Families of children with life-limiting conditions across the North-east of Scotland will be supported to enjoy more accessible and inclusive activities, experiences and opportunities to live life to the full thanks to a significant three-year funding award to Charlie House.
The St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation has awarded the local children’s charity £90,000 over three years, helping to fund Charlie House’s programme of activities and the specialist team who make those experiences possible.
For families caring for a child with complex medical needs, experiences that many of us take for granted are often far from straightforward. A family day out, a holiday activity or simply trying something new can involve considerable planning, additional equipment and specialist support - and opportunities that can safely accommodate the whole family can be limited.
Many of the children Charlie House supports grow up hearing about the things they may not be able to do because of their condition.
Charlie House helps create opportunities that focus instead on what is possible.
Charlie House works alongside families to help remove some of the barriers they face. The charity’s activities programme is designed to create new experiences for children and their families in a safe and accessible environment where their needs are understood.
From accessible wall climbing and paddleboarding with wheelchairs, to animal therapy farmyard visits and trampolining with goats - the experiences provide opportunities for children and their families that they might not have thought possible, while helping to reduce isolation, build peer support, and giving families opportunities to create precious moments in the time they have together.
Kathryn Pearce, a parent supported by Charlie House explained how important and valuable the support of the charity has been for her and her family. “Without Charlie house we would have survived but with them we lived. Charlie House has provided for me a community of people that understand the challenges we face every day.”
Around 1,800 children in the North-east of Scotland are estimated to be living with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.
Charlie House receives no statutory funding and relies on voluntary income to provide its services to local families. The charity needs to raise more than £1 million each year to continue its work, making longer-term commitments such as the support from the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation particularly valuable in what continues to be a challenging fundraising environment.
Leigh Ryrie, Services Director at Charlie House, said:
"For the families we support, an activity is about so much more than simply having somewhere to go. It is the opportunity for a child to take part rather than sit on the sidelines, for siblings to enjoy an experience together, and for parents to be surrounded by people who understand their family's needs.
"Our team works closely with families to make these experiences as accessible and inclusive as possible, and having funding that supports both the activities themselves and the people needed to deliver them gives us valuable stability over the next three years.
"We're incredibly grateful to the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation for making this commitment to our families. At a time when fundraising remains challenging and demand for our support continues to grow, having funding we can plan around makes a real difference."
Alan Rutherford of Alan Rutherford Wealth Management representing the St James’s Place Charitable Foundation Aberdeen Committee, said. “We’re delighted to help Charlie House over the coming years to help them meet the needs of their families in truly challenging times. We are so pleased to help a local charity help make a difference to the lives of children and families close to home.”
Charlie House currently supports more than 130 families across the North-east of Scotland, providing activities alongside emotional and practical support, sibling and parent carer groups and short breaks.
As the number of families seeking support continues to grow, the charity must continue fundraising throughout the year to ensure its services remain available to those who need them.
