Childrens' Charity Turns Flora London Marathon Pink
Cheltenham based WellChild had its biggest team of runners ever as official charity of Flora London MarathonCheltenham based children’s charity, WellChild, had a staggering 846 runners taking part in the Flora London Marathon this weekend, who, along with hundreds of supporters turned London pink with the charity’s distinctive T-shirts, banners and balloons. As the official charity of the 2007 marathon, WellChild hopes to raise over £1 million to provide a much-needed boost to its invaluable work bringing hope to thousands of children and their families. WellChild is the only children’s charity providing care, support and research for sick children, whatever their illness.
With a team of nearly 100 staff and volunteers from the Cheltenham area who travelled to London to man cheering points and organise a reception to thank, feed and tend to the aching limbs of its runners, the local charity made a huge impact on London yesterday. It also received extensive coverage through national media, which dramatically increased WellChild’s profile.
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Trustee, Martin Kitkatt, whose son David has suffered from liver cancer and non-hodgkins lymphoma, felt this was the beginning of even great things for WellChild. He said,
“We wanted yesterday to be a day to remember. It was, and I can't help thinking that we will look back on it as the day the world discovered us. The day we saved the lives of countless kids and the sanity of countless parents.”
WellChild’s focus this year is to expand its network of specialist children’s nurses who provide active support to chronically sick children and their families, providing the missing link to allow these children to receive the medical care they need in their own homes.
Marathon veteran, Tim Rogers, whose photo is attached, is supporting WellChild’s nurses by dressing in the world’s largest marathon costume - over 14 feet high and in the shape of nurse! Other WellChild runners include many individuals whose personal experience of having a sick child in the family or even being ill themselves as children has motivated them to support WellChild in this way.
Celebrity WellChild runners include Olympic Gold medallist, Sally Gunnell and World Cup rugby winner Matt Dawson. Sally Gunnell said,
“I am proud to be supporting the official London Marathon charity for 2007. WellChild work hard to help sick children the length and breadth of the UK, and I am pleased to help raise awareness of the good work they do.”
Chief Executive Kedge Martin commented,
“This wonderful day , coming only weeks after His Royal Highness, Prince Harry announced that he is to become the charity’s Royal Patron and in this our 30th anniversary year really gives us a boost. WellChild has been instrumental in making huge improvements in the care and treatment of sick children. However, much more needs to be done to support these children and their families, often the most disadvantaged in society. Despite one in five children in the UK suffering a long term illness or disability, children’s health remains an undervalued and under-resourced area. We believe 2007 will be the year to put our children’s health in its rightful place as the one of the most vital factors in securing the long term success of this country.”
Prince Harry, who is currently waiting to deploy to Iraq in command of a troop from the Household Cavalry Regiment, has already shown his support for WellChild and his desire to improve the lives of sick and disadvantaged children when he wrote a stirring personal letter of support (attached) to all WellChild’s runners urging them to keep on raising money for this special charity and the children it helps.
WellChild is the UK charity dedicated to the needs of sick children and their families. Through Care, Support and Research, WellChild provides children and families with practical solutions to real life problems, working so that every child has the best possible health.
Care
WellChild Children’s Nurses provide specialist medical care and direct support in the home to chronically sick children and their families. They also offer much needed practical and emotional support, occasional respite and act as the family’s advocate. WellChild’s nurses allow sick children, often with complex needs to get out of hospital and home to their families and to receive the right treatment and care that they need within the home environment. It is well known that children cared for at home, surrounded by their family are happier and do better.
Support
Our Nurse-led WellChild Helpline (0845 122 8636) provides confidential advice and support to families and children who need information about a disease or health condition. This support helps reduce the isolation and fear many children and families suffer as a result of illness.
Practical help is vitally important when caring for a sick child. Our Helping Hands volunteers provide one off or more regular support to families in desperate need. This may include making a garden safe and accessible to a newly disabled child or refurbishing a bedroom to make it more comfortable.
Research
Since 1977, WellChild has been developing pioneering treatments and cures in research units at hospitals across the UK. Many hundreds of children are alive today because of WellChild’s research and thousands more benefit from improved treatments and care across many childhood conditions from cancer to meningitis, liver disease to premature birth.
WellChild is the only children’s charity in the UK that’s committed to the needs of all sick children and their families, whatever their illness, through care, support and research.
WellChild’s care, support and research reach the children and family who need it most. WellChild relies entirely on voluntary donations to continue to save lives, care for sick children and work so that every child can be a well child.
FACTS AND FIGURES
There are 14 million children in the UK;
• 1 in 5 of them has an illness or disability that won’t go away like diabetes, epilepsy or a liver or heart disorder
• 1 in 20 children will end up in hospital this year with an acute illness
• every 30 minutes a baby is born with a genetic disorder
• every day four families receive the devastating news that their child has cancer, more than three out of every ten will die
• each week, 30 children are struck down by meningitis and three die
There are three million children in the UK that suffer from an illness or disability – that’s more than at any time in our history.
For more information take a look at WellChild
April 2007
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