News

WellChild Parent Ambassadors help children across the UK receive a festive hug this Christmas

By Chris Hill · December 16, 2019

Santa WellChild families

Our Parent Ambassadors have been attending Christmas parties distributing Build-A-Bears to children with exceptional health needs across the UK. Helping us identify hospices, schools and hospitals hosting parties, WellChild Parent Ambassadors have so far helped give over 2000 festive hugs with more still to go!

Alongside the bears, families are being given information about our WellChild Family Tree network, helping us to reach even more families so they can join and receive support from other parents too. This is an amazing achievement and one that could not have been possible without their support.

WellChild Trustee and Parent Ambassador Leanne Cooper said: “The WellChild and Build-A-Bear partnership has been such a lovely experience for parent, carer families and their children. The idea of giving each child with significant health care needs a WellChild Hug this Christmas has been very special and I feel very lucky to have seen the children’s faces bursting with excitement as we helped Santa deliver the bears at St Francis special school in Lincoln.

Helping spread some Christmas joy and seeing the children’s faces light up as they hugged their bears is definitely something I’ll remember for a long time. I feel very privileged to have been involved and spread the word of the WellChild Family Tree.”

Yorkshire families meet

Yorkshire meet up at Doncaster Wildlife Park

Families were blessed with lovely weather for our meet up at the Doncaster Wildlife Park, in Yorkshire. Organised by Parent Ambassadors Jill and Gulzeab; they arranged a fantastic fun packed visit to the park where families were able to walk around and see the animals, have lunch together, make new friends and meet familiar faces from the WellChild Family Tree network.

Jill said “Lots of friends were made which is so important for all of us; some of the families who came today don’t get the opportunity to go out much and said it was great to be able to go out to an event where they feel supported and can meet people in similar situations to themselves. It was lovely to hear they had such a great day out, and to be a part of facilitating that.”

First meet-up on the Isle of Wight

Parent Ambassador, Rachel, organised her first meet-up on the Isle of Wight over the summer. Several families got together at a local hospice so they could relax with their children, have a coffee, chat and make new friends. Rachel said “It was lovely, so relaxed and so nice to meet other parents on the Isle of Wight that are connected by WellChild. Some of the children joined us too.”

Our amazing team of Parent Ambassadors will be organising many more meet-ups across the UK in 2020; stay tuned for more details!

Brass Factor

Our Parent Ambassadors were invited to support Brass Factor in Huddersfield for the 3rd Year running!

Parent Ambassador Jill said: “Brass Factor began in 2010 to help encourage the next generation of brass band players to continue playing for many years to come. They have created an event where traditional brass bands compete in a talent show style competition to be judged by a panel and the audience as the band that have the Brass Factor!”

Brass Factor is a great supporter of WellChild, and fundraised for us on the evening by donating proceeds from their annual raffle to us. Parent Ambassador Jill went to the event along with her son, Noah, where they were able to say a few words about WellChild. Noah even helped draw the raffle. It was a great night out and over the three years Brass Factor has raised a total of over £4,400 which is amazing. Thank you Brass Factor!

Youth ambassadors

Youth Ambassadors

Our team of fantastic Youth Ambassadors took on the monumental task of judging our Most Caring category winners for this year’s WellChild Awards. Attending their judging day hosted at London Zoo, they chose two deserving winners, Milly Sutherland and William Jones with the team being moved by their caring and compassionate nature towards others.

The team were then able to enjoy watching and congratulating all winners collecting their awards at the WellChild Awards ceremony in October, alongside many of our Parent Ambassadors.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a Parent Ambassador please contact Catherine at familynetworks@wellchild.org.uk