Local children’s charity Charlie House, which supports babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions, has launched a text campaign to support its services.
Charlie House SOS (Support Our Services) is calling on the North-east to text CHARLIESOS to 70085 to donate £5.
Susan Crighton, director of fundraising for Charlie House, says, “For families in the UK, we have had to adapt to a very different way of life over the last couple of months. We have had to adjust to life without access to mainstream schooling, activity clubs, friends and grandparents, all of which help give us an opportunity to rest and recharge. While many will say there have been wonderful moments that they will cherish, most will also say that it has been really challenging having their support network removed. But what if that was your normal?”
Susan continues, “For Charlie House supported families, difficulties in accessing specialist care for a child with complex disabilities means that only families often meet 100% of their child’s care requirements with little or no opportunity for respite. The risk of complications from what we regard as everyday infections can result in long periods of isolation for children with complex disabilities and their families. That is why what we do is so important.
It is critical that we continue to support these children and their families, now and in the future. We are currently doing this remotely by facilitating regular video calls with our Children & Family Support Manager for therapeutic and emotional support, creating and delivering isolation packs, providing online activity sessions from our Activities Coordinator, providing access to our Community Nurse, liaising with medical teams and advocating for child and family and providing pre & post bereavement support.”
Susan concludes, “It has always been our mission to provide support to babies, children and young people that have life-limiting conditions and their families, helping provide access to the right care, to information, to accessible activities and ultimately to a purpose-built respite care facility in the North East. The need now is greater than ever. The North-east’s donations will help to ensure that we can do that, and we can’t continue to do this without them.”
To support the Charlie House Support Our Services campaign, text CHARLIESOS to 70085 to donate £5 (Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message)
All donations will ensure that Charlie House can continue to support babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions, and their families, in the North-east.
To find out more about Charlie House visit www.charliehouse.org.uk