2017 Charity of the Year – East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH)

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East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is delighted to have been chosen as your charity of the year for 2017.

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Our family-centred approach includes specialist nursing care, symptom management support, short breaks, wellbeing activities, therapies and counselling, all meeting the individual needs of the child or young person and their family.

We offer families flexibility and control over where they receive their care and support, including where their child dies; at home, in hospital or at one of three hospices at Milton, in Cambridge, Quidenham, in Norfolk, and The Treehouse, in Ipswich. More than half of our care and support is delivered in the family home and community, in surroundings familiar and comfortable for the family.

Our hospices aren’t just about end of life care; they’re often very happy and fun places, where young people can live life to their full potential. They are places where families feel safe, at home and where they can spend quality time together, enabling parents to be parents not caregivers. When time is short, we help families make the most of their precious time together and create memories that last forever.

We are recognised as leaders in our field, with a reputation for excellence and commitment to pioneering development and innovation, and provide our specialist medical and emotional support completely free of charge. We rely on voluntary donations for the majority of our income and every year need to raise more than £5 million from fundraising and £2.5 million from our shops. We also need to raise £10 million to develop our hospice services in Norfolk, including a new hospice. The more funds we have, the bigger difference we can make to local children and families.

In the darkest and most painful of times, we’re able to give families the best in the worst possible situation. For those accessing care and those who have been bereaved, EACH is a lifeline at an unimaginably difficult time.

There are nearly 2,000 children and young people in the East of England living with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition who may require an aspect of our service. Currently, we support 351 and provide face-to-face wellbeing support for 417 family members.

We know we make a difference because families tell us.

A family whose child received care at the end of their life said: “The care of our family was exceptional. Staff answered all our questions immediately and we were kept well informed every step of the way. Staff were truthful, even when we asked ‘how long’ as we knew it was an unknown, they were honest with us. Staff explained all the medical equipment and how his pain was being managed. Our expectations were met and more. It’s an excellent service.”

EACH is very much looking forward to informing you about the latest goings on. For information between our EOE updates, please visit our website at www.each.org.uk.

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