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TAYLOR MADE DREAMS

Suzi Mitchell, CEO of children’s charity Taylor Made Dreams, shares why she started a charity that provides holistic therapy and provides bucket list experiences for children with life limiting conditions…

TAYLOR Made Dreams is a registered charity based in the South East of England. Before I thought of setting up the charity back in 2010, my working life had predominately been in the care industry. I worked for the social services supporting children in care, within an inclusion unit in education, supported women in domestic violence situations and was an assistant manager in a house supporting vulnerable adults. I had taken courses in counselling skills, art therapy, and autism awareness. I also held a diploma in Welfare Studies. After having my children, I planned to become an Arts Psychotherapist. I had survived traumas in my own life, not least losing my mother from injuries sustained in a car crash when I was 16. I’d always been intrigued by the journey of selfdiscovery, about looking deeper into the self, peeling away the onion skins to discover what was at the real core of me. In 2009, my son Taylor became unwell. I needed to take Taylor to the USA for proton radiotherapy treatment, his only option. Having invested almost 20 years of my life in counselling and arts psychotherapy, I’d experienced periods of blinding pits of endless darkness and by doing so, allowed myself to feel the pain and anger I needed to express, climb up through the light and feel the rebirth of a lighter self which was a very cathartic process. That pain I endured was nothing in comparison to the pain I was yet to experience from the loss of my son Taylor in 2011. No, that pain was and is a different pain...there are simply no words for that pain. The inconceivable and unbearable loss of Tay forced me to turn my gut-wrenching grief into building blocks. I wanted to build a legacy to create smiles in the eyes of children with illness in Taylors’ name, I wanted Taylor to live on in a positive way. Taylor was my inspiration, and always will be alongside all the other amazing children we work with at here Taylor Made Dreams.

OUR SERVICES

Taylor Made Dreams enables children with life limiting and terminal conditions to achieve their dreams when life is sadly all too short. The services we offer are;

Bucket Lists- tailor-made to the wishes of the child. Holistic Therapy – to support the entire family and provide some much needed respite in very challenging times. Counselling – to support the emotional needs of the whole family. Medical Sheepskin Fleeces – to help in the prevention of pressure sores/provide comfort and warmth for those who are immobile due to illness. Family Portraits – to create precious memories for the future. Medical Travel Grants – to ease the financial pressures of attending numerous essential medical appointments.. Memory Pendants – a precious keepsake

with the child’s name engraved on the reverse. Cat Walk Photo Shoot - in collaboration with one of our corporate sponsors Childrensalon.

A Seven Seater wheelchair access vehicle

– to help where and when needed. Family Hand Casts – a precious keepsake which keeps the family connected. Food & Hygiene Support Packs – to help families shield against the pandemic. (*March to September 2020.)

WHY HOLISTIC THERAPY IS SO IMPORTANT

We appreciate that no one therapy fits all, so we aim to provide a tailor-made package of support which gives the individuals of the family what they need in the moment, to help them create a toolkit of resources to enable them to work through their present circumstances. We appreciate that counselling is not suitable for all people, therefore we embrace alternative therapies that individuals could benefit from.

BUCKET LIST EXPERIENCES

Each child has a unique bucket list, no two are ever the same. We’ve brought over 1200 to fruition. There have been VIP meet and greet events with celebrities including David Walliams, Gregg Walsh, John Bishop, Rob Brydon, Mister Maker and Sir Ben Ainslie and one child got to sail in the Landrover Bar Americas Cup catamaran. Many children want to meet their sporting heroes, and Manchester United, Spurs and Crystal Palace have all helped us fulfil these dreams, while one was a ball boy at a rugby match between Harlequins and Wasps.

We’ve arranged trips to Disneyland, Centre Parcs, Harry Potter World, Diggerland and even tea at the Ritz. We’ve provided toys and parties, rides in a supercar, indoor skydives, a sing-a-long with Chas and Dave and a suit made of bubble wrap.

My most memorable bucket list was a little boy who when I asked what he would like, he said, “But I don’t need anything, do I Mummy?” After a little encouragement he just said, “Well I do like green olives and white chocolate buttons.” Needless to say we supplied these along with a surprise trip to ‘Toys R Us’ where we gave him a trolley to fill. He couldn’t even see over the handle, therapist who have the credentials required, in all areas of expertise to contact us here at Taylor Made Dreams if they are interested in applying to our Approved Practitioner Register. Email; ceo@ taylormadedreams.org.uk

My own challenges have taught me some very important lessons; be grateful for who you have in your life, love them, appreciate them, and treat them how you would like to be treated yourself. See and soak in the colour of life… take a breath, stop, look, listen, hear and appreciate just how lucky you are to be here, right now, in your skin…be thankful. n

he was only seven. The innocence of children is such a beautiful thing. He’s since sadly passed, such a kind hearted young soul.

FUTURE VISION

Our future vision is the Taylor Made Dreams Centre, a place where families can come together and relax in a warm, welcoming and colourful space, which can meet their individual therapeutic needs, a place to feel at home, in the best possible sense. It will host information hubs and provide trained key workers to support the child with the illness and the family as a whole.

Many families do not wish to look into counselling until sometime after the loss of their child, our service has no timeline, like the grief process there is no set time frame here, we are there for the parents/ primary carers and siblings if, and when they need our services. We cover the South East of England, we look to commission practitioners in the counties of East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent and Surrey who are qualified professionals, who can provide DBS certification and will adhere to our safeguarding policy. We would welcome any qualified holistic i HOW TO DONATE If you’d like to donate to the charity, you can do so in the following ways: www.justgiving.com/taylormade-dreams or https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ charity-web/charity/finalcharityhomepage. action?charityid=1014033

BY TEXT

One off donation text TMDWISH £5 (or any amount you wish up to £40) to 70085

Monthly donation text Dragonfly £10 (or any amount you wish up to £40) to 70085

For more information please visit www.taylormadedreams.org.uk