Archived News

Turn Trash To Cash on TV – and help sick children

WellChild and the BBC are looking for people who want to put their clutter to good use, make some cash for themselves and help the national charity for sick children all at the same time.

We are looking for a real-life hoarder on behalf of popular BBC TV show ‘Trash To Cash’ which helps people recycle, refurbish and repair the clutter in their homes in order to raise money for themselves and charity.

The show’s team of experts help the willing participant to sell anything and everything that they no longer need using newspaper ads, local dealers, scrap merchants, salvage yards, auctions and a garage sale.

Half of the cash raised is given to charity with the other half kept by the newly de-cluttered individual or family to use for something special or just to help cope with the credit crunch!

The next series of ‘Trash To Cash’ is set to be filmed in November and December 2008 so the hunt for suitably crammed homes is well and truly on.

If you would like to be considered, or think you know someone who is in need of a real clear-out, please call Harriet Evans at WellChild on 01242 548765 or e-mail harrietevans@wellchild.org.uk.

Woof! Be aware of the dog! (11 September 2008)

More than 30,000 small dogs will be flooding the high streets and shopping centres of Britain over the next couple of months – and the more of them given a good home by shoppers, the more cash will go to WellChild. The dogs are, of course, of the cuddly toy variety, are all called Woof! and are only available in New Look stores, which are found in almost every town and city across the UK.

With research showing that 25% of the UK’s women have bought an item from New Look – that’s more than six million people – demand is likely to outweigh supply for Woof! the dog as, resplendent in his WellChild-pink sweater,  he becomes the must-have cuddly toy of the autumn.

New Look, one of the leading fashion retailers in the UK, named WellChild as its latest charity partner in June, and is aiming to contribute significantly to our work over the coming months – with Woof! as a high-profile starting point.

WellChild Chief Executive Kedge Martin said: “The Woof! campaign is a very exciting one for us as not only will it generate funds to help us with our work, but it will also help to further raise the profile of WellChild thanks to New Look’s huge customer base. Those people buying Woof! for their children and grandchildren can be sure that they will be making an impact on many more children and young people in the UK who need our help both now and in the future.”

 

Waking up with the King (11 September 2008)

Volunteers from Barclays Bank joined up with WellChild to decorate Matthew's Archibald's bedroom with a huge mural of his music hero Elvis and a view of The King's Graceland home on the door.

Matthew, 15, who suffers from HSMN Type, a degenerative disease similar to muscular dystrophy, said: "It's great. As I go to my room, it looks like I'm going toward Elvis's house and it says 'Welcome to Graceland' on the door". The rock'n'roll fan says he'd love to go to see Presley's Memphis mansion in Tennessee. "I've always wanted to go to Graceland but I can't, so this is nearly as good," he said.

Matthew's delighted with his new room and told our team "It's the first thing I see in the morning, and last thing I see at night. I love it."

Mum Sharon, 40, said the Helping Hands team (who revamped the room in one day) were wonderful. She commented "They were just great and cleared up after themselves as well. I'm really grateful to Lee and Amy at WellChild and James and his team at Barclays."

 

Shop at Makro and support WellChild! (26 August 2008)

WellChild are proud to be Makro’s chosen Charity of the Year for 2008. Makro is a leading cash and carry retailer. Thanks to a partnership with one of their suppliers, Procter & Gamble, customers will have an extra chance to support WellChild in August and September 2008 when Makro and Procter & Gamble will be donating an amount of money to us for every one of a range of more than 80 Procter & Gamble products bought at their stores during that period.

Some of the products included in the promotion will be highlighted in the Makro Mail magazine which goes out to all customers every fortnight, and the WellChild hands will lead the way to the products in store. Makro hope that this promotion will raise £100,000 to support WellChild's work.

Makro promotion in aid of WellChild - list of products (pdf)

 

New nurse joins WellChild's team (15 August 2008)

WellChild has added the East of England to the list of regions across the UK to benefit from one of its specialist children’s nurses. Laura Marshall has taken up the post, based at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, to provide support and care to children and their families across the county.

Many of the children supported by Laura have serious, complex and long term illness, and need specialist equipment and medical support. Laura is responsible for ensuring a smooth transition from hospital to home by assisting families within Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas to liaise with the local health authorities, social care services and education professionals to make sure that families have everything they need.

Laura, the seventh nurse in WellChild's team, will also play a vital role in ensuring that children are cared for at home rather than in hospital wherever possible.

Linda Partridge, WellChild’s Head of Family Services, explained: “It’s difficult to imagine how overwhelming the continual demands and stresses involved in caring for a child in these circumstances can be until you face them yourself.

“The entire family is affected including other brothers and sisters all of whom can suffer intense emotional, practical and physical demands. This disruption to family life of having a child in hospital for a long period of time can also lead to feelings of guilt, anxiety and depression. At WellChild our direct contact with families in these circumstances constantly reaffirms the need to stop them from falling through current gaps in care and support services and to help them minimise lengthy stays in hospital.”

The team of WellChild children’s nurses are just one of the many projects funded by WellChild which aims to help sick children and their families throughout the UK as they deal with the consequences of serious illness and complex conditions.

 

Take the plunge for sick children with the Red Devils on WellChild’s ‘PINK FLYDAY’ (10 July 2008)

WellChild are teaming up with the world famous Red Devils to offer thrill seekers, sports fanatics or those who just want to try something different the opportunity to take part in a tandem sky dive on 26th September at South Cerney in Gloucestershire.

The day of the event will see participants being introduced to the Red Devils team along with a 30 minute session of ground training before being attached to their highly qualified team instructor ready for the jump. Once reaching an altitude of 13,000 feet, jumpers will exit the plane to feel the rush of adrenaline as they freefall for 45 seconds. The canopy ride safely down to the ground is no less exciting!

WellChild hopes that this event will appeal to all those who are looking for an exciting challenge paired with the chance to raise much-needed funds for sick children and their families across the UK. All monies raised from the mass-dive will go towards a variety of projects that WellChild fund.

Jumpers are asked to raise a minimum amount of £500 on behalf of WellChild and for further information should contact Karl or Cheryl at WellChild Events Team on 0845 458 8170, email at active@wellchild.org.uk or visit www.clickandjump.co.uk

 

Makro team get on their bikes for WellChild (27 August 2008)

Staff at Makro – currently a WellChild ‘Charity of The Year’ partner – have completed a dedicated week of fundraising thanks to four members from Makro’s logistic firm TTX.

The quartet set off on an astounding journey on their motorbikes to visit as many Makro stores as possible in just sixty hours, and covered a distance of almost 1,900 miles – stopping off to pay a visit at 32 UK mainland stores along the way.

To cheer the bikers along, staff at the many of the stores decided to hold a fun day in aid of WellChild, with many of them running cake sales, raffles and donning pink t-shirts to raise as much as possible from passing customers.

In addition, customers at Makro will have a further chance to play their part for WellChild when a four-week promotion begins in all the UK stores at the end of the month. That promotion sees cash donated to the charity every time an item from a range of more than 80 products is bought – and has a fundraising target of £100,000.

 

Families come first at WellChild (15 August 2008)

WellChild welcomes Amy Wright to her new role as Family Networks Co-Ordinator. This new appointment is part of our commitment to developing strong relationships with children, young people and their families. Amy is now the first point of contact for families at WellChild, and will be communicating with families that we've already helped as well as looking for ways to reach others.

Amy intends to focus on actively involving people of all ages in the ongoing work of WellChild, gathering opinions, experiences and views about all aspects of children's health to help shape the future focus of our charity. We'd like you to share your stories and experiences, and participate in our family networks, so either telephone Amy on 0845 458 8170 or email familynetworks@wellchild.org.uk and get involved!

 

Taking a trip on Charlie's Ark (08 August 2008)

WellChild is proud to be associated with award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Mike Payne, and his latest creations, the animals of Charlie's Ark. Charlie's Ark is all about a five-year-old boy and his toy-box, in the shape of an ark, in which he keeps the many animals that come to life in his imagination. Mike has supported WellChild for some time and comments "I've always been aware of WellChild and the amazing work they do for sick children, particularly the WellChild Nurses. It somehow seemed appropriate that my concept about a little boy, Charlie, and his sister Sally should be associated with supporting this very worthwhile charity".

We recently added some Charlie's Ark e-cards to our shop, and are continiung to look at other ways of working together in the future. To see more, visit www.charliesark.co.uk.

 

Helping Hands for Gemma (28 July 2008)

A team of volunteers from Royal & Sun Alliance has given Gemma Jeffrey and her family a dramatic home make over in WellChild's most recent Helping Hands project.

Sixteen year old Gemma has Autistic Spectrum Disorder which causes her to have learning, attention and behaviour difficulties. Despite this, Gemma is an extremely active young girl with a very positive attitude to life and the people around her. This love of life is mirrored by her favourite pastime of dancing around her home with her mother and sister to the music of her idol, Michael Jackson. Unfortunately, the environment that she was living in did not lend itself to her needs and she desperately needed a home makeover to enable her to develop and shine in the way she should.

Gemma’s home underwent a huge facelift by the Helping Hands team and Royal & Sun Alliance. Not only did they paint and decorate the living room and bedroom where Gemma spends a lot of her time, but also completely renovated the garden which had become overgrown and unusable. This huge project was completed in just one day and Gemma’s family and the very tired volunteering team were delighted with the end result. One of the volunteers told us "All of us who took part in the home transformation got lots out of the project, but hopefully not as much as the family. We all had a real sense of satisfaction in making a difference to Gemma and we hope that we have helped make a better home for her and her family. It was a real sense of achievement.'

WellChild is looking for people who think their company would like to help children like Gemma. For more information, please call Lee Trunks on 0845 458 8171 or email helpinghands@wellchild.org.uk

 

Listen up ladies – take on the challenge for sick children (10 July 2008)

National sick children’s charity WellChild are calling for women to sign up and take part in the Adidas 5k challenge to help sick children and their families across the UK. The event on Sunday 7th September is set to be the biggest and best women-only fun run in the UK. This brilliant event will be taking place in three places across the country - Hyde Park, London; City Centre, Birmingham and Sefton Park, Liverpool.

Mothers, sisters, daughters and aunts are all invited to be part of the event and be a member of the winning team supporting WellChild. With over 30,000 women expected to take part, the atmosphere is likely to be fantastic and a great family day out.

Funds raised by runners will go to a variety of projects to help sick children and their families, one of these being WellChild Children’s Nurses who help chronically sick children in their own homes. These nurse posts are spread across the country in areas including London, Liverpool and Birmingham where the runs are taking place.

Register for a place now by visiting www.womenschallenge.co.uk/onlinentry and choose WellChild as the chosen charity. Entry to take part is £15 with £5 of this going directly to WellChild. Once a place has been granted, applicants will be sent a runners pack including helpful training advice and tips as well as a bright pink t-shirt to show you off as part of the WellChild team! There is no minimum sponsorship for this event although WellChild would urge participants to take on as much fundraising as they are able. And finally, Good Luck to all those taking part!

 

Many Hands Make Light Work (10 July 2008)

Helping Hands are delighted to have gained confirmation from HSBC in Bristol and Mills & Reeve solicitors Birmingham to take part in our Helping Hands projects.

HSBC will be undertaking a garden makeover for a young girl in Birmingham enabling her access to the garden and a safe and stimulating place to play and spend time with her family. Mills and Reeve will be transforming the room of a young Birmingham City supporter who spends all his home time in his bed. This transformation will brighten up his daily life and really make a difference to his happiness and wellbeing. Watch this space for news and photographs of these two exciting projects.

 

Return from the desert marks the halfway point for WellChild’s marathon man (4 July 2008)

Keen runner and extreme events enthusiast Sam Lipscombe has embarked upon a year of gruelling and intense physical challenges for WellChild – and even six days in the Gobi Desert haven’t stopped him.

Sam had already completed the Reading half-marathon in March and the Flora London Marathon in April before setting off for the Gobi March ultra marathon – a six-day 250-kilometre footrace across the Gobi Desert of China in June. A few days after his return from that incredible event, he was off on the Three Peaks Challenge with two of his work colleagues from intranet company Sorce.

Sam’s trek of the Gobi Desert has, without doubt, been the hardest event in his competing career to date, with the intense weather conditions and rough terrain of such a hot climate taking its toll and causing him to become severely weak and dehydrated.

The well-deserved rest Sam is now taking following the Three Peaks Challenge will not last long, however, as his next test comes at the Berlin Marathon in September.

Most of us would feel that an intense year of events would be enough, but dedicated Sam will not be ready to hang up his trainers any time soon. He has set himself a personal challenge to run at least one marathon in each continent of the world, and has already completed races in Africa, Europe and America and Asia, with Australia and the North and South Poles to go.           

When not taking part in worldwide marathons, Sam is the Marketing Manager of WellChild’s charity partner Sorce Ltd who have recently purpose-built a new extranet for WellChild employees providing easy access to current information both for internal staff and the remote workforce.

Chief Executive Kedge Martin said: “There are more children than ever before in the UK suffering from a serious or long-term illness, so the efforts that Sam is making to raise money to support our work has never been more needed. It is fantastic that he has made this commitment for WellChild and we wish him all the best with this mammoth challenge. He has our full admiration.”

 

Children from UK schools meet Prince William at charity polo match for WellChild (20th June 2008)

Children from three junior schools across the UK had the chance to show some of their artwork to Prince William on Saturday June 14th when they attended the annual Chakravarty Cup event at Ham Polo Club in Richmond as special guests of WellChild.

Four pupils aged between nine and eleven years old and a representative teacher from each school have been working to produce art aimed at visually reflecting the work of WellChild – the national children’s health charity providing nursing care, support and medical research to sick children and their families across the UK.

They then all had the chance to present that artwork to Prince William – whose brother Harry is the Royal Patron of WellChild – and other guests at the Chakravarty Cup event where the Prince chatted with the children and was keen to hear about their work which ranged from poetry to art using a variety of techniques and materials.

WellChild was chosen alongside the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust of which Prince William is President to benefit from fundraising at the event this year. In addition to the thrill of meeting Prince William, the children were also treated to lunch and the chance to watch world class polo players in action.

Children from Bishop Stortford College in Hertfordshire, St Gregory the Great Junior School in Cheltenham and Hornsby House School in South London have all supported WellChild in various areas over the past year and were very pleased to be involved with such a spectacular day.

Kedge Martin, Chief Executive of WellChild, said: “We are delighted that these children were able to meet Prince William and demonstrate to him the impact of WellChild’s work at such a special event.   Their enthusiasm to help other children less fortunate than themselves and the artwork they have produced is really inspiring.  They were all honoured to meet His Royal Highness and thoroughly enjoyed their time with him.”

 

Chronically sick child gets home makeover by WellChild and partner Goldman Sachs (20th June 2008)

Eight year old Bethnal Green boy, Abir Hussain, has recently had a dramatic home makeover by national sick children’s charity WellChild and a team of volunteers from global investment firm, Goldman Sachs. Abir, who up until three years ago had no health problems, was struck down with meningitis leaving him wheelchair-bound, unable to speak and completely dependent on his parents for care.

As Abir has limited movement ability, the WellChild Helping Hands team fitted a new hoist in his bedroom to assist getting in and out of bed, a job that up until recently was done by his father. The WellChild’s Helping Hands projects allow children such as Abir and their families to be helped by the charity who work alongside companies to provide teams of volunteers to complete one-off home and garden improvement projects.

The makeover by this Helping Hands team included transforming Abir’s bedroom into an underwater hideaway with bright blue walls and sea creature shaped lighting as well as decorating the hallway and living room where Abir spends much of his time with his family. The finished project was outstanding and both the family and the team were left delighted with the end result.

Abir’s mother Afia Begum said: “We are so pleased with the outcome of the project, to have done so much work in so little time is amazing. We have not seen Abir respond to his surroundings so positively for two years, he is reaching and touching and looking all the time. It is so amazing, thank you so much.”

WellChild is looking for people who think their company would like to help children like Abir. For more information, please call Lee Trunks on 01242 808346.