Advice for applicants

Each year we receive several hundred applications from many worthy causes. We’ve compiled some helpful hints and tips to help you maximise your application and improve your chances of being awarded a free stay for your charity.

General tips

• Before you apply, check you that you have buy-in from your organisation, and if successful plan for putting budget aside to cover predicted travel and food costs not included in this scheme. Cancelling a confirmed stay later down the line is likely to prevent another organisation from benefiting and result in lost booking income for the Landmark Trust. 
• Make full use of the word count in your application. Your application should make a convincing statement as to why you should be awarded a free stay.
• Make sure you explain why a Landmark Trust stay in particular, over another short break or holiday, would most impact the people who you are applying on behalf of.
• The person completing the application form should have the authority and availability to validate and support in the coordination of the possible stay.
• Select a Landmark that you know is feasible for your guests to travel to either independently or with your support. Note that Landmark is not able to support with transport (with the exception of Lundy).
• Consider which member of staff makes the application, and ensure to the best of your knowledge that they will be in post and able to support the stay between May-November 2026. 

Use of AI in your application

We understand that the use of AI may be a useful tool to support your application. However, we ask that applicants ensure that they are using specific and defined examples, that clearly answer the questions. For example, in the question of 'Please tell us why the people on whose behalf you are applying would benefit from a free stay?':

Generic AI generated response: 

'A complimentary stay in a beautiful historic house would offer nurses an uplifting and memorable escape, giving them a chance to unwind in a truly inspiring setting and escape the pressures of daily life. This would create space to make lasting memories, not only offering relaxation but a sense of appreciation for everything they do.' 

Specific handwritten response: 

'A stay at Belmont would offer our End of Life Care nurses, a restful weekend by the sea and chance to decompress from heavy emotional workloads. The historic town of Lyme Regis is just an hour from our health centre, making it convenient for us to fit around work. We would look forward to cooking and socialising together and would unwind with wild swimming, fossil hunting and having time to read, inspired by the house's literary past.'

Choosing your Landmark

We ask applicants to provide us with their first and second choice of 25 available properties this year. Think carefully about your choice and discuss with your colleagues before making your selections. 

• Select a property that you know is feasible for your possible guests to travel to independently or with your support.
• If you’ve selected a larger property, your application is more likely to be successful if you clearly demonstrate your intention to make full use of the available bedrooms.
• Floorplans of each building are available on our website. Please look at these carefully as some buildings that sleep your ideal number of people may not be suitable for all due to bedroom layouts and facilities.
• Larger buildings that accommodate more people, such as Goddards, Elton House and Howthwaite are some of the most requested buildings - so you may reduce your chance of getting a free stay if you pick these. 
• Landmarks in Devon, Scotland and Wales are less requested in applications.
• Weekend stays are the most requested by applicants. Consider whether you can make a mid-week stay (Monday-Friday) work with your group. You’ll enjoy an extra night stay during the week compared with a weekend stay too.
• For the free stay available on Lundy (mid-week Monday-Friday only), the successful beneficary will recieve a free transfer to the island by helicopter from North Devon. 

Browse Getaways for Good properties

Applications from large or national charities

• If you are applying from a large charity or organisation that works nationally, we’d encourage you to work internally to consolidate your application to avoid a large number of applicants from the same charity. It’s unlikely that we will award more than one stay to the same charity.

Applicants applying for team building or staff purposes

• Previous stays have been used as a team day or as a thank you to volunteers. Please detail in your application how your staff and volunteer will benefit and what activities the stay may entail.
• Please consider that Getaways for Good aims to reach those in most need of a break. Consider how your requested stay purpose might stand out with a specific explanation of the impact it will have on those staying.

More information can be found in the T&C’s and FAQ’s.

You can also email us if you have a different question: [email protected]