Pictured: Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker Dawn provides emotional and practical support to families like the Phillips and their three children Charlie, Louis (twins) and Jacob.
Rainbow Trust relies almost entirely on voluntary donations and through the generosity of our supporters we helped over 2,500 families last year through our eight care teams of Family Support Workers across England.
Thanks to generous listeners, the ±«Óãtv Radio 4 Appeal for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity raised £16,328 to help us support families with a seriously ill child.
Well-known writer, presenter and former MP, Gyles Brandreth, presented our appeal as he has first-hand experience of Rainbow Trust after his grandson was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer aged 18 months old and his family received our support.
When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, family life is turned upside down in an instant and time becomes more precious than ever. Rainbow Trust has teams of Family Support Workers across the country who help the whole family to cope by supporting them at home, in hospital and in the community.
Thanks to the Radio 4 Appeal, Rainbow Trust Family Support Workers will be able to help families make the most of their time together. They provide practical and emotional support, where families need it, for as long as it is needed. Their support can include:
- Listening to a family’s fears and anxieties
- Explaining illnesses, diagnoses and treatments
- Staying with the seriously ill child during appointments or hospital visits
- Supporting families with an ill baby on the neonatal unit
- Organising fun activities to support brothers and sisters
- Bereavement support if a child dies, which might include helping arrange a funeral or visiting the child’s grave with the family
To find out more about Rainbow Trust visit