board Dreamflight’s privately-hired aircraft and fly to Orlando, where they spend 10 magical days building confidence, making friends, and discovering what they are truly capable of. And every spring, we take a group of around 20 children on an action packed UK adventure, giving them an opportunity to push their limits at a fully accessible activity centre.

Parents and carers don’t come on Dreamflight trips. Instead, a huge volunteer team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other helpers look after the children for the duration of the holiday. Our volunteers and supporters fundraise for the charity year-round, in order to make the trips happen.

Dreamflight is so much more than a trip – it gives young people something that lasts far longer. It’s the realisation that they can. And they could. And there’s so much more to discover. A world that feels bigger, brighter, and full of potential.

On a Dreamflight trip, a child discovers they can do things they once thought out of reach. They find independence. They make friends who understand. They are seen for who they are – capable, curious, and full of joy.

This is what we call the Dreamflight lens. A way of seeing the world that is full of possibility. Perspectives that move from problems to potential, from limitations to opportunity. Dreamflight showcases human connection at its very best. It’s a unique, irreplaceable experience – designed with expertise, delivered with love, and with impact that lasts a lifetime.

Dreamflight is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity no 1117303) and Scotland (SCO44892).

Our values

We are:

• Committed to helping children realise their full potential
• Compassionate to deserving children and their families
• Safe: the children’s safety is our priority at all times
• Professional and organised in all aspects of our work
• Welcoming to new people and new ideas
• Fun to spend time with