Date published: 22 September 2015 by Anna Jackson
My name is Dawn and I have been a Family Support Worker for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity for four years. The role can be very difficult as we are supporting families at a very emotional and delicate time. They rarely know what day it is yet they have to continue to function with the normalities of life through uncertainty and often a long treatment process.
As a Family Support Worker you see the devastation first hand and it made me realise I needed to do more to ensure funding continues and more families have access to the support they need. This year I will be holding an hour long walk for our Big Hour Challenge campaign because I know just how important an hour of support can be. The Big Hour Challenge is all about making the most of the extra hour you have when the clocks go back on 25 October in recognition of importance an hour of support means to a family who has a child with a serious illness and that’s why I am taking part.
An hour of support costs £22.00 and with a little support from family and friends, I feel it’s an amount each entrant could raise quite easily. I got our Fundraising and Marketing team on board and created posters and sponsorship forms that I have distributed in some local shops near the start of the route. To create awareness I have also asked entrants to wear Rainbow colours. It’s along a long stretch of road on a footpath so it will definitely get us noticed! After the walk, local pub ‘The Happy Cheese’ in Ashurst is putting on coffee and cake for £2, a welcome treat for the walkers, I’m sure!
