Starlight Ward Bristol Half
Philippa Dawes is raising money for Rainbow Trust Children's Charity
Story
Helloooo to all you fabulous people!
Amy, Kate, Lizzie, Laura and Me have gone mad and have decided to run the Bristol Half Marathon in September. We have chosen to run for the Rainbow Trust Charity.
The Rainbow Trust provides invaluable support for families across the UK struggling with the constant demands of looking after a child with a long term condition. There are thousands of volunteers that provide care and a helping hand to these families whose life revolves around their poorly child. They offer respite for parents, entertainment for siblings and bereavement support should the worst happen. They are a charity that run solely on donations so rely on the kindness of all of you lovely lot to help us raise some money to keep them going.
We work frequently with the Rainbow Trust on the ward and have seen first hand how much parents rely on them to keep them going through the long hospital stints. The children can come from as far away as Belfast and Guernsey and as a result are separated from their families and friends throughout their admission. If the child is in isolation they cannot be visited by their siblings and are not allowed to leave their room for up to 6 weeks (and sometimes much longer). Although this keeps the child safer from infection this has a serious impact on both the child and their parent’s mental health. The Rainbow Trust volunteers come into the ward and provide entertainment for the child in isolation and allow the parent to leave the ward knowing their child is safe and happy. This provides the parent with some respite and gives them time to look after themselves.
Alongside working with the families in a hospital environment they often help out at home with chores, school runs and babysitting. This is invaluable for a newly single parent and helps allow them to juggle work, home life and their sick child and partner miles away.
The volunteers build fantastic relationships with our families and can become a lifeline during a very difficult time. The volunteers always arrive smiling and always leave the child smiling too.
I invite you all to come and watch us cry our way around the 21km route in Bristol and to please please donate all extra pennies for this fabulous charity.
Love
Amy, Kate, Lizzie, Laura and Pippa
Amy, Kate, Lizzie, Laura and Me have gone mad and have decided to run the Bristol Half Marathon in September. We have chosen to run for the Rainbow Trust Charity.
The Rainbow Trust provides invaluable support for families across the UK struggling with the constant demands of looking after a child with a long term condition. There are thousands of volunteers that provide care and a helping hand to these families whose life revolves around their poorly child. They offer respite for parents, entertainment for siblings and bereavement support should the worst happen. They are a charity that run solely on donations so rely on the kindness of all of you lovely lot to help us raise some money to keep them going.
We work frequently with the Rainbow Trust on the ward and have seen first hand how much parents rely on them to keep them going through the long hospital stints. The children can come from as far away as Belfast and Guernsey and as a result are separated from their families and friends throughout their admission. If the child is in isolation they cannot be visited by their siblings and are not allowed to leave their room for up to 6 weeks (and sometimes much longer). Although this keeps the child safer from infection this has a serious impact on both the child and their parent’s mental health. The Rainbow Trust volunteers come into the ward and provide entertainment for the child in isolation and allow the parent to leave the ward knowing their child is safe and happy. This provides the parent with some respite and gives them time to look after themselves.
Alongside working with the families in a hospital environment they often help out at home with chores, school runs and babysitting. This is invaluable for a newly single parent and helps allow them to juggle work, home life and their sick child and partner miles away.
The volunteers build fantastic relationships with our families and can become a lifeline during a very difficult time. The volunteers always arrive smiling and always leave the child smiling too.
I invite you all to come and watch us cry our way around the 21km route in Bristol and to please please donate all extra pennies for this fabulous charity.
Love
Amy, Kate, Lizzie, Laura and Pippa