Charity Event Hopes to Raise Thousands for Sick Children's Trust

A local woman is on a mission to raise hundreds for The Sick Children’s Trust so that families with sick children can stay by their loved one’s hospital bedside.

Norwood Green William Hill Store Manager, Jacqui Farmer, hopes to raise £2,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust through fundraising events taking place this month. The Sick Children’s Trust runs free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation for families with sick children in hospital. To help the charity continue its work Jacqui, from Uxbridge, is hosting a charity evening at Maya Tandoori Restaurant on Sunday 29 May.

The event will see entertainment from Bollywood dancers and a performance by Jacqui’s own band – Trackbax - in a bid to raise much-needed funds. Jacqui, who has previously raised over £2,000 for the charity, says:

“When a child is ill, it is so important for them to have their family around them. Often a seriously ill child has to travel miles for specialist hospital treatment, which mean the family are many miles from home. Without charities like The Sick Children’s Trust providing free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation, it would be much harder for families to be with their child.

“The Sick Children’s Trust relies entirely on voluntary donations which is why I am fundraising for them. Hopefully we’ll be able to raise enough funds to support plenty of families with ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

“We are selling tickets at £25 each and from each ticket sold; £5 will go towards the charity. On the evening, guests can expect a bucks fizz reception, dinner, and lots of entertainment! We’d like to say a big thank you to Maya Indian restaurant for hosting the event and donating funds for the marquee.”

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Homes’ for families with seriously ill children in hospital. The charity believes that keeping families together significantly improves the recovery of a seriously ill child. Each ‘Home from Home’ includes access to communal kitchens, bathrooms, dining rooms and playrooms, with each bedroom having a direct telephone line to the hospital wards. Community Fundraiser Diane McPherson-Emery, says:

“It’s wonderful to have someone like Jacqui supporting our cause. Without the generosity of people like herself, we wouldn’t be able to support over 4,000 families every year with ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

“It costs around £30 to support a family for one night in our ‘Homes from Home’, so we are so grateful to Jacqui for choosing to fundraise for us once again.”

For more details and to get tickets for Jacqui’s Charity Evening, please email jacquifuk@gmail.com.