What We Did - The First 52 Lives
(2013/2014)
Thanks to kind people and businesses all over the world, this is a glimpse of what we were able to do during the first year of 52 Lives
Claire is an eight year old girl from Queensland Australia, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumour. A family friend, Julie Stevens, told 52 Lives that Claire could do with a few treats to look forward to. We sent the request far and wide, and this is what we managed to do for her...
1. Claire loves the theatre, so thanks to QPAC and the producers, we sent Claire and her family to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Brisbane.
2. Thanks to Gaynor from Sunny Coast Kidswear, Claire had a gorgeous new party dress to wear to the show
3. Family tickets to Sea Life in Mooloolaba, thanks to the team at Sea Life and Merlin's Magic Wand.
4. A special mother/daughter pampering session and studio photo, thanks to Princess Tiara in Buderim.
A big thankyou to these kind businesses
Life # 1 - Claire Ollier
A note of thanks from
Claire's mum, Lynette
"Wow! Thank you so much. We were delighted you chose Claire to support for the week. Claire was very excited. We are so appreciative. What a wonderful initiative. You have made a little girl very happy."​
Life # 2 - A single mum and her 3 children
In the weeks before Christmas 2013, 52 Lives decided to help a young mum who has had a difficult time. She and her three children live in Queensland, Australia. They had to flee a bad domestic situation and needed a bit of support - and some renewed faith in humanity!
The request was a simple one. 52 Lives wanted to give them each a Christmas present. Not just for the gift itself, but also to show them them that people are good, and we care about each other.
Thanks to Lynette, Claire, Camilla, Joy, John and many more good people who took time out of their busy Christmas holidays to send gifts to a stranger. This is what we gave to the family....
1. A bundle of Christmas gifts
2. A new mattress for her little boy
3. Two big fans to help her children sleep better over the hot summer months
4. Lots of household goods
A note of thanks from the
mum we helped
"This has been so surreal to me. I've always found it hard to accept help from anyone....I've just had to cope on my own. You don't get a choice when there's three little lives utterly dependent on you.
I want you to know how much I truly appreciate you genuinely wanting to help me. Such a random act of kindness but it has restored my faith in humanity. I would love to be in a position to help others and I know one day I will be and would like to do for others what you have done for my family."
Life # 3 - A West London mum
It's hard to believe a vacuum cleaner could change someone's life - or even make their day, to be honest. But when you're a young mum with no money and a toddler, who spends your days cleaning the carpet with your hands, it is something that would make the world of difference.
In December 2013, a West London health worker made the request on behalf of this family. Thanks to lots of kind West Londoners, we received ...
1. A vacuum cleaner (thanks to Sam!)
2. Gifts, clothes and toys (thanks to Bex, Olivia and others!)
Life # 4 - Pat, a pensioner from Queensland, Australia
Pat is a 70 year old pensioner from Queensland, Australia. She is a widow, is visually impaired, and lives alone with her dog. Someone broke into Pat's home and stole her handbag, money and keys. Pat was devastated. A very kind soul at her local police station saw her crying and made her take $30 to help her out.
We thought this lovely lady could do with some kindness, and decided to send her some grocery vouchers and gift cards to help make up for her lost pension money.
52 Lives received $100 in vouchers from our supporters, and sent them off to Pat in January 2014. Thanks to everyone who helped - especially the very generous Nicky Stevens.
When we called Pat to tell her the good news, she said she had been having a tough few days, but that she felt this gift was the start of good things to come.
Life # 5 - Janine, a very kind woman, manager and friend going through a difficult time
Many of you will remember, Claire Ollier - the little girl we helped in week 1. Our nomination this week came from Claire's mum, Lynette, who has nominated her boss Janine.
Janine lives in Currumbin, on the Gold Coast in Australia. She has always been a brilliant manager to Lynette, but her kindness and understanding stepped up to a new level after Claire was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Shortly after little Claire became ill, Janine herself was diagnosed with cancer. She has undergone radiation treatment and will begin chemotherapy in January.
We thought an unexpected act of kindness is just what Janine needed to brighten up a very difficult time in her life - even if it's for just a few moments.
Thanks to Deb and the kind team at Salon 35 in Palm Beach, we are able to send Janine for a pamper day at the salon.
A big thankyou to this kind business
A note of thanks from Janine
"I just wanted to say how special it made me feel to receive a lovely gift from 52 Lives. I didn't know an agency like this existed and now will definitely watch the website to see if I can help others as well.
"The fact that someone to begin with thinks you are special to put you forward and that businesses and extraordinary people are prepared to donate gifts and whatever is needed to bring a little bit of comfort or fun to that person's life is truly enriching to know.
Thanks again and everyone out there - keep helping.
It really does make a difference."
Life # 6 - Caitlin Stewart, supported by Greig Trout
Caitlin is a 15 year old Australian girl, who bravely decided to shave her head as part of the World's Greatest Shave. Caitlin’s six year old brother, Tommy, has T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. The doctors have termed Tommy as terminal and are hoping palliative radiation will give him time to spend with his family.
It is a devastating time for the family, but selflessly, Caitlin is determined to fundraise for the Leukaemia Foundation in an effort to make sure no other family has to go through the same trauma.
52 Lives decided to help Caitlin smash her fundraising target! And so, we enlisted the help of a good friend, Greig Trout, of 101 Things to Do When You Survive, who immediately offered to shave his head as well.
Caitlin has already more than quadrupled her original fundraising target of $2000, with the total (as of 28/2/14) standing at more than $8000. Caitlin is now the number 10 fundraiser in Australia!
We have also sent a special gift to Caitlin (a $300 gift voucher for her favourite store), thanks to the incredibly generous Elliott family of Mountain Creek.
We will keep you updated!
Life # 7 - Camilla Betros, the definition of resilient!
Camilla is a mum of two from Indooroopilly, Australia. Her family has had an incredibly challenging few years, to say the least.
Her son Charlie was diagnosed with autism, they had to flee their home during the Brisbane floods and her husband Paul spent many months in hospital waiting for a heart transplant after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.
Despite what her family has been through, Camilla doesn’t seem to think she is any braver or stronger than anyone else. She says she simply did what any mother or wife would do in the same situation.
52 Lives wanted to give Camilla a bit of a rest.
1. Thanks to Rydges in Brisbane, we sent Camilla for a night away at the gorgeous hotel.
2. Thanks to Lucas Sambrooks, MD of AustClean, we arranged for one of the company's franchisees to clean her house from top to bottom. Lucas generously picked up the bill himself - thanks Lucas!
A big thankyou to these kind businesses
A note of thanks from the health worker, who took the laptop to the young mum
I cannot thank 52 Lives and the wonderfully kind donor, Richard, enough.
Myself and the family nurse delivered the laptop yesterday to the young parent whilst she was on a break at college and it was one of the most moving experiences I have ever been involved in...she was totally overwhelmed that someone who had never met her would do something so kind and what she said was 'all my dreams are coming true'.
Richard had written a very inspiring note to her which I think she treasured as much as the laptop. She is the most wonderful parent, warm and kind to her little girl and when she said 'I kept trying to save for the laptop but A.. (her 10 month old) always needs things', it highlights her ability to really prioritise her child.
She has so much potential and is entirely committed to her course but this laptop just makes her life easier and puts her on a more level playing field to other people on this course.
52 Lives is an amazing organisation which inherently believes 'most people are good and kind'.
I really believe this act of kindness is changing this young lady's life and kindness truly is infectious.
I cannot thank Richard and Jaime enough for caring enough about other people.
With so much appreciation. xx
Less than 24 hours after posting the request for a second hand laptop, 52 Lives received a message from an incredibly generous businessman offering to buy a brand new laptop for the young mum.
Buying an expensive gift for someone you don't know, who won't be able to thank you and who you will probably never hear of again, is pure kindness.
So, Richard H. from England (who wants to remain anonymous) THANKYOU! Your gift will change that teenage girl's day-to-day life, and hopefully will also help her feel cared for and supported. What an amazing man you are.
Richard also bought her software and a carry case, and 52 Lives arranged laptop insurance for her.
Life # 8 - A teenage mum from West London
We wanted to help a 16-year-old mum from London continue her education and make a beter life for her an her baby.
This young mum spent many of her teenage years in a children's home, as a result of neglect and physical abuse. A family nurse has helped her return to education, and the health worker supporting her believes she is a bright girl with huge potential - given the opportunity.
She has an eight month old baby, and only receives assistance with crèche hours for the time that she is actually in class, meaning she isn't able to use the computers in the library to do her homework or study. A laptop would help her achieve her goal and, given what this young girl has been through in her life, the gesture itself may help her even more.
The health workers have tried to find her a laptop through various charities, but it is considered a luxury request so they have always been turned down.
Life # 9 - Liza and her mum, from Ipswich Australia
We wanted to spread some kindness to an Ipswich lady called Liza and her mum, who were going through a difficult period in their lives.
Liza recently had a baby boy, who she is now raising on her own. Sadly, her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, and they had just found out that it had spread.
52 Lives wanted to help Liza and her mum spend some quality time together.
Thanks to some kind donations, 52 Lives was able to buy Liza and her mum a gift voucher for a beauty salon in Ipswich.
And the lovely Andrea from Andrea Bartlett - Make-up & Beauty Bar has since also donated a voucher for the two ladies.
A note of thanks from Liza
"With all of my heart I would like to thank you all for taking the time out to do something touching for my mum and I through this hard time in our lives."
A big thankyou to this kind business
Life # 10 - A girl in London, pregnant and in need of help
52 Lives heard about a young girl in London who is pregnant with her second child. She arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied minor, pregnant, having been through a horrendous ordeal.
The young girl and her baby survive on food vouchers, but due to her pending status in the UK, she cannot receive benefits yet. So she is completely reliant on charities for baby equipment.
After sending the request far and wide, we managed to find a double buggy, a brand new baby cocoon, a travel cot and some Mothercare Gift Vouchers.
Thanks so much to Simon and Marie from Staines for donating their buggy, to the amazing Richard H. for buying the new cocoon, to Alex for donating her travel cot and to everyone who bought gift vouchers.
Life # 11 - A very ill baby girl
52 Lives wanted to help a 2 month old baby girl get to hospital safely. When she was just a few weeks old, she was diagnosed with neuroblastomas on the brain - it is a type of cancer that affects young children.
Her mum takes her to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for regular treatment, a journey which cannot be made by public transport as the baby girl has a low white blood cell count which makes her susceptible to infection.
The mum was struggling to pay for the taxi fares to and from the hospital, but had no other choice.
We set up a fundraising page for her with GoGetFunding. Thanks to the 33 kind people who donated, we raised £545. Then, the incredibly kind team at Green Tomato Cars - London's leading green taxi company - offered to match fund donations up to £500.
Total raised: £1045
So the mother and her baby now have a taxi account with Green Tomato Cars with enough credit to give her many months free from worrying about how she will pay to get her daughter to hospital.
People's generosity has been incredible. Your helped has allowed this young mother to really focus on her unwell baby. She is so very touched that complete strangers would do this for her at such a tough time.
A big thankyou to this kind business
Life # 12 - Joyce, an elderly lady moving home
52 Lives posted an urgent request to help an elderly lady who needed to move out of her flat in just a few days time. Her name is Joyce and she lived in Putney, London.
Joyce had fallen on hard times and was having to move to a housing association flat in Tooting. She is in her mid-eighties and had no one to help her except her former neighbour, Lulu, who told us about her. Joyce had a lot of things to sort through and pack and it was simply too much for her to do on her own.
A professional declutter, Cheryl from Every Home Matters, came to the rescue in so many ways.
Cheryl worked for free with Joyce for many days to help pack up her flat. She also recruited the help of Humpit Removals who generously offered to move Joyce for free.This amazing woman has also spent many hours on the phone to different agencies who may be able to help going forward.
Thanks to the kindness of these wonderful strangers, Joyce is getting the help she desperately needs.
A big thankyou to these kind business
Life # 13 - A Sunshine Coast family
Request: Warm bedding and clothes for a mother and her three children
​
52 Lives wanted to help a family from the Sunshine Coast, Australia. The family, a young mother and her three children, were struggling financially.
I met this family personally. The mother is an incredibly brave and kind lady who works as hard as she can to make a better life for her children, but things are difficult for them and we knew a little bit of help would make a big difference.
With cooler weather approaching, she had been trying to find money to buy warmer bedding (for 2 double beds and 1 single) and clothes for her and her children.
This is what we took to the family. The lovely mum was so grateful and cried when I arrived with everything.
1. A brand new double duvet (doona) thanks to Camilla Betros
2. A brand new single duvet thanks to Mary Mitchell
3. A $150 Coles Myer Gift Card sent by someone 52 Lives helped in a previous week (the letter it arrived with is pictured right)
4. A $100 Coles Myer Gift Card donated by a kind local mum who wants to remain anoymous.
5. Some new warm clothes for the children and a second hand vacuum from 52 Lives.
6. And finally, some duvet covers donated by my mum!
A beautiful letter from a previous 52 Lives recipient, who sent the $150 gift voucher so our Life # 13 could buy warm clothes for her children.
"We are all in this world together and need to support each other. Let them know they are not alone."
Life # 14 - A 6 year old boy, James Warrington-Love
Request: Fun days out for James and his family
We read about 6 year old James, from Minyama, Australia, in the newspaper. In January, he was diagnosed with a high grade Glioma (brain tumour) and was given at most 6 months to live. His parent’s, Deborah and Paul, were told the tumour was inoperable. Unwilling to accept this, they sent his scans all over the world, desperate to find a surgeon that could help their son.
World-renowned Sydney neurosurgeon Charlie Teo took the case and in February operated on James to remove a large portion of the tumour, giving him a fighting chance.
The local community have united to help raise funds towards the family’s medical bills, which will be in excess of $90,000.
We contacted Deborah and Paul to see if there was anything we could do for James and they suggested some fun days out for him. So, we contacted some local attractions and this is what we are sending James.....
1. A family pass to Australia Zoo and print of the Irwins, thanks to the incredibly kind team at the zoo.
2. A special VIP day at SEA LIFE Mooloolaba, with a seal encounter and family photo, thanks to the generosity of SEA LIFE and Merlin’s Magic Wand.
If anyone would like to know more about James or how they can help further, visit his Facebook page.
A big thankyou to these kind business
Life # 15 - Twin boys from Nottingham
Request: Swimming with dolphins, tickets to concerts or help to raise funds for Batten disease.
We wanted to help a family from Nottingham, UK - Sarah and Andrew Dawkins and their twin boys, Freddie and Louie.
Freddie and Louie have Late Infantile Batten disease. It is an inherited neurological disorder which emerges in early childhood. The condition leaves youngsters blind, bedridden, and mentally impaired and the life expectancy is between 8-12 years. There is no known cure.
We are in the process of confirming the details of some potentially wonderful offers for this family and will post an update shortly.
Life # 16 - A 3 year old girl
Request: An iPad, to help her overcome some developmental delays
52 Lives heard about an Australian girl, who we will call ‘E’. She has been diagnosed with bronchiectasis (a condition similar to cystic fibrosis). It is being caused by the aspiration of food and fluid, meaning she accidentally sucks food and fluid into her lungs. Her medical team has not yet worked out what is causing her to aspirate and she won't be eligible for a transplant unless the problem is fixed.
E has some developmental delays - mostly manifesting in speech problems. Her speech pathologist has applied for a prescription only iPad app for her, which they believe will significantly help her speech. Unfortunately, the family does not have an iPad to support the app!
52 Lives was able to buy the family an iPad Air, thanks to a lovely and generous man called Matt, from Mountain Creek in Australia.
He offered to buy the family a top of the range iPad, saying simply:
"This little girl not having an iPad is just not an option."
Life # 17 - Evie, a 2 year old girl from south London
Request: A builder/carpenter/DIY expert, an electrician and an artist/skilled painter to help create a sensory room for Evie.
Evie is the 2 year old daughter of Aimey and James from south London, UK. When Evie was born, she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice. During the final stages of labour she suffered significant trauma and subsequently suffocated, leaving her with brain damage.
Then, when she was just a few weeks old, Aimey and James were hit with more bad news. Evie had Retinoblastoma (a type of cancer) in both eyes. She was rushed to hospital and had to undergo chemotherapy to try to save some of her sight. Evie is now 2 years old. She has cerebral palsy, as well as the retinoblastoma.
We wanted to help Evie's mum turn their little wooden shed into a sensory room for Evie.
We were able to put a brilliant team in place to transform the shed for Evie, including:
1. Gareth Johnson, a set builder and scenic painter.
2. Michelle McGuffin, a talented artist.
3. Rob Speirs, a builder.
4. Jamie Brandon, an electrician.
52 Lives so grateful to them for donating their time to create something special for this little girl. And this is all only happening because so many people liked and shared our request. We will keep you updated on the shed progress.
Meet Evie!
The team of volunteer builders, electricians, carpenters and artists has now finished turning her family's old garden shed into a sensory room for her. Her first look was captured on camera...
Life # 18 - An update on a very sad story
Request: None
This week, 52 Lives wanted a chance to thank some incredible people that have given so much to help a young mum going through the worst of times.
Back in week 11, we raised more than £1000 to open a taxi account for the mum to help her take her baby to hospital for treatment. Her baby was diagnosed with neuroblastomas on the brain - a type of cancer that affects young children - and was unable to travel by public transport due to the risk of infection.
We later received the sad news that the baby girl had passed away.
The family nurse who works with the mum asked if it might be possible for the funds we raised for the taxi account to be put towards funeral expenses instead. It was the most heartbreaking request 52 Lives had ever received. The taxi account was almost empty, but thanks to some wonderful people, this is what we were able to do:
Green Tomato Cars donated a very large sun of money towards the funeral costs. We also received two large donations from Richard and a West London family.
Between all of these good people, we were able to cover all of the funeral expenses, lifting the burden from the young mum and allowing her time and space to deal with everything that has happened. We are sending her all our love.
A big thankyou to this kind business
A note of thanks
"I am a family nurse that has been working with this young mother and her baby. They have been on the hardest journey over the last 6 months, but the help and support they have received from 52 lives (first the taxi account and then the funeral costs) has been absolutely incredible. Such acts of kindness at such a distressing time will stay with this family forever. On behalf of the family, and those supporting them at this time, I would like to say a massive thank you for your generosity, kindness and support."
Life # 19 - Patrick, a 7 year old boy from New Zealand
Request: Donations, to raise money for his operation.
Patrick Walsh was a young boy from Auckland, New Zealand, who needed heart surgery in the US.
The family set-up a fundraising page to help them raise the NZ $200,000 (approx. £100,000) they need for their son's surgery and trip.
Patrick’s story has been covered in the NZ press, and friends and family have been holding charity auctions, doing sponsored cycles etc, which have so far raised more than $25,000. But there is still a very long way to go.
We knew we wouldn’t be able to get them everything they needed, but we wanted to make even a small difference to this family.
More than NZ$11,000 was raised for Patrick in the week of this request, bringing the total raised online to $36,000. I'm sure it wasn't all from us but I like to think we helped a little bit!
UPDATE: Patrick had his surgery in June 2014, and so far so good!
You can follow his story here
A note of thanks from Patrick's mum
"We really appreciate you helping to spread our son's story through your network. Never in a million years did we think we would be in this position. But it is truly amazing to see how kind and caring other people can be. Particularly when you feel you're in the toughest place in your life."
Life # 20 - 300 children!
Request: New toys and books
We teamed up with the Tree of Hope charity in the UK, which works with families of sick and disabled children who need specialist surgery, treatment and therapy.
The sheer number of stories on their website is heartbreaking. We wanted to help, but didn’t know where to start.
Jeremy, Tree of Hope’s CEO, said something they had always wanted to do was to be able to send each child they help a birthday present to show them that there are people out there who are thinking of them and who care about them.
And so, we put out a call for people to send presents.
We received more than 100 gifts of toys and books sent from kind strangers all over the world.
We also received a huge box of more than 300 children's books from the incredibly generous people at Sainsbury's.
Life # 21 - Jeanette, a grandmother in need of help.
Request: Food vouchers and a queen size mattress.
Jeanette is a lovely lady from Queensland, Australia, who has been having a lot of difficulties. Jeanette originally contacted me to try to find some help for her son, and also her elderly mother. But it becamse very clear to me during the courseof the conversation that it was Jeanette who was in desperate need of some kindness.
Jeanette is 57 years old, lives on her own and is on a disability pension, as she has a condition called Parry–Romberg syndrome, which began on her face but now affects other parts of her body. She survives on a small amount of money, made smaller by the fact that she often gives a lot of her pension away to help her son, her grandchildren and her elderly mother. Some weeks she struggles to have enough left to buy food for herself.
She is an incredibly kind person, who sacrifices her own well-being to help her family. We thought it was time for Jeanette to receive a bit of help.
Thanks to 3 wonderful women - Louise Brown, Mary and one of our past recipients who would prefer to be anonymous, we posted a $200 grocery voucher to Jeanette.
And thank to a very kind and generous lady from Scotland, we were able to buy Jeanette a brand new mattress, which she said has changed her life! A big thank you to the team at Forty Winks for doing a deal for us, and throwing in some extra pillows!
A big thankyou to this kind business
A note of thanks from Jeanette
"Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Sometimes I feel like just don't know what to do anymore, except sit down and cry. I know there are people worse off than me, so I try to be strong. But it gets hard sometimes. This is so lovely. It will help so much. Thank you all."
Life # 22 - An 8 year old girl from Bracknell, England
Request: A painter/decorator to paint her bedroom, and IKEA gift vouchers so she can buy new bedroom furniture.
We wanted to help create a new bedroom for 8 year old Evie Shallom from Bracknell. We heard about Evie from her teacher, Ami Shaw.
Evie had been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. She has been in and out of hospital and was in the middle of having chemotherapy. Incredibly, just before Evie began treatment, she decided to cut her hair short so she could donate it to make 2 wigs for other children having chemotherapy. I can only imagine how scary it must have been for this little girl to be faced with so much at such a young age. For her to think of donating her hair at a time like that is truly inspirational.
Her beautiful mum Nicola also shaved her head as soon as she found out Evie was going to lose her hair and managed to raise £1500 for the Little Princess Trust charity, and donated enough hair to make 4 wigs.
Evie's mum and dad, Nicola and Aron, really wanted to redecorate her room to make it more comfortable for her - a place where she could relax and recuperate as she goes through the treatment.
A very kind painter called Jon volunteered his services to paint Evie's bedroom. Thank you Jon!
We were also able to send the family £400 in IKEA Gift Cards for new bedroom furniture. Thank so much to Evie's class, Frances Foster, Kumud Bawa, Julie Smith, and every anonymous donor. And an extra big thank you to the kind people at Bighams who dipped into their internal fundraising pot to send a £200 gift card to the family - and to Aline for arranging it all.
A big thankyou to this kind business
Life # 23 - A mother and son, Kerry and Kybie
Request: A panel beater to fix the rust in Kerry's car/ Donations to help pay for car repairs/ A ride on a steam train / A day trip
52 Lives wanted to help a 10 year old boy called Kybie Hutton and his mum Kerry, from Kurwongbah in Queensland, Australia.
Kybie was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour called a pineal germinoma. It had travelled down his spine and is also causing damage to the disc behind his eyes.
Kybie was being cared for solely by his mum, Kerry, who sadly also had cancer. She had to stop working when she became ill and was on a carer’s benefit. This remarkable woman was raising Kybie on her own and supporting him through this horrible disease, all while battling cancer herself.
We wanted to help fix Kerry's car so she could take Kybie to his hospital appointments. We also wanted to fulfill Kybie's dream of a trip on a steam train, amd give him a fun day out.
We bought them a car!! Thanks to an amazing couple from Scotland, who wish to remain anonymous, we were able to buy Kerry and Kybie a car. It was simply amazing. And a big thank you also to the lovely people at Crick Auto Group, who gave us a more expensive car than our budget allowed for, plus a 6 year warranty.
We also received $190 in donations for Kerry and Kybie. Thanks so much to Joan and Rebecca, and all the anonymous donors.
And of course a final big thanks to the Australian Railway Historial Society and SEALIFE Underwater World, which both donated wonderful days out for Kybie. He was so excited about both adventures and it absolutely made his day.
You can read the full story on the 52 Lives blog, including the media coverage we received
Life # 24 - Children in need of school uniforms
Request: Gift vouchers to buy school uniforms and school shoes
52 Lives was in touch with several UK schools about families that will soon be in need of some help. The summer holidays were approaching in the UK, which means a lot of children getting ready for a new school year, and a lot of school uniforms and shoes that would need to be bought.
For some families, it calls for money they simply don’t have. There are often second hand options but they don't always offer everything a child needs. Some councils offer school uniform grants, but the level of help varies enormously – some don’t give grants at all, some give a one off payment, and some give regular grants to help as a child grows. The grants don’t cover everything and, even in areas where there are grants available, there are families that fall through the gaps – those that don’t quite meet the criteria for grants, for example.
The reason some councils don’t offer grants is because they say a school uniform is not a legal requirement. Which makes sense at a purely logical level. But I can’t imagine that logic is of much comfort to a parent who has to send their child to school without a uniform.
So, we wanted to create a pot of gift vouchers that we can give to the schools as and when they need them over the next few months. The way it will work is when they have a family who needs help, the school will let us know and we will provide the gift vouchers.
A huge thankyou to Jenni Preston, Joanna Rose, Alice Squires, Kelly Hills, Caroline and Prataal Raj, and all of the anonymous donors, who sent more than £150 gift vouchers.
Thanks to all of you a lot of children will have uniforms and school shoes, who would otherwise have gone without.
A big thankyou to this kind business
