This year I have chosen White Lodge as my nominated charity as it is very close to home for me both geographically and personally. Very dear friends of mine had a daughter Olivia who used a wide range of their services over the years and it became a real lifeline for the family. She went on to become the most amazingly confident young lady and a wheelchair athlete which is testament not only to her determination, resilience and courage but also to all the support she got from this essential hub of facilities and of course her parents. White Lodge is a wonderful purpose built 2-acre site in Chertsey which needs urgent help to refurbish the premises and their hydrotherapy pool.
This year for Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving I have chosen to support Dementia UK, who provide specialist and compassionate support for families affected by all forms of dementia – including Alzheimer’s disease – through their Admiral Nurse service.
As dementia specialists, Admiral Nurses help families manage complex needs – considering the person living with dementia and the people around them. They help people living with dementia to stay independent for longer, and support the people caring for them so they have the strength to cope with the bad days, and the energy to enjoy the good days.
This charity has a special place in my heart for very personal reasons – both my grandad and grandma had Alzheimer’s and dementia respectively, so it hits very close to home. Seeing your loved ones deteriorate and become more and more forgetful and unable to look after themselves is so heart-breaking. Although they were based in South Africa and couldn’t benefit from this charity, I know first-hand just how important their nurses and care-givers were in managing their quality of life and helping to support my family through the tough times. They really were a lifeline, and without them I don’t know where we would be.
There are currently around 900,000 people with dementia in the UK. This is projected to rise to 1.6 million people by 2040. By supporting Dementia UK, we are helping to make sure that families all over the UK who are affected by dementia don’t have to go through it alone, and are able to get the specialist help and support they need to get through another day.
For more information about Dementia UK, and how you can get involved, visit www.dementiauk.org
The Princess Alice Hospice is a charity well known by jellybean, not least because our office sits directly above the Leatherhead branch of their charity shop!
The Samson Centre, based in Guildford, Surrey, was set up for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by people with MS. The charity provides essential services not available through the NHS and without Government funding. Initially the charity operated from a local village hall and their original oxygen chamber was installed in a volunteer’s garage!
I don’t know about you but no matter how hard-hitting a statistic is, I think it’s hard to truly comprehend the gravity of that number until you are part of that statistic yourself. In becoming a ‘1’ in the 1 in 4 women in the UK who suffer pregnancy or birth loss, I found myself in need of support. Fortunately, it didn’t take me long to land upon Tommy’s, a charity organisation committed to saving babies’ lives and supporting families through the pregnancy journey. Tommy’s fund pioneering research into the causes and treatments of miscarriage, still births and premature births, so pregnancy and birth can be made safer for all.
First came Covid and the hospitality world faced a crisis of mammoth proportions, added to that the challenges of Brexit and now we find ourselves in a cost of living and energy crisis. It is relentless. Read More
Following several difficult years of Covid, we’re struck now by the cost-of-living crisis, affecting families and individuals in a number of ways. While Christmas is a time of celebration, this time of year can be tricky – especially now with costs creeping up and the traditions that come with the holiday season, such as gift giving and preparing a feast.
Blue Cross has been helping sick, injured, abandoned and homeless pets for more than 125 years and now needs support more than ever due to pets and people facing tough times like never before. This is why I have chosen to support Blue Cross charity this Christmas.
I’m using my 12 Days of Giving nomination to support a charity which continues to be there for my Grandpa, and family, the incredible Alzheimer’s Society…
Now in its third year jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving is our way of giving back during the festive season, where we donate a day’s average jellybean salary to 12 charities of our choice.
