Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)

Christmas parties in Aberdeen and Inverness! 🎄 Every year, our Activities Teams bring festive cheer to families in the North East with special Christmas parties in Aberdeen and Inverness. These magical events offer families supported by CHAS the chance to connect, celebrate, and create treasured memories in their local communities. While our CHAS at Home service provides vital support throughout the year, these parties are all about fun, with activities like party games, face painting, activities, and a visit from Santa spreading smiles far and wide. Thank you for making moments like these possible. Here are some lovely photos from our Aberdeen and Inverness parties. 💛

Our heartfelt thanks to Scottish comedian and longtime CHAS supporter, Kevin Bridges, for his incredible £20,000 donation to support children and families. Kevin has been a friend of CHAS for many years, bringing joy to everyone at Robin House during his visits. This generous donation, made by Kevin and his wife, Kerry, is part of their wider support for charities across Greater Glasgow, including West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare, Y Sort It, Bags Full of Love West Dunbartonshire, Improving Lives, Launch Foods and DRC Youth Project. We’re honoured to be among such inspiring organisations. Kevin shared: “CHAS is a charity I have huge admiration for, having visited Robin House several times over the years and witnessed the excellent and inspirational work they do in helping families during unimaginably difficult circumstances. “As parents ourselves now, the hearts of my wife and I go out more than ever to everyone at Robin House, Rachel House and all the children and families supported by CHAS services across Scotland.” Thank you, Kevin and Kerry, for helping us give families of dying children the gift of time and precious memories. 💛

Huge congratulations to James Ramage for being named Volunteer of the Year at the VIVA Volunteer of the Year Awards. We’re delighted to see James’ dedication to children and families recognised. The evening was truly inspiring, filled with stories of volunteers across West Dunbartonshire who make an incredible impact in their communities. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who gives their time and energy to make a difference – your efforts do not go unnoticed! 💛

Santa and his elves made a magical early stop at Rachel House last week, delighting children and their siblings with gifts and festive cheer! A huge thank you to Advanced Traditional Screeding (ATS) for bringing the joy of Christmas to life. ATS has been a proud supporter of CHAS since September 2022, raising almost £14,000 through initiatives like their annual golf day including a raffle and auction, and even an ultramarathon completed by one of their dedicated team members. This year, they went the extra mile (or sleigh ride!) by organising Santa's visit - a first for ATS. Thanks to our Community Fundraiser, Fiona, and the Rachel House Activities Team for making this festive visit possible. Thank you, ATS. Your support has made this Christmas extra magical for the children and families we support. 🎄

🎉 Huge congratulations to the incredible team from MotoNovo Finance, who have hit an amazing milestone - raising £100,000 for CHAS! 💛 Since 2008, this dedicated group has taken on countless challenges in support of children and families, including Kiltwalks, the Great Scottish Run, Ben Nevis by Night, and the West Highland Way. Their adventures have been as inspiring as their generosity. A recent visit to Robin House even included a special cake, baked by kitchen volunteer Debbie, to celebrate their achievement! 🎂 Thank you to MotoNovo for your unwavering commitment and to everyone who supported them along the way. You’ve truly made a difference for children and families across Scotland. 🌟

Earlier this year, Jean was awarded a British Empire Medal for her incredible dedication to CHAS.   After knitting baby clothes for Rachel House, Jean wanted to do more for children and families, so she turned her creative talents to handmade Christmas cards. Thirty years later, with 20,000 cards made, Jean has raised an incredible £36,000.   “I couldn’t imagine the challenges that families face when caring for a child who is so severely ill. Anything I could do to help, just a little, made this a simple decision.”   “The cause is so deserving, and the CHAS team is so helpful and appreciative. Every small donation is important - anyone thinking about doing something to raise funds can start small. I started by making cards and inviting friends and neighbours around to have a coffee, a chat, and hopefully buy a card or two. It is a good reason to be sociable and do some good at the same time.”   Thank you Jean for your kindness, creativity, and unwavering support. 💛

It’s the beginning of December and the Activities Team at Rachel House recently hosted their regular parents’ group, where beautiful wooden advent calendars were crafted and decorated. 🎄 Crafting has many mental health benefits, and parents often tell us how therapeutic these sessions are. Whether in-person or virtual, these groups offer a safe, welcoming space to connect, unwind and create. 💛 Your support makes this possible – thank you for helping us bring joy and connection to the parents we support this Christmas. 🎁

Our Christmas appeal launched earlier this month, asking for donations to help give the gift of time and precious memories to families of dying children across Scotland. Thank you to The Courier, Evening Telegraph, Daily Record, ehospice, Reach plc, the Evening News, and National World plc for sharing our appeal through their regional titles. Read about the story of Kate and her daughter Cally via The Courier below. https://lnkd.in/et3AXazX

“At first, I thought, ‘I’m never going to manage this, I’m going to cry all the time, and I’ll get too emotionally attached to families. “But Rachel House wasn’t what I expected. It’s a magical little haven surrounded by beautiful trees, full of joy, laughter, glitter, glue, and paint. Knowing I get to come in to work every day, plan activities and visitors so that the families can create wonderful memories is incredibly special.” For Becky, a mum of two with extensive experience in Early Years education, family means everything. Thanks to your support - and a little nudge from her daughter and a CHAS pen – Becky has been a Play Assistant at Rachel House in Kinross for the past 15 months. “I had seen an advert for the role at CHAS and chatted to my partner and two girls about it. Then, when we were moving house, my daughter Emily found a CHAS pen in the bottom of a box and said ‘Mum, I think you need to apply.’ I came for the interview at Rachel House and haven’t looked back since. “Christmas at the hospice is the most magical time. Every bedroom has a tree, the reception is decorated to a theme, and there are performers almost every day. There’s a sense of calm yet excitement. But for us, it's all about making sure families are supported and have the time and space to celebrate Christmas together. “I am very blessed and feel incredibly lucky. The Play Assistant is a special role – it’s the best job here because you get to have fun!” 💛

Today, our CEO, Rami Okasha, will give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Health Committee during their scrutiny of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Currently at Stage 1, the Bill is being examined for its general principles. While CHAS has not taken a moral stance on assisted dying, our role is to assess the specific proposals of the Bill put forward by Liam McArthur MSP. Our focus is on how the Bill might impact young people with a terminal illness, aged 16+, who may fall under its proposals. Learn more about the Bill and Rami’s evidence in our latest blog 👇 https://lnkd.in/ea5FhQYt