Date published: 05 October 2015 by Anna Jackson
On the 25 October the clocks will go back one hour. For most of us that will mean an extra hour in bed but for a child suffering from a terminal illness, that extra hour means so much more. At Rainbow Trust we have decided to make the most of the extra hour and create fundraising challenges to continue supporting seriously ill children and their families. You can do absolutely anything you want for the Big Hour - lunch challenges, sponsored silences, quizzes - whatever works for you!
The power of an hour
It only costs £22 to provide an hour of support to a family in need and we need your help to get there. There are so many ways you can help us this Big Hour and we’d be delighted and grateful to have you on-board.
An hour of support means:
Just one hour with a Family Support Worker is vital to a struggling family. Taking on a Big Hour Challenge is the perfect way to recognise that. You can do absolutely anything you want to fundraise for us – it’s all up to you and we will support you whatever you choose to do. There’s no limit to the ways you can spend your Big Hour. You could take part in a sponsored silence, a competitive lunch hour Olympics or even a skydive. If you’re squeezed for your hour, don’t worry – you can always support someone else’s or simply donate to us as normal.
- An hour of travel with a child to hospital appointments.
- An hour of sensory play for a blind child.
- An hour of comforting an exhausted parent.
- An hour to explain to a confused sibling why their brother or sister is unwell.
- An hour of bereavement support for a grieving parent.
- An hour of making a terminally ill child laugh .
- An hour at the park for children to play and enjoy themselves.
- An hour for mum or dad to have to themselves and gain a sense of normality.
We need your support
Currently, we are reaching 1900 families in the UK who need the vital and specialised care we provide and we want to reach more – we need your help to do this. Almost all of our resources come from donations given by amazing people like you. Taking part in the Big Hour is one of the many ways you could help us and also help care for a seriously ill child and their family.
Helping families like Fraser’s
Fraser is a child who’s being supported by our Surrey Care Team. Fraser has been diagnosed with high-risk stage 4 Neuroblastoma. He has had chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and stem cell replacement therapy to combat the tumour on his adrenal glands, and then a brain tumour.
Fraser’s mother, Sam, was reluctant at first to accept help, but looking after him and being there during his time in the hospital was putting a strain on her family, including Fraser’s older brother, Oscar. Family Support Worker, Dawn, met the family and has supported them ever since. Dawn provides the family with both home and hospital support and gives Fraser’s parents someone to talk to.
“You go into auto pilot when you hear your child is ill – you have to function. With Rainbow Trust helping you, you can do better than function. You can deal with things.”
Sam Blake, Fraser’s mum
Dawn continues to support the family - visits to the park and playing pretend house are Fraser’s favourite games!
