The Play Well Trust is a brand new project founded and part funded by Sarah Vaughan, who is also the creator of The Do Try This at Home School. She has set up this page to help fund the launch of this organisation and the initial stages of growing it into a charity.

The Play Well Trust was inspired by a beautiful family with a child who attended nursery with Sarah’s daughter, who sadly fell ill with a brain tumour in 2018. The little girl, who is thankfully currently doing well, had attended Sarah’s daughter’s 4th birthday party in the summer and had loved all of the creative and messy activities available there. Sarah decided to make her a “party in a box”, so that she had some activities she could do at home with her siblings and family, while she was recovering from her treatments. Sarah packed a shoe box with all sorts of creative goodies, wrapped it in brown paper and delivered the first ever “Feel Better Box”.

Since this time Sarah has sent boxes to other families with children who have been too poorly to attend school or nursery, and has seen the potential for something very special to emerge from this work. So, combining all of her skills and training, she has created The Play Well Trust, which will be part funded from a percentage of the profits from the sales of Sarah’s children’s books.

There are four main themes that run through The Play Well Trust; Play, Education, Laughter and Healing and these are the cornerstones of all of the work we do with children and families.

The aims of The Play Well Trust are:

• To support children who are too unwell to attend school or nursery, and their families, through the use of play based activities.

• To champion the use of play based learning.

• To build and strengthen family relationships when a child is unwell, through the use of play and other therapies.

At The Play Well Trust we believe wholeheartedly that play is essential to wellness and although, sadly, play is not a cure for all illness, it can certainly help with healing in all sense of the word. Play is a universal language.

Play can help to heal relationships between siblings.

Play can help to heal relationships between children and parents or carers.

Play helps children to work through thoughts and feelings that are difficult to understand.

Play offers children a way to express themselves.

And, most importantly….

Play offers children a chance to be children and a chance to enjoy the moment.

Play is a powerful tool.