Forget Me Not Children's Hospice

Today we are launching an urgent public appeal. As a result of rising staff and energy costs, uncertainty over future statutory funding and a tough year for fundraising and in our shops, we face a real term gap in our finances of £1million. Leaving us with no option but to reduce our costs by making redundancies and scaling back some of our services. As always, the children and families we care for are at the heart of everything we do and we will do whatever we can to minimise the impact on them. But right now, we face some impossible choices – and if we don’t act now, we face an even bleaker future. Could you make a donation today to help us raise £1million and save vital services. Your generosity will help children and families going through the darkest of times to continue to receive the high quality, expert care they need and deserve, that they simply can’t get anywhere else. You can find out more here. https://lnkd.in/enEqRihh Donate now here: https://lnkd.in/gYzwZ2U

💪 Smash 100 squats per day in our Squat To It Challenge! 💪 Kick-start 2025 with a challenge to boost your fitness and flexibility, all while making a huge difference to the lives of children and families in West Yorkshire. Whether you’re a fitness fanatic or a complete beginner, this challenge is accessible for everyone. Simply do 100 squats per day throughout January, and you’ll increase the strength in your lower body, joints and core, as well as improve your mobility, posture and balance. You’ll also help burn off some of those Christmas calories! And the best part? Every squat helps raise funds for children and families supported by Forget Me Not. You’ll be helping make a difference that lasts a lifetime – it’s a win-win! You can also earn a Forget Me Not t-shirt and medal by hitting fundraising targets. So why not sign up now and start getting donations? https://lnkd.in/ewEcEGpW

What a lovely afternoon we had in the park last week! Ahmad, along with care team members, Annie and Emily, watched the ducks and listened to them quacking, made ‘roar’ noises and watched as their breath steamed up in the cold air, and enjoyed the colours of the autumn leaves. Even something as simple as going to the park can be a really powerful sensory and interactive experience for the children we support. But it can be difficult sometimes for families to find the time to do, given the 24/7 challenges of caring for a child with a life-shortening condition. Thanks to our care team, we can make sure that the children don’t miss out on these experiences. And now Ahmad has a beautiful memory of his day, captured in the picture they made together.

Our fun-packed Christmas Fayre raised a fantastic £4,164.42 (and counting)! A big thank you to everyone who came along to support us, from visitors to stall holders and our lovely volunteers who helped make the day such a success. A special thanks to FMG who sponsored the event and to Slaithwaite Brass Band and Honley Male Voice Choir for providing wonderful festive performances. Every penny raised on the day will go directly to supporting local children and families when they need it the most. We hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!

There’s only one week left to enter our Christmas raffle! If you want to be in with a chance of winning £1500 or one of our amazing tech prizes, you’d better be quick! It’s only £1 per ticket and you can enter online here https://lnkd.in/eD3ygaDe The raffle closes on 6th December, so if you have physical raffle tickets, make sure you send the ticket stubs and payment to us by this date to ensure your entries are counted! Good luck!

It’s Thank You Thursday! Huge thanks to Jack who had his own stall with his mum at our Christmas Fayre on Sunday. He did a fundraiser for Forget Me Not, doing a “guess the number of sweets in the jar”. He raised a fantastic £49 for us, great job! Thank you to the team at Yorkshire Back Exchange who have donated £60 from the proceeds of the raffle held by the staff. YBE are a group of specialists in moving & repositioning of people and objects. Thanks to everyone who organised the raffle and entered for their contribution! We also have a few shout outs to local companies who donated prizes to the raffle at our Christmas Fayre: Toyland in Huddersfield town centre donated board games, Galactic Golf in Halifax donated a family ticket for adventure golf, Bolton Abbey and Embsay Steam Railway contributed tickets for a train ride, and Flamingo Land very kindly gave us 2 park tickets. Thank you to all of you for helping us raise even more at our fayre!

🤫 Silence speaks volumes! Could your school join The Big Sshh? Take on the challenge of a sponsored silence, from a few minutes to a whole day and your quiet time could make a loud impact. Every moment of silence helps us support families caring for children with life-shortening conditions, many of whom feel unheard. Whether you whisper, sign or stay silent, your voice matters. Sign your school up and help us ensure every family is heard, cared for and supported. Email schools@forgetmenotchild.co.uk for more information.

Could you take a couple of minutes to help us access win vital funds? By nominating Forget Me Not, you can help us receive £1,000 from the Benefact Groups Movement For Good campaign. Visit their site here to cast your vote! https://ow.ly/tU1x50UgxFx

This Christmas, we’re inviting you to shine a little light in memory of a loved one. In this video, Gemma, one of our team, shares how this special way to remember those you miss will help us support children and families when they need us the most. “It’s a little bit of light in what can be a really difficult time” Visit https://lnkd.in/ekJqpFgm to make a donation and leave your dedication message. For a minimum donation of £10 we’ll place your message in a bauble and hang it on our Christmas tree at Russell House.

🎄 What an amazing afternoon we had at our Christmas Fayre!🎄 Thank you to everyone who came to Russell House today to enjoy the festivities. It was a truly special event with loads of fun, food and music. We hope you all enjoyed yourself as much as we did - it was great to see so many smiling faces! A special thanks to all the stall holders who joined us and our volunteers who helped make the event such a success 🎁