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Who is CHAS?
The Children's Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) is a Scottish charity established to provide hospice services in
Scotland for children with life-limiting conditions.
A children's hospice offers professional care, practical help and emotional support to the whole family from the day they are referred until the death of their child and beyond.
No two families are the same and CHAS has the flexibility to respond to the particular needs of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters as well as the extended family.
Rachel House in
Kinross,
Scotland's first children's hospice, opened in July 1996. Robin House in Balloch opened in August 2005. Both hospices are purpose-built and each
provides on-going support for up to 200 families from across
Scotland each year. Since 2003 the Rachel House at Home Team, based in
Inverness, has provided support to
families in their own homes.
No charge is made to families who use CHAS’s services and both hospices and our At Home service are funded mainly through the generosity of our many supporters who
help us in so many ways.
The Need
We all expect children to grow up healthy and strong. Sadly, though, some parents are living with the knowledge that their child’s life is short.
When it is known that life is short, two things become very important to a family: the quality of life and the enjoyment of the time that is left. Caring for a seriously ill child puts an
immense physical and emotional strain on the whole family. The demands of caring for a sick child absorb the very time and energy that is needed to enjoy life.
The children's hospices are a home from home offering a place where families can relax, recharge their batteries and have fun with their children. Expert care is on hand to
help them make the most of each day and live life to the full.
Rachel House and Robin House are not sad places, but places for living. They provide opportunities to share concerns and worries with people who understand. They offer fun and
laughter, enjoyment, love and support.
The Challenge
The immediate challenge facing CHAS is to ensure the annual running costs of over £5 million for both hospices and the Rachel House at Home service.
And to secure the funds needed to operate each year, CHAS relies on the continuing generosity of companies, organisations and the public so that children and their families
can turn to CHAS with confidence when they need us.
More
Information
To find out more about CHAS and how you can help, please contact Kerry Jackson on 0131 444 4914 or kerry@chas.org.uk or visit www.chas.org.uk
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PAST YEAR:
● Camping weekend at Rachel House – for many of the young people who attended the weekend, it was their first and only experience of camping, sleeping out in the great
outdoors.
● Singer Paolo Nutini dropping by to meet young people at a teenage weekend. At a concert Paolo dedicated a song to one of our young people, much to the delight of CHAS
families in the audience!
● Long-term supporter actor Ewan McGregor and friend Charley Boorman making a pit stop at Robin House with their super bikes on their ‘Long Way Down’ trip from
John O’Groats to
Cape Town.
QUOTES FROM FAMILIES:
“Walking into Rachel House is like having someone hug you. Even the shape of the building, with its welcoming arms, makes you feel safe, and secure.
Everyone is there to help you.” A mother visiting Rachel House with her family
“In the outside world we build up a protective wall around us and in the hospice that wall can fall down. It really is a safe haven.” A parent
 THE SNOEZELEN - Multi-sensory room for relaxation and fun. At Rachel House Picture by Paul hampton
This article is reproduced by kind permission of CHAS, written by Kerry Jackson, Relationship Manager. No reproduction of
narrative or photos without permission.
Kerry has worked for CHAS since 2003, initially as a Fundraiser in South East Scotland she says, "My role is focused on building relationships with
key strategic partners – big companies, high net-worth donors, policy makers, trusts & foundations, celebrities and the media. I am wholly committed to CHAS and the
work we do to support families who have a child or children with a life-limiting condition. Our families never cease to inspire me and they are what really motivates me to
do what I do for CHAS – they are what motivates everyone who works here. "
Kerry Jackson
Relationship Manager
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland
Canal Court
42 Craiglockhart Avenue
Edinburgh
EH14 1LT
0131 444 4914
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CHAS
