Useful Organisations
Carers UK
Carers UK campaign to urge people to recognise the true value of carers’ contribution to society and to ensure carers get the practical, financial and emotional support they need.
- www.carersuk.org
- Tel: 0808 808 7777
- Email: info@carersuk.org
Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children
Newlife Foundation helps disabled and terminally ill children in the UK. It provides equipment to help individual children, nurse led support services, pioneering medical research, awareness and campaigning.
- Tel: 01543 462 777
- Nurse Helpline: 0800 902 0095.
- Email: info@newlifecharity.co.uk
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity provides practical and emotional support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness.
- Helpline South: 01372 453309
- North: 01434 602961
REACT
REACT (Rapid Effective Assistance for Children with Potentially Terminal illness) is a dynamic charity working to improve the quality of life for financially disadvantaged children with life-limiting illnesses living in the UK.
- www.reactcharity.org
- Tel: 020 8940 2575
- Email: react@reactcharity.org
Anthony Nolan
Matches blood stem cell and bone marrow donors to people with blood cancer and blood disorders. Also provides support to patient and conducts research into bone marrow treatments.
Whizz-Kidz
Whizz-Kids provides disabled children with customised mobility equipment, training, advice and life skills and gives them the independence to be themselves.
- www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
- Tel: 020 7233 6600
- Email: info@whizz-kidz.org.uk
Dreams Come True Charity
Dreams Come True is a national charity which makes the dreams of terminally or seriously ill children become a reality.
- www.dctc.org.uk
- Tel: 0800 018 6013
- Email: info@dctc.org.uk
Family Holiday Association
The Family Holiday Association provides grants towards a one week holiday of the family’s choice. Referral needed from a health visitor or social worker.
- www.fhaonline.org.uk
- Tel: 020 7436 3304
- Email: info@fhaonline.org.uk
Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK
Make-A-Wish grants magical wishes to children and young people aged 3-17 who are fighting life-threatening illnesses.
- www.make-a-wish.org.uk
- Tel: 01276 405060
- Email: info@make-a-wish.org.uk
Starlight Foundation
Starlight Children’s Foundation brightens the lives of seriously and terminally ill children by granting their wishes and providing hospital entertainment to help take their minds off the pain, fear and isolation of their illness.
- www.starlight.org.uk
- Tel: 020 7262 2881
- Email: info@starlight.org.uk
Caring Cancer Trust
Holidays to the Alps for children recovering from cancer
Chemo to the Rescue
Chemo to the Rescue – a children’s book about leukaemia
Leukaemia CARE
24 hour dedicated helpline
- 08088 010 444
- www.leukaemiacare.org.uk
Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research
- 0207 405 0101
- www.leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk
Children’s Hospices UK
A national charity that can provide information on local children’s hospice services.
- www.childhospice.org.uk
- Tel: 0117 989 7820
- Email: info@childhospice.org.uk
Contact a Family
Contact a Family are a national charity providing advice, information and support for any family with a disabled child, whatever the child’s condition. Their helpline staff can answer queries on all aspects of raising a disabled child, from providing medical information about a diagnosis, giving advice about benefits and services, through to schooling and assessments and statements of special educational needs.
- www.cafamily.org.uk
- Free helpline: 0808 808 3555
- Email: info@cafamily.org.uk
Christian Lewis Trust: Children’s Cancer Charity
The Trust helps families by providing emotional and practical support for the whole family, such as holidays, play therapy, befriending and bereavement support.
- www.christianlewistrust.org
- Tel: 01792 480 500
- Email: enquiries@christianlewistrust.org
CLIC Sargent
CLIC Sargent cares for children and young people with cancer and their families – in hospital and in the community. It provides specialist nurses and doctors, play specialists and home from home services, family support in the community, holidays, information and grants. It also helps survivors and supports the bereaved after treatment.
- www.clicsargent.org.uk
- Child Cancer Helpline: 0800 197 0068
- Email: helpline@clicsargent.org.uk
Assist UK
Leads a UK wide network of locally-situated Disabled Living Centres. Each centre includes a permanent exhibition of products and equipment that provide people with opportunities to see and try products and equipment and get information and advice from professional staff about what might suit them best.
- www.assist-uk.org
- Tel: 0870 770 2866
- Email: general.info@assist-uk.org
Momentum
Set up by parents, aims to help children and families in the Surrey and South West London area
- 020 8974 5931
- www.moment-um.org
Over the Wall
Runs activity camps for children and young people aged 8-17 who are affected by serious and life limiting illnesses
- 02392 477110
- www.otw.org.uk
Disabled Living Foundation
A national charity that provides free, impartial advice about all types of equipment for disabled people. It can help you find products and suppliers and also has an equipment demonstration centre. They also produce factsheets and other information resources.
- www.dlf.org.uk
- Helpline: 0845 130 9177
- Email: advice@dlf.org.uk
Family Fund
The Family Fund helps families with severely disabled children to have choices and the opportunity to enjoy everyday life. They give grants for things such as washing machines, driving lessons, hospital visiting costs, computers and holidays.
- www.familyfund.org.uk
- Tel: 0845 130 4542 / 08449 744 099
- Email: info@familyfund.org.uk
Dreams Come True
Makes dreams come true for seriously and terminally ill children across the country
- 0800 018 6013
- www.dctc.org.uk
Heads High
Louise Stewart set up Heads High after her 7 year old daughter found it hard to find suitable wigs after losing her hair during chemo. She has an online shop with products for children, teens and adults.
- tel. 07717 532 021
- www.heads-high.com
Little Princess Trust
Accepts hair donations and makes wigs for children
- 0845 094 4509
- www.littleprincesses.org.uk
Macmillan Cancer Support
Helpline, information, local support, financial assistance
- 0808 808 00 00
- www.macmillan.org.uk
Directgov
A website providing information about benefits and entitlements.
JD Travel Insurance Consultants
Accepts all kinds of medical conditions and age groups
- 0844 247 4749
- www.jdtravelinsurance.co.uk
Teenage Cancer Trust
Improves the lives of teenagers and young people with cancer
- 020 7612 0370
- www.teenagecancertrust.org
Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund
Provides support, care grants and respite breaks
- 0170873436
- www.lennoxccf.org.uk
Rainbow Trust
Provides emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness through support workers
- 01372 363438
- www.rainbowtrust.org.uk
The Child Bereavement Charity
The Child Bereavement Charity is a charity that supports families and educates professionals both when a child is dying or has died, and when a child is bereaved of someone important in their life. The charity provides a national support and information helpline for both families and professionals, award-winning publications and resources, an interactive website with online forums, and a Buckinghamshire-based family bereavement support service.
- www.childbereavement.org.uk
- Tel: 01494 568900
- Email: enquiries@childbereavement.org.uk
Childhood Bereavement Network
The Childhood Bereavement Network seeks to ensure that all children and young people in the UK, together with their families and other care givers, including professional carers, can easily access a choice of high-quality local and national information, guidance and support to enable them to manage the impact of death on their lives.
- www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk
- Tel: 020 7843 6309
- Email: cbn@ncb.org.uk
The Child Death Helpline
The Child Death Helpline is a helpline for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age, from pre-birth to adult, under any circumstances, however recently or long ago.
- www.childdeathhelpline.org
- Helpline: 0800 282 986
- Email: contact@childdeathhelpline.org
The Compassionate Friends UK
The Compassionate Friends is an organisation of bereaved parents and their families offering understanding, support and encouragement to others after the death of a child or children. They also offer support, advice and information to other relatives, friends and professionals who are helping the family.
- www.tcf.org.uk
- Helpline: 0845 123 2304
- Email: info@tcf.org.uk
Counselling Directory
- www.counselling-directory.org.uk
- A confidential service that can help you find a qualified counsellor or psychotherapist in your local area.
Samaritans
Samaritans provides confidential non-judgmental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.
- www.samaritans.org.uk
- Helpline: 08457 909090
- Email: jo@samaritans.org
TCF Sibling Support
Sibling Support is a project run by The Compassionate Friends which provides nationwide self-help support for people who have suffered the loss of a brother or sister.
- www.tcfsiblingsupport.org.uk
- Tel: 0845 123 2304
- Email: info@tcfsiblingsupport.org.uk
Together for Short Lives
Support for families who have a child with a life limiting illness
- 0845 108 2201
- www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk
Winston’s Wish
Winston’s Wish is the leading childhood bereavement charity and the largest provider of services to bereaved children, young people and their families.
- www.winstonswish.org.uk
- Helpline: 0845 20 30 40 5
- Email: info@winstonswish.org.uk