Make-A-Wish® UK

Wishes have the power to rescue the magic of childhood and provide a much-needed escape from the gruelling daily reality of a life defined by ongoing treatments, endless hospital stays and their critical illness. However, the growing demand for wishes is far outpacing our best efforts to keep up, so it’s taking longer than ever to grant every child’s wish. Without your support, we don’t stand a chance at meeting this demand and reaching children before it’s too late. This Christmas, will you help to grant wishes to critically ill children so that they can experience a once-in-a-lifetime wish and create memories that they can treasure forever? Donate now - thank you ⭐ https://bit.ly/3YLZngM #MakeAWishUK #Wish #Christmas

15-year-old Leon is one of just eight people worldwide living with a genetic condition so rare that it doesn’t have a name yet. Following years of lengthy hospital stays, countless surgeries and ongoing treatments to help improve his quality of life, Leon and his family came a step closer to a diagnosis in 2022: "The geneticist got in touch and told us that they found something in his DNA - it’s an ultra-rare condition," said mum, Toni. The reality of Leon’s condition often pulls him away from childhood activities too: “He can't attend school properly and he had to stop going to parties. He used to go horse riding, but he stopped doing that after his seizures started.” However, throughout all of this, Leon spreads light and joy wherever he goes: “For what he's been through and goes through he's so resilient, strong, and beautiful. So, if he can be strong, so can we.” When the family found out they’d be referred for a wish, Mum told us: “It was music to our ears. We haven't been able to do anything like this since 2019, so we thought to be able to do something as a family away from the hustle and bustle of medical things would be so lovely.” Thanks to incredible support from The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland, we were able to grant Leon’s wish at our UK-based ‘A Disney Wish’ experience. He got to meet his favourite characters including Elsa and her friends Olaf and Anna. ⭐ "A Disney Wish was one of the best moments in the last 15 years of Leon's life. It was catered so well to his disabilities. It was the first time we were able to be a family in a long time. We weren't tired for once- it was just happy! We got to watch him enjoy everything!" "From morning till night, during the wish, a lot of his anxiety had stopped. There has always been a prognosis. You’ve always got fear and anxiety, but after that the wish offered escape from that. It was amazing and so many families can benefit from that. We couldn't be more thankful.” #MakeAWishUK #ADisneyWish

“Sara’s wish was one of the last times that my family got to see her. One of the things that was great for me was to have that memory. It helped me recover from losing her.” – Catherine, Sara’s mum. Sara lived with Dandy Walker Syndrome, a rare form of cerebral palsy. The impact of living with her condition meant that Sara’s early years were clouded by confusion and pain due to hearing and feeding issues. But when Sara was fitted for hearing aids, music made a world of difference - “The only thing that helped was this CD that I found that came in a newspaper. I put it on and instantly the tension she held when she was in pain went away. That CD was by a woman called Jackie Oates. Her music was a form of medicine.” On the day of her wish, Sara celebrated her fifth birthday surrounded by loved ones, and of course her favourite folk musician. “Sara was already in her element having so many people around her. When Jackie played one of her songs Sara was over the moon! She sat transfixed for an hour and a half just mesmerised by her music!” The wish came at a crucial time. Although Sara’s condition wasn't terminal, she passed away in her sleep just a few days after Christmas before her sixth birthday due to Sudden Infant Death (SID). “She was meant to go back to school that day. It was so hard for me to get my head around. We thought we’d have her for a while. We took her to Paris that Christmas; we didn’t know it would be her last. Thank goodness we had that wish. It gave the wider family a last chance to see her before she passed. I’m so grateful for that.” The one wish we can’t guarantee is more time, but only with your support can we grant wishes like Sara’s. If you’re able to, please consider donating to help grant a last wish this Christmas, just like Sara’s. You’ll be helping make the world of difference to a critically ill child and their family, at a time when they need it most. https://bit.ly/3YLZngM #MakeAWishUK #Party #LastWish #Christmas

Hiya everybody, I’m Abbie Lambden 👋 As a Tele-Fundraising Executive at Make-A-Wish® UK, I get to work closely with various teams across the charity, ensuring we have the resources needed to raise money to help grant life-changing wishes. ⭐ Every day, I’m part of a team that brings hope and joy to children facing critical illnesses. Whether it’s helping on campaigns such as Shining Star, speaking with our lovely #WishHeroes taking on challenge events like the Great North Run or engaging with our generous regular donors, knowing that my efforts contribute to making their wishes come true, makes me feel truly fulfilled! 💙 Most recently, I volunteered at the Art of Wishes Women in the Arts Lunch, where incredible supporters came together from across the creative industry, and fundraised through a silent auction with amazing sponsors and gifts or generous pledges – all to help critically ill children make incredible memories. Collaborating with such dedicated and passionate individuals and groups makes my role even more rewarding. Outside of work, you’ll find me trying to plan a bucket-list trip or jetting off to another country. I also love making memories with my family and friends or reading the next book on my to be read list 🛫 If you want to get in touch about regular giving or fundraising, you can shoot me an email at abbie.lambden@makeawish.org.uk #MeetTheTeam #MakeAWishUK

Imagine knowing that this Christmas could be your child’s last. For many children living with critical illnesses, this is their reality. We’ve brought together four bereaved parents of wish children to talk about the long-term impact of a wish. To launch our Christmas campaign this year, hear from Maria about her daughter Ellie’s last wish ‘to have a Christmas wonderland at home’ before she sadly passed away in January 2022. We’re working tirelessly to grant wishes, but demand is continuing to outpace our best efforts to keep up. This means it’s taking longer than ever to grant once-in-a-lifetime wishes, and the heartbreaking reality is that many families simply can’t wait this long. The one wish we can’t guarantee is more time, but only with your support, can we grant more last wishes, and give families one last moment of joy before it's too late. Will you help grant a child’s last wish this Christmas? Donate now: https://bit.ly/3YLZngM Thank you ⭐ #Christmas #MakeAWishUK #Wish

Hi, I’m Chelsea McLeish and I’m part of the Experience Team at Make-A-Wish® UK! 👋 As an Experience Executive, no two days are the same – over the past few months, our role has adapted to include so many different tasks, providing the biggest opportunity to keep learning and evolving. We can be found stewarding our incredible supporters and offering support and resources for them, assisting other teams wherever possible, and processing data, to give a few examples– I’m privileged to have an incredible team around me that are always willing to go the extra mile for our supporters. ✨ In my (almost) a year in the role, I’ve also been lucky enough to be given range of opportunities alongside my everyday tasks, such as attending our A Disney Wish experience, helping at the London Marathon Running Show and leading a talk about fundraising and its impact for year sixes at a local primary school. In my spare time, I love being outdoors and spending time with friends, or somewhere cosy with a good book. 📚 Being a part of such an incredible organisation that helps create wonderful memories for children and their loved ones to cherish is such a privilege, and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of the Experience Team. 💙 If you would like to set up a fundraising event or find out more about ways to help us grant wishes, I’d love to help out! Please feel free to pop me an email at chelsea.mcleish@makeawish.org.uk #MeetTheTeam #MakeAWishUK

Can you help build our brand presence across media channels, nurture community engagement on social platforms, and create compelling content that resonates with audiences? 💭 We're looking for a PR and Social Media Officer! 🎉 If this sounds like the perfect fit for you, view the job and apply below. Please do share with your networks or send on to people who you think would be a good fit for this role ✨ #Recruitment #Hiring #PR #SocialMedia #MakeAWishUK

'Cue' up pool fans! 🎱 We're looking for a pool table which can be converted into a dining table for a wish child living with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Treatment meant many weeks in hospital, but what really helped this wish child was the pool table in the day room. On the days they felt up to it, it was a great distraction and helped them feel like a 'normal' teenager. It was also their favourite way to bond with their siblings and family. If you're able to help us grant this wish, please do fill out the form below 👇 https://bit.ly/3YOHwY0 Equally, if you know someone in the industry who might be able to help, please do tag them or share this post - we really appreciate your help! ⭐ #Snooker #Pool #Billiards

Introducing budding artist, Poppy 🎨 When Poppy was just three years old, a sudden leukaemia diagnosis turned her life upside down. A long treatment plan meant that Poppy spent two-and-a-half years in hospital undergoing treatment rather than attending toddler groups and getting make friends she’d go to school with. Mum told us: “It became our whole life. Everything we did centred around hospital appointments and unexpected temperatures. Family time together became even more important and where possible, we tried to keep the girls together so they wouldn’t grow up separated from each other. So many of our memories are of the girls painting and creating together in hospital.” 🎨 Throughout all of this, the world of art always offered a calm space for Poppy to create and gently express her imagination. Thanks to Art of Wishes a fundraising initiative founded by Batia Ofer in aid of us- Poppy not only had her wish granted, but also became the youngest artist to ever exhibit at Christie's in London! ✨ In the lead up to her wish, Poppy was able to meet and paint with established artists Ben Lowe, Chantal Joffe and Hannah Shergold, creating pieces of art that featured in her exhibition. Mum Stephanie added: “She thrived with having the sessions with these artists. She's gone into those spaces so confidently. Being invited into their studios was so personal. Poppy walked in and got to work immediately. Chantal, Ben and Hannah made her feel so welcome - within minutes she was pouring paint onto canvases. There was no sign of any nerves - she just saw the whole process as fun and creative. Whilst painting with Ben, Chantal and Hannah, we’ve watched her confidence grow - something she lost after treatment.” After the wish, mum and dad got in touch to tell us about this impact Poppy’s wish has had on her: “She's already grown through the process of designing her wish. She’ll be able to look back at the memories of her wish and feel really proud of how far she has come since completing her treatment.” ⭐ #MakeAWishUK #ArtOfWishes #Wish #ArtExhibition

We’re delighted to announce that our flagship ball, A Night of Wishes, is returning on Saturday 17th May at The Savoy Hotel, London. 💙 Following the success of the last ball - raising over £430,000 – we’re going to make 2025 our biggest yet. We're aiming to grant more wishes than ever before, and we hope you can help us! Guests will be welcomed with a reception followed by a delicious three-course dinner and fine wines. Throughout the night, you can expect spectacular first-class entertainment, along with a fantastic live and silent auction featuring money-can't-buy prizes. There will also be an exclusive opportunity to hear moving stories and directly fund the wishes of children. ✨ Join us for A Night of Wishes (tables of 10 are £10,000, individual tickets are £1,000) - it's not to be missed: https://lnkd.in/e_W_64rn #MakeAWishUK #SpecialEvents #TheSavoyHotel