Reuben’s Retreat has been used as a film location for the latest Tesco Christmas TV advertisement and will feature in two forthcoming TV episodes of The League of Gentlemen.
The ads have raised £10,000 for the charity, which is heavily supported by the travel industry and based in a former hospital site in Glossop, Derbyshire.
The site is being converted into a retreat to help families of bereaved children or with children with life-limiting illnesses as part of a ten phase project costing £3.5 million.
The charity’s day room was used by Tesco to film its advert and for two scenes in the BBC TV show League of Gentlemen, which are due to be screened before Christmas.
Founder Nicola Graham, who worked at Red Sea Holidays before devoting her life to the charity dedicated to her son Reuben, said: “We are now registered as a film location. I am a huge fan of The League of Gentlemen – my hen night was themed League of Gentlemen – so I was beside myself when they contacted me, I was just so excited.”
Reuben’s Retreat will also feature on Channel 4’s Extreme Cake Makers programme in February 2018 after being chosen as a charity to receive a cake on the show.
Graham will appear on the show receiving a three foot high cake in the shape of a jukebox with a figure of Elvis on it, in tribute to the Rockin’ for Reuben fundraising events organised for the charity.
The charity is embarking on stages 4,5 and 6 in 2018 which will include the building of a hydrotherapy suite and a daytime care activity zone.
It has already created a bereavement counselling support centre and an apartment for families to have respite breaks. Already more than 250 families have been supported by the charity.
Graham and husband Mike started Reuben’s Retreat within two days of the death of their son Reuben, who died aged 23 months of a rare brain tumour in August 2012.