Chosen Charities

Weldmar Hospicecare provides specialist care for adults across Dorset with a life limiting illness, as well as support for their loved ones. They provide end of life care that's about dignity, comfort, and making every moment matter.

A few years before I started working for Weldmar, I went to Music by the Lake and heard Chief Operating Officer, Matt Smith, talk about how it costs over £27,000 a DAY for the charity to operate.

That number has stuck with me, and having experienced their work with family and close friends at the end of their lives, I know how vital it is that they can keep raising enough to offer patients and their families the warm hug of care, at the most difficult of times.

Teddy 20 is a charity set up by Kim and Owen Newton in my hometown of Blandford Forum, after their son, Ted, passed away in 2010 from cancer at the age of 10.

Their mission is to offer emotional and financial support to children and young people navigating the challenges of cancer treatment, as well as supporting their families.

I've lived in awe of the charity's work for years. From providing holidays for families at Ted's Shack so they can make memories and get a bit of normality when they have a child going through treatment, to creating joyful personalised experiences for children to spread joy and laughter in times of hardship - the impact they have on the lives of families contending with paediatric cancer is enormous. 

I've attended events and donated, but this is a way I can make bigger donations to support their vital mission.