5 minute read
A chance to win, a chance to care
A chance to win, a chance to care by Tŷ Hafan
Tŷ Hafan - the hospice for children in Wales, is a leading Welsh children’s charity. Our community programmes and hospice provide comfort, care and support to children with life-limited conditions and their families. One of the most popular ways to support Tŷ Hafan is by playing Crackerjackpot – the UK’s largest hospice lottery. Tŷ Hafan’s lottery offers both a chance to win and a chance to care. For just £1 a week, you can win one of 82 weekly prizes, including a jackpot prize of £2,000, and a potential rollover jackpot of £12,000. Dan Coleman from Porthcawl was a recent lucky winner of the £2,000 jackpot, after receiving his lottery ticket as a birthday gift from his mum. Dan said: “It was my birthday a couple of weeks back and as my mum volunteers in the Tŷ Hafan shop in Porthcawl she thought it would be nice to get me a lottery ticket for my birthday. I’m still fairly new to it so I didn’t expect anything like this! I was in work, on a roof in Llantrisant, and the lady called me to say that I’d won £2,000! I just didn’t believe it.
“I was meant to be travelling around Asia last October but obviously the pandemic meant it had to be put on hold. This will help towards it. I’ll maybe save some to have a bit of fun with because we haven’t had a lot of chances to have fun the last couple of months. “It’s great to play the lottery anyway with the money going to the charity, you hardly notice payment leaving your account, it goes to charity, and you might be a winner! Crackerjackpot in support of Tŷ Hafan raises over £1 million a year which helps to provide comfort, care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families in Wales, helping to make a short life a full life. Visit www.tyhafanlottery.com to sign up today.
Seth gets a complete care package – we don’t have to worry
Twelve-year old Cardiff schoolboy Seth Burke has been using Tŷ Hafan for the past four years. The St Cyres pupil was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a progressive condition, which means that his muscles are not as strong as those of children who do not have DMD.
“At the start of the first lockdown I broke my ankle,” said Seth. “I was in our old house, in a cast, and now I have not stood on my feet for so long that I can’t do it any more.” Seth, who lives in Dinas Powys with mum and dad, Lisa and John, and younger brothers Reggie, ten, and Elijah, five, now has a powerchair, which he loves. “It’s a lot quicker than walking. Plus I can get around school really easily and I am very good at running toes over!” says Seth. Seth uses Tŷ Hafan for short breaks, often with his friends Cody and David, who also have DMD. “But really Tŷ Hafan is a place when I can get around easily and have fun. There’s an art room, plus The Den, which is a gaming room, and the pool is amazing. The roast dinners are nice and the lemon squash is the best in the world.
“The staff are also great – they play hide and seek with me. The first time I went there – I hid so well and they did not know where I was, and they nearly called the police (they didn’t really)! Now we use a code word just in case they can’t find me!” Mum Lisa says: “Tŷ Hafan is a complete lifeline. Seth gets the full care package for the entire weekend and we don’t have to worry about anything. Plus Seth can meet his mates who are dealing with similar things as Seth.
“Tŷ Hafan has the Super Sibs group (a support group for brothers and sisters of Tŷ Hafan children)which is a fab resource for Reggie. And the Tŷ Hafan Scouts Group is also brilliant. It’s just a way of accessing normal things – making everything easy for him. “People should definitely support Tŷ Hafan.”
Walk a day in the shoes of our care staff
Here is your chance to learn more about the work some of our care team members do for our families, while incorporating it into an activity that will help us fund these important roles and get you outside and enjoying the Welsh outdoors. Our new event, Walk a Day in their Shoes, is a fully inclusive, all-ages, all-abilities walk with a difference. It will allow participants to get to know some of our staff, gain a greater understanding of their role in supporting the lives of the families who rely on us, and make a positive contribution to the funding of that role into the future. Nurses can walk well over 14,000 steps over a regular shift, so we wanted to help participants really get acquainted with Tŷ Hafan as they walk in their shoes. We have four targets to reach, each supporting a different member of the care team:
Walk one mile in Dan’s shoes:
Dan is our dads’ family support worker and is there to organise events and activities for dads who are facing similar situations, as well as being that emotional support that men often lack.
Walk five miles in Sophie’s shoes:
Sophie, our transition nurse, helps older children and teens as they navigate such a difficult time in any young person’s life, looking after both their clinical and wellbeing needs.
Walk 10 miles in Katie’s shoes:
Complementary therapist, Katie, provides calming therapies for children and their families, so important in symptom management and improving quality of life.
Walk 15 miles in Claire’s shoes:
Nurse, Claire, looks after a child’s clinical needs, while still being uniquely “Tŷ Hafan”, allowing parents the time to switch off from being carers and enjoy the time they have with their child. TV presenter, Iolo Williams said: “I’m thrilled to be supporting Tŷ Hafan’s “Walk a day in their shoes” challenge. By putting our best feet forward we can all be part of raising essential funds to support the services at Tŷ Hafan and continue being there for children with life-limiting conditions throughout Wales. So, join me and register your interest today”. So chose a distance, or chose someone from our fantastic care team, and walk a while in their shoes. Learn what it is that makes them such a lifeline for those who use Tŷ Hafan. To find out more about Walk a Day in their Shoes, visit tyhafan.org/walk.
