We have a critical need for transportation, which impacts directly on the seriously ill children and families we support.

We need to raise money to replace eight cars in the fleet of 73 leased vehicles to ensure the safety and continuity of support. The average cost per car lease in the fleet is £5,030 a year.

Every Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker needs a car to ensure they can provide vital support. These cars in the fleet are essential tools for bringing care, for transport to critical medical appointments, to help reduce isolation and, sometimes, even assisting with collections of the very basics, like food, to terminally ill children and their families.

I ask you to please consider what if we couldn’t take families to hospital, who don’t have a car and must be on time for their child's critical treatment? 

What if we couldn’t reach and support families in very remote, rural and isolated locations in the country?

What if we couldn’t give distressed siblings the only opportunity they have to visit their very sick brother or sister in hospital?

What if we couldn’t take mothers who don’t drive to see their weeks’ old baby in a neonatal unit that is over 80 miles away from home?

What if we couldn't provide transport to and help seriously ill children and their families access community food banks?

Together, with your help and the community of wonderful supporters, we can avoid this, we can be there for families that need help right now.

Family Support Worker Sharon began supporting Jesse’s family by driving Jesse and Kirsty to and from hospital.  

Jesse suffers from dystonic episodes, sometimes whilst in the car. These are involuntary and very painful muscle spasms that affect Jesse without warning. Kirsty must be able to assist him and tend to his needs at all times, including in the car. It is nearly impossible for Kirsty to use public transport, especially now that she also has a 10 month-old baby, Reggie.

The trip to the hospital is over an hour’s drive each way so Sharon picks Jesse, Reggie and Kirsty up from home and drives them to the hospital.  

Sharon offers support, safety and reliability. 

Many of the families we support don’t have a car. Facing several appointments and critical treatment each week or medical appointments that can take place hundreds of miles away from home, the costs start to mount up, and some families find it impossible to afford the travel expenses.  

Due to their seriously ill child’s condition, some families must have two adults in the car so one of them can assist if the child needs help while the other one drives.

And most of the families we support can’t use public transport due to concerns about infection when their children are immuno-compromised. 

On average, a Family Support Worker drives 12,000 miles a year to support the children and families that may be struggling alone.  

Hundreds of families rely on the safe transport and emotional support we provide to them. With your kindness we can help ease the burden on seriously ill children and their families. 

Please donate today so we can continue supporting families in desperate need of help. Thank you.