EQUIPMENT GR ANT SERVICE Every penny donated and raised to support Newlife is used to support disabled children around the UK. The impact of a single piece of equipment sends ripples throughout entire families, from brothers and sisters to grandparents, as Gemma Platts explains. “Our son, Harry, has very complex needs and depends on me and my husband, Anthony, for absolutely everything. “He can’t walk, speak or feed himself and has seizures so severe one could actually kill him one day. We’re on alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - we never get the chance to switch off or relax, not even at night time. “When we turned to Newlife I was heavily pregnant with our daughter Mia Rose, who is now 10 months old. Harry’s twin brother, Jack, and his sister Esme often used to go to their grandparents for a sleep over – but because he needs a special sort of bed that provides protection if he has a seizure, Harry always has to stay at home with us. “Without a specialist bed, the risk to Harry’s already fragile body is just too great – he recently damaged the vertebrae in his spine so any kind of knock could be devastating. Although he can’t speak he understands he’s being left out. It feels so unfair – we’re desperate for him to have as normal a childhood as possible.”
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“Going away as a family was just impossible – and for my other children that was really hard – they just want to go on holiday like their friends, and for us it would be great to have the opportunity to spend time with all of them away from home, so we can make some memories. Thankfully, Newlife was there when we desperately needed them and raised the funds so Harry could have a specialist travel bed. The difference it has made to the whole family has been phenomenal. Harry now gets to go with his brother and sisters to his grandparents and enjoy quality time with them and my parents. And what’s also great is my husband and I get the chance to reconnect as a couple and have some time to recharge, helping us cope better with the everyday challenges. And for the first time ever, we have actually booked to go on holiday as a family and have the chance to make memories that many others take for granted.”
“ T h a n k f u l l y, N e w l i f e w a s t h e r e w h e n w e n e e d e d them and raised funds for Harr y with a specialist travel bed. The difference it has made to t h e w h o l e f a m i l y h a s b e e n p h e n o m e n a l .”
For countless families like Harry’s, having specialist equipment and the right support has had an incredibly positive effect, not just for the individual child but for their entire family. The access to the right equipment has opened doors that otherwise would have felt bolted shut. Simple things like being able to go outside, get away from the home and enjoy new and different environments are just some of the positive things families have been able to do as a direct result of having the right piece of specialist equipment. It’s the generosity of people like you who make this possible, thank you!
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1st £1,500
2nd £250
3rd Five lucky winners will receive £50
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LAWYERS TEE OFF FOR CHARIT Y AT ANNUAL GOLF DAY Fraser Brown Solicitors, a Nottingham and Lincolnbased law firm is another fabulous corporate supporter of Newlife. Their annual golf day in June this year has raised over £4,000 for regional charities: Newlife and Autism East Midlands. Taking place at The Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club in Cotgrave, the event was attended by over 140 guests from the local business community. Tim Clarke of Fraser Brown said, “Now in its sixth year, our annual golf day was better than ever in terms of money raised and the number of people
attending. We are humbled by everyone’s support and exceeded our fundraising target for our chosen charities. We’re so pleased to be giving to such great causes in the region and are looking forward to next year already.” Newlife is delighted to be Charity of the Year for Fraser Brown Solicitors. The support we receive means we are able to change the lives of disabled and terminally ill children throughout Nottinghamshire, thank you Fraser Brown.
FRIDAYS’GO THE EGG-STR A MILE Newlife received an egg-stra special donation from TGI Fridays at Easter. The restaurant donated 100 boxes of Easter Kids’ craft packs, perfect for keeping the little ones entertained when you’re tucking into dinner – or even when you’re shopping in your favourite discount clothing store. The packs, created by Craftis, were given away to children at the Newlife stores. Craftis CEO, Michael Halpin said: “We are delighted that TGI Friday’s have chosen to donate a quantity of their Easter kids’ activity packs to our partner
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charity, Newlife. We are very grateful to our colleagues at TGI Friday’s for their generosity.” Sarah Wheatley, Brand Marketing Manager at TGI Fridays said: “We’re delighted to be able to support such a great charity, and provide a helping hand in some of the amazing work they do for children with disabilities, and their families.”
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WANT TO FEEL GOOD – WHY NOT VOLUNTEER? Volunteering makes a huge difference to the lives of others, but it can have some amazing benefits for your own life too! Giving your time to help others gives you the feel-good factor – which is proven to help fight depression, reduce blood pressure and even lower your mortality rate. Depending on what you choose to do, it can also keep you physically active, which helps combat a range of health conditions - which is a win-win situation. Many of our volunteers decide to get involved after big life changes; redundancy, ill-health or the death of a loved one. But you don’t have to wait for a reason to get involved – we’re always happy to welcome new recruits to our army of volunteers and there are lots of ways you can get involved. Our volunteer fundraisers have done some truly amazing things over the years, from running marathons and climbing mountains to skydiving and cycling half way around the world. But with more disabled children needing help and support we’re constantly on the lookout for more volunteers who can donate their time and help raise desperately needed funds for the charity.
9 , 2 0 0 Vo l u n t e e r hours from 78 adults with additional needs in 18/19
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For those eager to volunteer on a regular basis – we’re always looking to add to our retail and warehousing teams.
“ Vo l u n t e e r i n g h a s given me a brighter outlook for the future and improved m y c o n f i d e n c e .”
Shelley, from the West Midlands, decided to volunteer with Newlife after a horrific car crash killed her 13-yearold daughter, Natasha and left her with a brain injury. Shelley began volunteering at Newlife’s head office in Staffordshire, once a week to de-label clothes donated from high-street stores and soon became a regular fixture and big part of the volunteering team. Shelley said: “Volunteering has given me a brighter outlook for the future and improved my confidence. Working to identify labels and cut them out has also helped me physically and it’s definitely the best thing I could have done for my mental health!” Newlife’s National Volunteer Manager, Kevin Lowe, said: “Volunteering helps develop a social network, which in turn protects against depression. Our older volunteers say the activities they do here also get them to move more, so they find it easier to cope with everyday tasks and have better thinking skills. “It’s also great to see our volunteer’s self-confidence improving over time. Many of our volunteers are aged under 25 and some were previously shy and nervous about meeting new people. They say volunteering improved their communication skills and boosted their self-esteem and self-belief. “ For information about how you can become involved with Newlife, contact the supporter relations team on 01543 431 444 or email local@newlifecharity.co.uk or the volunteer team on 01543 439 927 or email klowe@newlifecharity.co.uk.
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YOUR LEGACY A CHILD’S FUTURE There are now over 1 million disabled children in the UK, 33% more than a decade ago, but fewer disabled children are getting the support they need - the government’s funds are simply not enough. As a charity, we are experiencing record demand for help from families- a legacy gift in your will can help to transform the lives of disabled children and young people for years to come.
HOW LEGACY GIFTS CHANGE LIVES
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By helping children in urgent needs within 72 hours - Newlife is the only organisation offering emergency loans of specialist equipment to disabled children - your support saves lives.
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By providing essential specialist equipment - so children with disabilities don’t have to continue to live in danger and pain. Newlife believes every child matters. If it were your child, you would want the best for them.
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By transforming lives - we advise government, campaign for reform and ask local authorities to do better. Your support means we can push for change and give a voice to disabled children and their families.
JESSICA PRICE Four-year-old Jessica will finally be able to sleep in safety at home, thanks to a new specialist bed. Jessica has a rare chromosome disorder which means she can’t walk. She can’t sleep in a standard bed because she just rolls off and her arms and legs become trapped in the rails of her cot bed. Mum Lisa was scared about what the future held for Jessica.
Jessica needed a specialist bed with extra padding and clear perspex sides. Lisa said: “I thought local statutory services would fund a bed, but they won’t. We are on a magical mystery tour as far as her health is concerned because she has such a rare condition.” Newlife stepped in to provide the bed to keep little Jessica safe and make life easier for mum. Jessica still has a long road ahead but Mum can now rest easy knowing she is sleeping safe and sound at last.
HOWE VER YOU CHOOSE TO LEAVE A LEGACY TO NE WLIFE, YOU C AN BE SURE THAT YOUR GIFT WILL CHANGE A CHILD’S LIFE. If you are thinking about leaving a gift to Newlife, our legacy team is here to help. We can discuss how you might like your gift to be spent so you can see the difference your legacy will make. If you’d like to talk to us on the phone or via email, please get intouch. Call us on 01543 462777 or email ceast@newlifecharity.co.uk
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N E W L I F E C H A R I T Y. C O. U K / YO U R L E G AC Y
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SUPPORT US IN CELEBR ATION Fiona - mum of 6-year-old Zander who received a specialist Safespace bed from us recently, was so grateful for the support, she set up a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser page and asked her family and friends to make donations instead of Birthday gifts. Fiona’s 17-year-old nephew Freddie also did a Fundraiser at his high school ball. Together Fiona and Freddie raised a whopping £1,200 for Newlife. What an inspirational thing to do! Fiona says, “Zander has Cerebral Palsy, Autism and severe auditory sensitivity. He was banging his head against his cot every night and caused severe soft tissue damage to his head. Zander’s self-harming behaviour combined with sleep deprivation took a real toll on my mental health. “Newlife stepped in when we were in our darkest moments, giving Zander an emergency loan bed, so he had a safe place to sleep, calling us to say it would be delivered within hours of receiving my application. The bed is fully enclosed so Zander was no longer in danger of harming himself. They then funded the permanent bed for my little boy; Zander went from not sleeping at all to now sleeping 12 hours! Newlife hasn’t just changed our lives- it’s saved our lives. I want to do all I can to raise awareness and support Newlife as “ N e w l i f e h a s n’ t much as I can!”
just changed our l i v e s - i t ’s s a v e d o u r l i v e s .”
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Whether it’s a wedding, anniversary, birthday, a new baby or your retirement, your celebration could help raise money to change another child like Zander’s life.