Julia’s House Gives Siblings A Much Needed Break
Thursday 25 June, 2009; Julia’s House held its first ever Sibling Support Programme residential trip recently, enabling a group of young people from across Dorset to have precious time to enjoy themselves in the great outdoors.
The Julia’s House Sibling Support Programme was launched in August 2007 and focuses on the needs of siblings who have a brother or sister with a life-threatening illness. A variety of events are planned each year, which put the focus on the sibling, enabling them to feel special, have fun and the chance to have a care-free day. On Friday 12 June a group of seven young people, accompanied by four Julia’s House staff, set off for the first ever Sibling Support Programme residential trip to Wales sponsored by the Cicely Foundation. Four hours of travelling proved well worthwhile when they arrived to a warm welcome from Cicely Foundation members at the beautiful cottage they would call home for the next three days. After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, the group headed off into the woods for a day learning a variety of bush craft skills. First on the agenda was learning how to build a manmade or natural shelter and how to light a fire, before finding essential nutrition by collecting water and food. With a hard day’s work in the woods complete, the group enjoyed an evening BBQ with plenty of games to finish off a fantastic first day. Day two and it was time for some fun on the river and the chance for the children to learn some canoeing skills. After getting their balance and feeling comfortable aboard it was time to learn how to control their canoes safely. With the children’s confidence growing in leaps and bounds, it wasn’t long before they were playing water polo and practicing capsizing their canoes and swimming to shore. Happily exhausted, the children returned to Dorset with fond memories of the fun they had that weekend in Wales. Each and every one of the children took the time to write to Steve and Maureen from the Cicely Foundation and Mick Collins, Centre Director, thanking them for their special weekend away. Paige Smith, just one of the children from the group, wrote: “Thank you Steve, Maureen and Mick for a great weekend in Wales. It’s been amazing, the bush craft, the barbeque and the canoeing. Everything that we did was great, but my favourite part was canoeing.” Maureen Cliffen, from the Cicely Foundation who sponsored the event, commented:“It was a really memorable weekend. The most important thing was the children and it was clear they had a great time and really loosened up. It was joyful to watch. What a fantastic bunch! It was a fabulous partnership between Cicely and Julia's House. Giving money is essential, but spending time with those children will stay with me forever.” Julia’s House Sibling Worker, Elisa Witts, said: “It is very important for siblings to have days out when the focus is just on them, rather than their brothers or sisters. The group visibly grew in confidence over the weekend as they undertook and completed each challenge. One of the young people put it best when they said that the best bit was everything!” Photography– please click on the thumbnail at the bottom of this press release to download the image. Julia’s House gives siblings a break – The Julia’s House Sibling Support group get to grips with their canoeing skills during their first ever residential trip to Wales. -Ends- Notes to Editors Julia’s House is Dorset’s hospice dedicated to children with life-limiting conditions. The majority of the children that it cares for are unlikely to live into adulthood (defined as beyond the age of 18). The children’s hospice complements the work of the Julia’s House Community Team, which consists of 65 nurses and carers who travel the county, providing life-changing support for families in their own homes. In 2008 the charity provided 7,318 hours of care in the community and 5,170 hours of care at the hospice in Corfe Mullen, equating to an overall 65% increase in the care hours compared with the previous year. It costs around £2.4m to run Julia’s House, yet the charity receives just three per cent of its total annual funding from the government. The rest of the charity’s essential income is raised through the generosity of the Dorset community, corporate partners and charitable foundations. For more information about Julia’s House, please contact 01202 607 400 or visit www.julias-house.org Julia’s House achieved an outstanding ranking of 14th overall in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2009 and was also awarded the maximum Three Star rating by Best Companies in 2009. This elite ‘Michelin-style’ star accreditation recognised the excellent workforce engagement and management as ‘Extraordinary’. This rating placed Julia’s House as the highest ranked organisation in Dorset and the top children’s charity in the UK. Julia’s House Media Contact: Emma Spearing, Hazel PR Tel: 01202 862410 Fax: 01202 862301 Mobile: 07736 341828
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