Updates
Another year passes…
December 22, 2023
Where do we even start with 2023? We always think we’ve had a busy year, but this one really has been; with more one-to-ones and referrals than ever before, new trips and activities with our Hope in Herefordshire service, national TV appearances, and reaching even more areas of the UK via Hope Online, we do wonder how we’ve managed to fit it all in…
Service demand
This year has seen over 470 children and young people accessing our support, with around half of these attending sessions or activities for the first time. We’ve received enquiries from all over the UK with referrals from schools, universities, other charities, social services, CAMHS services, hospitals, hospices, GPs, victim support services, and of course from families and young people themselves – resulting in almost 2000 one-to-one sessions, and just under 100 youth sessions and activity days.
Hope on TV
Earlier this year Hope was asked to work with scriptwriters at BBC EastEnders, for a storyline which saw mum Lola diagnosed with, and later die from, an incurable brain tumour. We were on hand to share our experiences of how this would have affected daughter Lexi – it was fantastic to be able to raise awareness of the impact a cancer diagnosis can have on younger family members, when they are so often forgotten about.
Some of our families also worked with Operation Ouch! on CBBC for a special episode which was broadcast earlier this year, which talked all about cancer in a child friendly way. It didn’t stop there though, as our young person Katy and her mum Leanne featured on a bulletin for BBC Midlands, where they shared their story to celebrate Hope receiving funding from Children in Need.
Fundraising
We were lucky enough this year to be awarded £486,310 from the National Lottery Community Fund, which will partially fund our service for the next four years!
We’ve also had some wonderful fundraisers hold events for us – whether it be Reel dancing celebrations, 10km runs, staff bake sales, Christmas jumper breakfast mornings, fundraising treks, cider making competitions, village hall breakfasts (there’s a breakfast theme here, and we love it…), quiz nights and orchards walks, to name a few. Every pound raised really does make a huge difference to us.
Activities
We’ve been out on the road this year, heading across Herefordshire and beyond for lots of activities which are a great chance for our young people to have some time out from what’s going on at home.
From our annual summer residential to a small group visit to play footgolf, from summer (and Christmas!) parties to trips to the safari park, from bush-craft days to a brain-busting visit to the escape room, we’ve provided lots of opportunities for young people that they may not otherwise have had.
We’ve had some more serious ones this year too – there’s been remembrance afternoons, group meals on difficult occasions like Mother’s Day, and script-writing workshops for a film which shows exactly what our young people go through on a day-to-day basis. All of these encourage our young people to meet others going through a similar thing, reducing the isolation a family health crisis can bring and helping them realise that they can (and will!) get through it.
Looking ahead
We have some exciting plans for 2024, including the launch of our national online youth sessions! We’ve got more consultancy work in the pipeline, and are hoping to expand the team to meet our increased demand which, sadly, we can only see accelerating even more in the years to come as more and more organisations find out about the work we do.
None of this is possible without the support of our funders, donors and supporters – please consider us if your workplace or social group is looking for a charity raise funds for, or if you’re planning to take on a sponsored challenge.
If you would like to make a donation in order to help us continue supporting the young people who need us, please head to the donate page.
