Well Child

Would you be willing to roll up your sleeves and do a day's work to help out a seriously ill child?

WellChild, the national charity for sick children, needs your help to improve the lives of seriously ill children by mucking in with one of their Helping Hands projects.

The Helping Hands scheme is a fantastic way of making a real difference to a sick child and their family who really need your help. The teams of volunteer workers go into the family's home and, over the course of one or two days, completely transform part of the home, such as the garden or the child's bedroom to make it a safe cheerful place for the child to play.

The projects are tremendously rewarding for those who take part, as you can't put a price on bringing a little joy into the life of a child who really needs it.

WellChild's Helping Hands Project Manager Lee Trunks said any groups of Royal Mail employees who are willing to volunteer will be very welcome as they need teams in all parts of the country to carry out the projects - with more families needing our help all the time.

Families who have a disabled or seriously ill child to look after often find that jobs around the house and garden are just one thing too many for them to cope with. There is a lack of support of this kind from other sources - which is where Helping Hands comes to the rescue.

Though the service they offer to the families is free we do need to raise funds to pay for materials, equipment and so on, which are used in the projects.

Each Helping Hands project is carefully planned and worked out in advance so it goes smoothly on the day and Lee is always on hand to manage and offer support at every stage during the work. The result is a job well done that people can take great pride in.

Lee said: "The child and their family benefit tremendously from a Helping Hands project - but what we find is that the volunteers who take part also feel they get a lot out of it too. It's good for the soul sometimes to do something for no other reason than to help someone who really needs it."

If you can help please contact Lee Trunks at WellChild on: 0845 458 8171 or email him at: helpinghands@wellchild.org.uk

There is more information about WellChild on their website at: www.wellchild.org.uk