Dear Editor,

The festive season should be one of joy. Yet for many families, Christmas will be spent facing the fear and uncertainty of having a seriously ill child in hospital.

At The Sick Children’s Trust, we make sure families can stay together during their child’s most critical moments. But we cannot do it alone. We need your vital support.

Without our ‘Homes from Home’, families would face an average of 82 minutes of travel each day to be by their child’s hospital bedside, or be forced to sleep in hospital chairs, expensive hotels that they can’t afford, or even in their cars. The stress and worry of being unable to be with their seriously ill child is unimaginable, especially at Christmas time. We urgently need donations so we can continue supporting families at this extremely traumatic time.

Families like Frances and Jack experienced this first-hand when their baby son, Milo, developed life-threatening sepsis. They stayed with us at our Acorn House ‘Home from Home’ for ten days while Milo received specialist care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Frances said:

“At Acorn House we had somewhere comfortable to sleep, a shower and shared kitchen, meaning we could look after ourselves as best we could while still being on the hospital grounds. We never wanted to leave Milo’s side, but The Sick Children’s Trust gave us the chance to rest while being able to return to the hospital in minutes should he take a turn for the worse.

“We can’t describe how grateful we are to have had that vital support.

“After making a full recovery Milo is now a happy, thriving eight-month-old. We’re really looking forward to celebrating Milo’s first Christmas, which is even more special when we think about how critically ill he was.”

This year has been tough for our charity, with rising costs and supporters feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis but this Christmas, we expect all ten of our ‘Homes from Home’ to be full. For families, it’s free. For us, it costs £40 to support a family for just one night, and we rely entirely on voluntary donations to make this possible.

Please donate what you can to keep more families together this Christmas.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy festive season.

Jane Featherstone, CEO, The Sick Children’s Trust

The Sick Children’s Trust provide vital ‘Homes from Home’ where families with a sick child in hospital can stay, free of charge, just minutes from their child’s bedside. At an overwhelming and difficult time, The Sick Children’s Trust offer families the support they need to face the day ahead. Not only does the charity alleviate financial worries, but also help the mental wellbeing of the families it supports.

For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust (charity no. 284416), visit sickchildrenstrust.org