Forum topic: The Aviva Community Fund - cast your votes

Ruth Winston Centre

Nominated by Coversure - Palmers Green

Yvonne Quigley writes:  "As an independent charity we see the needs of the older population increasing and we want to help reduce isolation, improve health and mobility, raise confidence and independence and help people connect and make friends. Our centre needs your help. Please vote for us and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same. Many thanks for your support, here's to another 55 years."

Haven House Children's Hospice - preventative physiotherapy

Haven House is located in Woodford, but some of its patients come from North London, including Enfeld.

Nominated by Tony McDonagh & Co. Ltd

Over a third of the children who use services at Haven House Children’s Hospice have degenerative medical conditions and would benefit from having regular access to Physiotherapy services. Physiotherapy at Haven House keeps the children mobile for longer. It also enriches their lives through movement and ensures that family life can be as full as possible as the children are able to join in with more activities. Currently access to NHS physiotherapy is severely limited, and it is generally for rehabilitation rather than maintaining and improving aspects of health such as posture, breathing and mobility. Children’s health and well being can improve dramatically after receiving physiotherapy. Their parents also say that they can see improvements in their child’s sleep, concentration and appetite.

Trained paediatric Physiotherapists work with parents and children to develop a tailor made exercise programme for each child to maintain and improve the child’s posture, range of movement and breathing. Two physiotherapists run session at Haven House Children’s Hospice each week, and the hospice need to increase the number of sessions offered so that they can offer this highly valued physiotherapy service to more children. Part of the programme involves training parents to do the exercise programme at home with their child to maintain the improvements which have been achieved. Many children then progress to therapeutic yoga once their course of physiotherapy has finished, and this also helps to maintain their health and mobility.

This money would be used between February and June 2017 to increase physiotherapy provision to work with more children who would greatly benefit from physiotherapy. Six new children will each be able to complete a course of eight physiotherapy treatments. This service is completely funded from voluntary income and is free to the families who use it.

This would help children like Georgia who is 17 years old, and has Progressive Cerebellar Atrophy - a loss of the nerve cells and the connections between them in the brain tissues. She also has epileptic seizures which cannot effectively be treated with medication and she is confined to a wheelchair. She has been attending Haven House Children’s Hospice since 2011. Her Physiotherapy programme was designed to minimise joint and limb stiffness and improve flexibility of the spine and joints. Her mother appreciated being taught exercises to do with Georgia at home, as she feels that she is making a difference for her daughter and helping to maintain and improve her health. Mum learnt how to carry out hamstring and ankle stretches, how to perform passive movement of the arms and legs and how to support Georgia when sitting. Mum now has a better understanding of the importance of correct positioning and of maintaining good posture for her daughter. Georgia’s Mum said:

‘I am delighted by the Physiotherapy input and support we have received at Haven House. Learning to help my daughter to stretch and move her legs and arms more has made such a difference for Georgia’

This is just one of the many valuable services that Haven House Children’s Hospice offer to families in 11 north & north east London boroughs, east Hertfordshire and west Essex. Other services include day, overnight, respite and end of life care. Family support includes counselling, sibling support, music therapy and community play. Further information is available on their website (www.havenhouse.org.uk).

Our firm have been keen supporters of Haven House Children’s Hospice for past 5 years. We are proud to support this wonderful organisation which does so much for families in desperate circumstances in our local area. We regularly look to support Haven House Children’s Hospice by monthly fundraising, bring and buy sales and volunteering at the hospice.

Noah's Ark Children's Hospice Family Activity Days

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice is North London's only children’s ‘Hospice at Home’ service. We provide clinical, emotional and practical care and support for babies, children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. Our central aims are to enable these children to live life as fully as possible and to achieve their aspirations.

Working across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Hertsmere and Islington, we support families during their child’s life and help them face the future with hope after the death of their child and throughout bereavement.

Noah's Ark currently supports 147 children but we know that there are 1,169 children in our catchment area that could use our help. We are requesting an award from Aviva of £25,000 towards our Family Activity Days throughout 2017.

Families with a seriously ill child cannot spontaneously decide to go anywhere as they have to consider the accessibility of the venue, whether disability equipment is needed and whether the unfamiliarity of the setting would upset their child. Local parks and activity centres may not cater for their child’s needs.

Noah’s Ark Family Activity Days are fun, inclusive days out at community venues where children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions can participate in activities they are often unable to access, like sports and the arts, with their family and their peers. A Family Activity Day may be one of the only opportunities to get outside their home to enjoy precious time together having fun and making connections with other families in similar situations. Parents can relax knowing that their children can try everything on offer and there are Specialist Carers and trained volunteers on hand to help.

What our Family Activity Days deliver

•    A chance to create precious memories together – rare opportunities to spend quality time together as a family during the child’s short life
•    Respite for the children and their parents/carers – our families tell us how important it is for them to spend time together away from a medical environment
•    Reducing isolation and building a community – enabling our families to meet others in similar situations and to give and receive peer-to-peer support
•    Offering accessible activities – no one is left out; children and families have the opportunity to take part in activities from which they are usually excluded

One family member told us "I have never seen the girls so excited and so happy in my life – their eyes were lighting up like diamonds! What a treasured memory you have given us."

Examples of Family Activity Days

Inclusive Theatre - Winter Pantomime

Families with seriously unwell children often struggle to access public events like the theatre. Our Winter Pantomime brings the show to them: we hire a venue with excellent wheelchair access and a theatre company who stage accessible sensory performances. We also offer activities before and after the show, such as a popular Santa’s Grotto.

Our other events include theatre workshops, inclusive sports days, cinema days and trips to museums and wildlife parks.

Family Support Volunteers

Our Family Activity Days would not be possible without the support of our dedicated team of Family Support Volunteers, who provide vital help with the organisation and running of the events. All volunteers complete a rigorous interview and training process and receive regular ongoing training and support to ensure they are fully prepared for assisting the seriously unwell children and their families on the day. In 2015, 41 volunteers provided 86 support sessions at the Family Activity Days.

A parent described Family Activity Days as 'the fuel that keeps us going'.

Last year 71 families were supported through family days. Please vote for Aviva to help us support even more families in 2017.

North London Samaritans - Shaftesbury Hall Community Hub

Shaftesbury Hall is adjacent to Bowes Park railway station.

We are rebuilding a derelict Tin Tabernacle to provide both a branch for North London Samaritans to operate from and a Community Hub for lots of local organisations to use for the benefit of the community. The Building is much loved locally, and we are going to rebuild the Tin Tabernacle using modern materials but retain its original appearance. We are applying for Big Lottery money and have successfully reached the final part of he process, but we still have a shortfall to make up.