Bristol News

Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home announces Bristol City Women’s Football Club as Their First Team Ambassador

Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home announces Bristol City Women’s Football Club as Their First Team Ambassador

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Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home proudly announces a partnership with the Bristol City Women’s Football Club. This collaboration marks a significant step forward, celebrating some amazing women and advancing the Jessie May mission of providing support to children and families in need. 

As part of this exciting partnership, the Bristol City Women join as the first team ambassador for Jessie May, A group of highly talented and motivated women dedicated to making a difference in their communities. This partnership is sure to blossom, with a presence at Ashton Gate Stadium, engaging in social media appearances, and participating in fundraising challenges to support Jessie May’s work. 

“We are thrilled to welcome the Bristol City Women’s Football Club as our first team ambassador,” said Daniel Cheesman, CEO at Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home. “Their commitment to excellence both on and off the field resonates with our mission to provide exceptional care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families. We believe this partnership will create endless possibilities for raising awareness and vital funds to support our charity, and we are honoured that they have accepted our invitation to join us.” 

The partnership between Jessie May and Bristol City represents a great step forward, highlighting the importance of community engagement in driving positive change.  

“We’re delighted to be ambassadors for Jessie May,” said City wing-back Jamie-lee Napier. “When the team and I first went to visit the charity not many of us knew much about it but we were immediately inspired and wanted to know more when we met the amazing nurses, staff, and everyone involved. Hearing about what Jessie May is all about and the work they do behind the scenes with the families is truly incredible. We especially loved it when some of the families came to our game at Ashton Gate. It was amazing to meet them and hear their stories and just talk and get to know one another.” 

In Jail for Jessie May  

In Jail for Jessie May  

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On Wednesday 7th February six brave Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home supporters will go to jail for the charity. The idea behind this fundraiser is that in order to leave jail, bail will need to be reached via fundraising. 

Participating in the event are local businesspeople Tom Selman of Panoramic, Gemma Przytocka of Pear Tree plus five world snooker stars. Tom is both a trustee and long-time supporter of the work Jessie May do, and Gemma’s company Pear Tree are regular fundraisers. From the world of snooker players Jamie Jones and Stuart Bingham are joined by commentator Rob Walker and Matchroom Sports President Barry Hearn.   

Jessie May Childrens Hospice at Home work in the southwest of the UK providing specialist palliative nursing care at home for children with life-limiting conditions. Jessie May nurses give expert care throughout a child’s life, extending their support to provide bereavement care for families following the death of a child. 

©Barbara Evripidou/FirstAvenuePhotography.com

“We are delighted that we have six brave volunteers willing to be jailed for this fun event that will raise vital funds. We rely on the generous support of our supporters to enable us to care for more young people and their families” Kim James-Coggins, Partnerships Executive at Jessie May 

You can support Jessie May and find out more here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/jessiemayjailandbail2024 

Be Astute Join Forces with Snook Digital

Be Astute Join Forces with Snook Digital

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Be Astute are pleased to announce its exciting new partnership with Snook Digital, which is a creative digital marketing company specialising in e-commerce, website optimisation, and process improvement. As one of the South West’s leading management consulting firms, Be Astute knows that this collaboration will be a game changer. 

Bill Stock of Be Astute, has worked with Nathan and Snook Digital for the past two years, so it was a natural decision to formalise this partnership. 

Be Astute is all about collaboration, as the company was created by Bill and Julia Stock, a formidable husband and wife duo who decided to combine their individual years of expertise. They are business-focused IT specialists who have set up a business support company with a difference. 

As a duo, they excel in every department, with credentials such as taking a company with 100 staff which was 90% paper-based, with staff who were highly reluctant IT users, and over a period of 8 years made the business 99% paper-free. 

“This partnership means that we can offer clients more services than ever, allowing businesses to grow in ways that they did not even think were possible without our help”- Julia Stock 

Similarly, Snook Digital are champion of its craft. Building fast, intricate sites that engage users in a way that entices them to learn more about your business or product. Nathan and the team have years of experience in software development, testing, and real-world customer experience, transforming a business’s front end and enhancing its back-end process. 

Whilst Snook Digital specialises in digital marketing, Bill is an expert in databases with the ability to see your IT and data needs in relation to your whole business. To him, data is the blood supply of your business. This joint interest in the digital landscape and technology meant that a partnership was always going to happen between these two companies. Better data means better business, and Snook Digital and Be Astute can not be more excited to share this amazing collaboration. 

True Colours Trust and Jessie May celebrate 20 years of collaboration and passing the £1,000,000 mark 

True Colours Trust and Jessie May celebrate 20 years of collaboration and passing the £1,000,000 mark 

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Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home are celebrating reaching £1Million in support from True Colours Trust. The Trust, whose ambition is to achieve equity in the fields of palliative care and disability, have supported Jessie May since 2003. True Colours are working towards a time when everyone, wherever they live and whatever their age, can access good palliative care allowing disabled children and young people to live their lives to the full. 

Jessie May’s CEO Daniel Cheesman said, 

“The assistance that True Colours Trust have given Jessie May over the years is incredible. Not only have they given £1 million to Jessie May so we can provide nurses to support our families, children and young people, but the Trust has also worked with our staff to help improve public understanding of children’s palliative care. We are immensely grateful for True Colours Trust’s committed support of our essential work at Jessie May.” 

Lucy Sainsbury, Chair and Founder of True Colours Trust is proud of this long-standing partnership,  

“True Colours’ first grant to Jessie May was awarded over 20 years ago and was one of the very first grants we ever made. We were inspired by the vision of Jessica May Purrington’s parents who sought to ensure that families had the choice of home-based care for their seriously ill children available to them. Since it was first founded, Jessie May has always offered a unique service, blazing the trail for what excellent children’s palliative care at home can look like. The organisation continues to innovate and develop its services while keeping children and families at the centre of everything it does. For this reason, we have been proud to continue to support Jessie May over the last 20 years – the organisation is one of our longest-standing partners. We remain a firm supporter of the inspirational work delivered by Jessie May.”  

Long term support from trusts such as True Colours Trust enables Jessie May to provide care in both the present and the future. Jessie May want all their children to have the best quality of life possible, and to live and to have the choice to die in their own homes with their families if they prefer. These generous gifts allow us to help families such as the Griffiths whose daughter Margot received care from Jessie May. 

The Griffiths family told us that the love, interaction, and engagement provided by the Jessie May team has left a profound impact on their lives. They hope that other families may also benefit from this remarkable service and appreciate the support they have been fortunate to receive. 

Sustained partnerships with trusts like True Colours Trust allow Jessie May to provide care exactly where it is needed.  

Andrea Bristol, Founder of Admire PR

Admire PR unveils a new look to take them into the next stage of their business growth.

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Admire PR is pleased to unveil a new look that will take them through the next years of business.

The agency, well known for their work with sport, B2B and charity, has been on a steady growth trajectory for two years and wanted to future-proof the brand.

Founder of Admire PR, Andrea Bristol, chose to work with branding expert Danny Matthews for this project. Danny comments,

“Having watched Admire PR grow at the impressive hands of Andrea, I was excited to work with her and the Admire team. It’s clear that as they have grown, larger clients from all over the world could see the value in what she does, and together we aligned in wanting to see their identity match their values and maturity in their sector. I knew that by taking them through the Brand Confidence® process, it would give them what they needed to communicate who they were in the best possible way. They have a bold and bright future ahead.”

Andrea started Admire PR when she became disillusioned with the way some practitioners in the PR industry treated their clients and their staff. She felt that PR needed its own PR. 

“We pride ourselves on being the ideal ‘backing singers’ for our clients, the stars. Producing effective work for our clients, as well as providing a safe and enjoyable place to work that enables new talent to discover working in PR. I’m proud of the team we have built over the past year and am looking forward to the next steps in our company’s growth. The new branding work by Danny will support our ambitions. I am looking forward to the future.”

There is no place like home! Marking Jessie May’s impact in 2022-23

There is no place like home! Marking Jessie May’s impact in 2022-23

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Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home provides vital at-home nursing, family support and respite care for children and young people who have a terminal or life shortening condition. Families are able to make the most of the precious time they have left with their loved ones. 

Jessie May nurses

A parent said:

“Jessie May have been a source of strength for us both through this time. We view Jessie May as an extension of our family.”

There really is no place like home.

This year’s Impact Report 2022-2023 captures the busy year that Jessie May has had, and is a testament to all their achievements. It is packed with personal stories and awe-inspiring statistics that capture some of the remarkable work that Jessie May undertakes every day.

This year’s impact report includes a piece on Josephine and Francesca, twin girls who were cared for by Jessie May. It is a poignant account which explores their parent’s experiences of Jessie May’s support throughout their girls’ lives.  

The report  also contains an emotive diary entry from Vicky, a Jessie May Nurse. Her account gives us an insight into the expertise and kindness needed to provide palliative care to the children she nurses. Her gentleness and compassion are palpable.

“She receives her feed and, conscious that this could cause vomiting, we play a quiet game of dolls and dress ups while we wait for mum to come back, then hospital transport arrives to take them for a long afternoon of dialysis”.

It is a moving read showing how our nurses balance the play and medical needs of our children with such skill and humanity.

Daniel Cheesman, Jessie May’s CEO is delighted to share the charity’s achievements of 2022-23.

“Thanks to generous charitable donations 79 children and families shared in 4,377 hours of specialist nursing support. Jessie May are proud to have been able to support 53 families through bereavement and be able to offer them support for at least a further 5 years. We held a ‘bereaved family picnic’ in August to help families feel less isolated. 

Jessie May’s wide reaching support has also ensured over 388 hours of telephone support and 1,039 text messages allowing parents to feel supported exactly when they need it. We asked families if their children felt happy and secure with their nurses, 100% of responses said yes! All of these achievements and more were made possible by our tireless staff, fundraisers and the generous trusts and foundations that support us.”

The year has had many fundraising highlights including Lloyd Kembrey’s ‘12 challenge’ which has seen him and his friends complete challenges that include an Ice Marathon and climbing the height of Everest. For those that preferred a less active fundraising event Jessie May also hosted their first charity dinner, raising over £18,000.

2022 also marked the launch of the “No Place Like Home” 5 year strategy from Jessie May. At the heart of the strategy is a commitment to working with more children and their wider families, especially siblings, in providing the best hospice care at home.  

Daniel explains: 

“Jessie May’s 5 strategy will also offer 24/7 End of Life Support for children in their own homes. They plan to launch new projects to support siblings and wider family members alongside the children they care for. We also plan to influence and support the establishment of services similar to Jessie May where they don’t yet exist.  You can read more in our impact report.”

All in all Jessie May and its supporters have raised a total of £1,668,789. They are an essential service for children with life limiting illnesses.

 The impact report lays out the emotions, the highs and the lows, the positive results of their care and the clear plan for the future of the charity. It is a moving and essential read. You will be able to download the report from the Jessie May website.

Friends having a cup of tea together

Connection Matters: Loneliness Awareness Week 2023 Encourages Harnessing of Everyday Connections 

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Loneliness is on the rise. 1Almost a third of people in the UK already feel lonelier since the pandemic. 2Disconnected communities could be costing the UK economy £32 billion every year. This can be exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, which hinders social interaction.

A leading loneliness charity, Marmalade Trust, is launching its 7th annual campaign, Loneliness Awareness Week 2023, dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness across the UK and worldwide. Taking place from June 12th to 18th, this year’s campaign, ‘Connection Matters,’ aims to get people to notice and encourage small everyday connection moments to reduce feelings of loneliness and increase connection. 

By highlighting the need for people to reach out to each other and share even the smallest moments of connection, we can support ourselves and others to feel acknowledged, happier and reduce loneliness.

Marmalade Trust calls on everyone to strive for a future where open conversations about loneliness are commonplace. This empowers individuals to share their emotions and strengthen social connections. 

During Loneliness Awareness Week, we encourage individuals, businesses, organisations, and community groups to join us in creating supportive communities by harnessing and sharing moments that matter and initiating conversations about loneliness with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. 

Alice Peperell, Campaign Director of Loneliness Awareness Week, describes three simple ways people can get involved,

“We are asking people to join in by spreading the word, building connections by organising or joining an activity or event, and following us on social media and sharing stories of connection.”

Minister for Loneliness Stuart Andrew said: 

“Loneliness is something that can affect anyone at any time, but it’s important people know that they are not alone and that support is out there. This Loneliness Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to encourage small moments of connection, whether that be arranging to go for a walk with a friend or inviting them for a tea or coffee. By opening up the conversation about how we are feeling we can better support each other.”

For free resources on how to make social connections, check out the list on our website https://www.marmaladetrust.org/connectionideas 

References

  1. King’s College London, The Policy Institute and IPOS “COVID Anniversary Survey 2022”
  2. Eden Project initiative The Big Lunch and funded by the Big Lottery “The Cost of Disconnected Communities Report”, 2016
14 Runners raise more than £22,000 for Jessie May

14 Runners raise more than £22,000 for Jessie May 

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14 fantastic runners raised more than £22,000 for Jessie May tackling The London Marathon last weekend.

Jessie May is a charity that provides free specialist nursing, respite and bereavement care for terminally ill and life limited children and their families. They can give care in a family’s own home, where they feel most safe.

£22,000 will provide nearly 400 hours of specialist nursing care for the children Jessie May support.

Lloyd Kembrey, who ran the London Marathon in aid of Jessie May as part of his 12 challenges in a year, has raised more than £8000, and it’s only April! In addition to his running success, he has also done a triathlon and an ice marathon.

James Toft is proud to have completed the challenge.

“I knew the training would be a challenge, but didn’t realise how much it would take over my life… It’s been very demanding, but occasionally rewarding.… I managed to run [The London Marathon] and it was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. It’s been an amazing experience, and I’d like to thank all my friends and family that have supported me along the way.”

Emily Dye from long-time Jessie May supporters Blackstar Communications got her place in The London Marathon in 2023 through the ballot. 

“It was my fourth year of entering, and I nearly fell out of my chair when I found out I was in.  I knew right away I wanted to run for a charity. 

 I know Jessie May through my employer, Blackstar Solutions.  We have looked after Jessie May’s telephony needs since 2016.  We like to be involved with the charities we look after, through fundraising and volunteering. Huge thanks to my colleagues at Blackstar for their support through sponsorship, sharing my fundraising story, and well wishes. This was especially motivating in the gritty miles, when all I wanted to do was stop.

Running the London Marathon for Jessie May was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s an emotional day to begin with, but even more so knowing every step you’re taking is helping families in your area. I was nearly in tears running down The Mall into the finish. If you haven’t entered the ballot for 2024 yet – do it!!  It was a bucket-list experience, made all the better by being part of Team Jessie.”

Kim James Coggins, Community Engagement Fundraising Officer for Jessie May, was in London to support them:

“It was a chilly damp day, but as soon as I saw our runners charging past in their Jessie May tops with enormous smiles on their faces, I forgot the weather. I know each and every one of our runners have their own reasons for supporting our wonderful charity, and I admire them so much for what they have all achieved. It took them months of training and sacrifice for them to be ready for the London Marathon 2023. We were all in tears when they made it over the line. Thanks guys, we are so proud of you!”

“Our amazing runners are already thinking about their next sporty challenge in aid of Jessie May in 2024. That is such dedication, we can’t wait to see what they all do next year!”

Laura Tomlinson Joins Jessie May as Ambassador

Laura Tomlinson Joins Jessie May as Ambassador

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We are pleased to announce that Olympic dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has joined Jessie May as an ambassador. Laura has won many international dressage competitions, including team gold and individual bronze at the London 2012 Olympics.

Dressage Rider Laura Tomlinson joins Jessie May Trust

Jessie May is a hospice at home service for children with life limiting conditions in the south west of England. Jessie May nurses help to provide essential support for families from the point of their child’s diagnosis, for respite, for end-of-life care for their child, and offer 5 years of bereavement support. The Jessie May Trust was established by parents Chris and Phillipa Purrington following the death of their baby daughter, Jessie May, in September 1994. Jessica died when she was only four and a half months old, and she was cared for by her family, in her own home, throughout her illness. The Purringtons knew that they wanted other children, like Jessica, and their families, to have the option of receiving treatment at home, and to have the choice to die at home when the time comes.

 Over the last 25 years, Jessie May has helped support families in final and important moments, offering emotional support and specialist nursing care.  It is a charity started by a family, for families, and is now shaped by families. Jessie May bases all their treatment and care on the principle that a parent always knows what is best for their child, so their work always aims to support and uplift these relationships. Laura heard about the work that Jessie May carries out, and as a mother of four young children herself, wanted to help raise awareness for the charity that helps so many young children and their families.

Jessie May has been a lifeline for so many, and as a fellow parent, Laura knew she needed to use her voice to raise awareness of something so close to her heart. 

“I am so delighted to be an ambassador for Jessie May and to support the incredibly important work they do. The support they provide to children and their families through such difficult times is invaluable. I hope that with this partnership, I can help widen Jessie May’s audience so that more people can see and support their wonderful work.”

The inside of the Hippodrome in Bristol

Baltimore Consulting announce partnership with Bristol Hippodrome

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Baltimore Consulting, a leading niche recruitment provider to the public sector, has announced an exciting new partnership with one of Britain’s most renowned theatre companies – The Bristol Hippodrome. 

Extending its membership with The Bristol Hippodrome, Baltimore Consulting will include an additional box to be used exclusively for children’s services and schools within Bristol. This will allow disadvantaged children and young people the chance to attend the theatre for the first time.

The recruitment provider has committed to sponsoring one of the theatre’s career insight sessions later this year. Each session will give young people an understanding of the various career opportunities available in theatre, such as sales, marketing, administration, programming, maintenance, sound, electrical, costume, automation, and carpentry.

By sponsoring a career session, Baltimore Consulting are supporting 30 young people and allowing them to explore 21st Century STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts & Mathematics) skills and roles in the theatre industry. The consultancy, which works with vulnerable young people and children with special educational needs, has also announced plans to work with local children’s charities in a bid to grant “final wishes” for terminally ill children who want to visit the theatre.

“After successfully launching in 2019, the career insight sessions are part of the theatre’s creative learning programme, which aims to deliver excellence in all educational and community engagement initiatives that it offers,” said Ben Phillips, Theatre Director at The Bristol Hippodrome.

“As part of the theatre’s continuing commitment to the community, the tailored career sessions are an effective way to help inspire a diverse audience and future workforce whilst helping more and more young people to access performing arts, whether they are interested in a career on or offstage.”

The partnership will bring together the best of both worlds, helping Baltimore Consulting provide children with opportunities to visit and learn about careers in the theatre and the chance for Bristol Hippodrome to nurture the next generation of the industry’s workforce.

“After 10 years of successfully supplying staff into vulnerable subject areas within the public sector, we’re absolutely delighted to announce our partnership with The Bristol Hippodrome,” said Charmaine Vincent, Owner and CEO at Baltimore Consulting. “We’re extremely passionate about making a difference to people’s lives within the community.

“Our additional pledge this year to supply a theatre box to disadvantaged children and young people, as well as sponsoring a career insight session, demonstrates our commitment to increasing our local community footprint whilst being fully aligned with our values, business intentions and responsibilities as a small and medium-sized enterprise in children services. Small acts of kindness make such a big difference.”