Charity mascots Pudsey Bear and Charlie Dog celebrate the Charlie House BBC Children in Need award with Charlie House children & family support manager, Leigh Ryrie
Children’s charity Charlie House in Aberdeen has been awarded a grant of £119,136 over three years by BBC Children in Need. The grant will pay for staff costs for the charity’s children & family support manager and supporting services which help make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the North-east of Scotland.
In the North-east of Scotland alone there are over 1,500 babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions. Since the charity began in 2011, Charlie House has been committed to supporting these babies, children, young people and their families.
Established in 2011, its current services include activity clubs, siblings’ clubs, support from the Charlie House community nurse, one-to-one emotional and practical support from the children & family support manager and an annual adventure trip to Kielder Forest Park, run by the Calvert Trust.
The charity has continued to look at how it can expand and improve its services to ensure it meets the needs of more families in the local community and wider North-east of Scotland.
The funding will enable the delivery of therapeutic, supportive and fun activities for young people to help them come to terms with their sibling’s life-limiting conditions. Young people will be better able to manage emotions, develop new friendships and experience a more positive home environment.
Tracy Johnstone, chair of Charlie House, says: “We could not expand our reach to families and young people in the North-east of Scotland without the support of BBC Children in Need. This grant will go on to change the lives of so many young people and give them the support they need, when they need it. This project support will improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of siblings of children with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions by providing one-to-one and group/family therapeutic support, sibling support and pre and post bereavement support.”
Florence Burke, national head of Scotland, BBC Children in Need, commented: “BBC Children in Need is committed to improving the lives of those children and young people who need it most. Our support to Charlie House will enable them to make real and lasting changes to children with life-limiting conditions and their families across the North-East of Scotland. To quote Charlie House Life is Precious, we believe that it should also be full of fun and friendship and look forward to seeing this funding in action!”
BBC Children in Need relies on the generosity and creativity of the thousands of supporters and fundraisers who raise millions of pounds for the charity every year. To date the UK public has raised over £1bn for children and young people facing disadvantage across the UK.