An experience offering entertainment and fun for children with serious illnesses and their families has been announced by PortAventura in Spain.
PortAventura Dreams will be a 9,000sq m (29,527sq ft) village of eight homes, each with a surface area of 130sq m (426sq ft). The area, which is due to open in September, will cost around €3m (US$3.38m, £2.65m) to create. Families of up to six people can have a six-day stay, completely free of charge, with access to PortAventura's three parks, as well as exclusive activities for families, delivered by volunteers from the PortAventura Foundation.
The Foundation, which was founded in 2011, channels and promotes all of the resort's social actions. It has granted aid worth €6.3m through its own projects or in collaboration with other organisations and has invited more than 68,000 children and young people at risk of social exclusion to enjoy PortAventura.
The idea behind PortAventura Dreams is to create a playful sanctuary where seriously ill children and their families can benefit from the positive psychological recovery effects of entertainment and fun, while enjoying opportunities for family bonding. It's focused on children aged four to 17 who are registered as suffering or having suffered from serious illness.
A total of 168 families will be able to benefit every year initially, though this number is expected to grow. Families will be selected to benefit from the programme by an independent committee made up of doctors, social workers and other healthcare experts.
"We firmly believe that we can create a real and positive impact on society and the environment," said Ramón Marsal, president of the PortAventura Foundation. "The launch of PortAventura Dreams allows us to continue to generate real value for society through a programme that aims to make illness more bearable, not only for the child but also for their family, which is a fundamental part of the recovery process.
"All of this harnesses the therapeutic and motivational capacity that leisure and family fun can have."
