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Children’s charity celebrates 21 years work
Outside their headquarters in Kingswood, Jessie May nurses, fundraisers and directors stood gathered in their purple t-shirts, holding on tightly to branded balloons.
They were celebrating the 21st anniversary of the charity’s founding by sending off 21 balloons into the grey February sky, each adorned with a tag stating the name of the charity, an address and a telephone number to see how far each balloon would get.
Jessie May, a children’s ‘hospice at home’, was founded in 1996 by Chris and Philippa Purrington, following the death of their daughter, Jessica May, in 1994 at the age of only four months from a genetic condition known as severe spinal muscular atrophy
is needed now More than ever
The family from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, realised that the kind of care they had received at home was unavailable in Bristol where Jessica was admitted to hospital while the family were visiting relatives.
After Jessie died, the Purringtons decided to start a charity in their daughter’s name in Bristol to provide support and care for terminally ill children and their families in the comfort of their own homes.
Over the past 21 years, the charity has grown from one nurse and one room to 27 nurses and 167 children currently on the caseload.
This year there are plans to get together families, past and present, who have been helped by Jessie May.
“It started with one family’s need to provide care for their daughter,” says head of fundraising and communications, Julian Withers.
“And now we’re doing that hundreds of times over, and actually wouldn’t that be fantastic if we could bring all of those together?”
In two decades, more than 300 families have been given support and relief by Jessie May, starting from the first nurse visit, providing care, leading to end-of-life care and finally bereavement support for up to five years.
One or two nurses are assigned to each child and family and will remain with the family throughout the process.
Director of care Liz Lewington says that for the Jessie May nurses, “it’s a privilege to meet the children in the family’s homes and be part of their lives”.
“We’re there from as soon as they’re referred to Jessie May, the Jessie May nurses visit them at home, all the way through, and I think it’s such a relationship-building experience.”
A bumper year to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the charity lies ahead, adds Liz: “We’re really looking forward to a great year with our supporters with all the fantastic events and campaigns we’ve got planned, as well as hopefully encouraging more support from the public to be able to continue our work caring for the families who need us.”
For more information about Jessie May, visit www.jessiemay.org.uk
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