Every September, Kidney Care UK hosts a residential activity weekend at Mount Cook in Derbyshire for young adults with kidney disease, and thanks to a host of experienced volunteers, activity leaders, generous Kidney Patient Associations and NHS Trusts, the weekend is full of fun, with everyone having an amazing time.
But the weekend also provides an environment where everyone ‘just gets it’, as Holly Loughton, our Young Adult Kidney Group Team Leader, explains:
"Our Young Adult weekend provides an opportunity for young adults (YAs) aged 18–30 to spend time together in person. All attendees are affected by kidney disease; some will be receiving dialysis, some will be transplanted, and some are just starting out on their kidney journey.
"In 2025, 63 young adults attended and about half of these came for the first time. This is ideal for us as it means as many YAs as possible can experience the weekend.
"It is amazing to see people arrive and very quickly go from feeling nervous and uncertain, to completely at home and happily chatting with everyone. Nobody needs to explain why they need dialysis, or what a fistula is, and this means they can have conversations with their peers at Mount Cook that perhaps they cannot have with healthier friends."
A weekend bursting with activities, and something for everyone
"For those who don’t want to abseil, zip wire or climb high ropes, they can attend workshops making jewellery, decorating cookies and making clay models. And, there is always time to just sit and chat.
"A big hit in 2025 was our Kidney Kitchen classes where Kidney Kitchen chefs, Paul and Lewis, taught us how to prepare kidney-friendly (and delicious) pizzas, which we baked in the outdoor pizza oven, restored by Mount Cook staff, just for us!
"Everyone was delighted to eat their own hand-thrown pizza! One of the main highlights is also the fancy dress party, with a theme voted on by the young adults, and the opportunity for some creative costume planning!"
Forging long-lasting friendships with other members of the kidney community
"Over these weekends, life-long friendships are made, and we see these flourish and continue for years. It is so rewarding to see this as kidney disease never goes away; it just affects you differently as you get older.
"These friendships endure because they are all based on a common experience. We all know how difficult living with kidney disease can sometimes be, and how important it is to be able to speak to someone who really understands the ups and downs.
"Our online community now has over 1,300 members, and we love seeing people who’ve first connected on social media have the chance to meet in person and become 'real friends'."
This article first appeared in the Winter 2025 of Kidney Matters magazine.