Mayor to Fundraise for The Sick Children's Trust as Thank You

The newly elected mayor of Biddulph has pledged to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust, the charity which offered her family a ‘Home from Home’ in their darkest days.

Jill Salt, 34, has named The Sick Children’s Trust, a charity that provides free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation to families with sick children in hospital, as one of her six chosen charities over the next 12 months as a thank you for the support her family received while her son was in hospital.

In September 2012, Jill’s youngest son Sam was diagnosed with kidney stones just a few days before his third birthday which meant he was unable to pass urine. He could not be treated locally as he needed specialist treatment, so he was rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital in an ambulance, over 50 miles away from home. Sam underwent six operations over the next 18 months to try to remove the stones that were blocking his tubes, and to replace and remove tubes to help him urinate. Jill’s family were able to stay just a lift ride away from Sam at one of The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Homes from Home’, Treetop House at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Jill, who has another son who was five years old at the time, says:

“It’s so awful for your whole family when your child is sick, without having to worry about things like where you and your children are going to stay and how you are going to eat. We were over 50 miles from home, in an unfamiliar city with nothing but a purse and a phone. Staying in Treetop House helped to relieve some of that worry so that we could focus on Sam – it gave us a place to sleep, eat and rest, whilst never being more than a moment away from our son.

“Over the next 12 months I will be doing lots of things to raise money – I have already held a variety show which raised £450, and will be running a tombola, holding a ball and completing fun-runs. We will always be grateful for the support Treetop House provided and this is one way to give back to The Sick Children’s Trust while also raising awareness of their work within my community. Biddulph has a fantastic community which I am proud to be a part of, and I know that they will be very generous for such a valuable cause.”

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the UK, supporting around 4,000 families per year. While accommodation is free for families, it costs the charity £30 per night to support a family whose child is in hospital and it relies entirely on voluntary donations to meet this cost. Treetop House Manager, Ann Wyatt, says:

“We really appreciate Jill choosing us as one of her nominated charities. The money she raises will make a real difference to other families going through the most difficult of times. It means so much to us when the families we support remember us and the work we do and it is a testament to how much they value our care. I’m sure Jill will also be able to raise much-needed awareness of the charity, which is so important because we find that many families don’t know about The Sick Children’s Trust until they need us.”

Treetop House has been running for 15 years and is one of two ‘Homes from Home’ The Sick Children’s Trust operates in Sheffield, alongside Magnolia House, which opened in 2013. As well as rooms for families, each house has a fully equipped kitchen and dining area as well as playrooms and laundry facilities.