The annual family weekend is an activity-packed trip for those with Juvenile Huntington's disease and their families.

The Juvenile Huntington's disease family weekend was held at the Calvert Trust, a disabled activity centre in the Lake District. This year the weekend was attended by ten families, some were regular attendees and others it was their first experience.

The young people with Juvenile Huntington's diease and their siblings got to take part in a wide range of activities. These included including rock climbing, horse riding, and canoeing. The parents were able to do the high ropes and zipwire - ensuring they had the chance to experience some of the Calvert Trust activities.

Such a warm and friendly environment, excellent activities and wonderful people.

While the young people were off with the Calvert Trust, the parents were given the chance to share experiences on Juvenile Huntington's disease. They were able to attend a session on social cognition. Social cognition is our understanding of the social world and how we navigate within that, which can be impacted in Huntington’s disease and this can have a huge impact on relationships and family life.  

The families rejoined in the evenings and on the Friday were offered a mix of activities including archery, campfire and toasting marshmallows, orienteering around the centre or crafting. On Saturday there was a choice of swimming or taking some time to relax ahead of the annual themed party night. This year's theme was ‘out of Africa’. Helen, Specialist Juvenile Huntington's Disease Adviser said:

We started the evening with a fantastic drumming workshop with Sacred Sounds.  Many in the group took part in the drumming workshop, and it was a really special moment bringing everyone together and the overall musical results were impressive! We had a number of craft activities as well, including painting of African silhouette pictures plus bracelet making.

This year, on the Sunday the families were able to enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Windermere and get out and see some of the Lake District before returning to the Calvert Trust for a games night.

The Calvert Trust

The Calvert Trust allows us to have truly accessible activities with brilliant facilities as well as excellent staff. We have been holding the weekend here since 2007 because of the confidence that they give us that we will be able to make this a truly inclusive weekend for everyone, and as stress-free for the families as it can be coming away from home whilst managing any additional needs their child has.

At the Calvert Trust everyone is able!

Thank you to our funders

We'd like to thank all of our funders and supporters who helped make the 2026 Juvenile Huntington's disease family weekend happen. 

Thank you to those who have supported the weekend this year: the Access Foundation, Sandra Charitable Trust and the Willow Foundation. We really appreciate everyone who helped us to provide this unforgettable experience for those with Juvenile Huntington's and their families.

Family weekend gallery