The charity was awarded the funding by financial mutual, OneFamily, through its Foundation Community Awards. The annual awards provide game-changing opportunities for community organisations, groups and projects across the UK.
EACH supports families and cares for young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Its three hospices, in Milton, Quidenham and Ipswich, are not just about end of life care, but are uplifting places where young people can live life to its full potential.
Hydrotherapy is a vital service offered by the charity, bringing huge benefits to young people with life-threatening conditions, giving a freedom of movement and muscle relaxation they can’t achieve with land-based therapies.
The hydrotherapy pool has been used since 1989 when EACH’s Milton site was opened by Diana Princess of Wales.
After 28 years, the boiler now needs replacing to enable staff to regulate water temperature and ensure they don’t have to cancel important therapy sessions. The pool also needs a dehumidifier to make sessions more comfortable for people with respiratory problems.
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices was nominated for a Foundation Community Award by OneFamily customer Teresa Watkin-Child and her husband Andy.
Alex, Teresa and Andy's eldest son, lives with a disability. As a little person Alex has undergone operations, so he fully understands the benefits which hydrotherapy can bring.
Teresa said: “This project was Alex's idea. Although facing challenges of his own, Alex wanted to demonstrate that he may be a little person but he can do something really big for children and their families, who are often facing an unimaginably difficult time.
“It just shows that even when life is that bit harder for yourself, you really can make a positive change in the world.”
Sophie Baker, EACH Cambridgeshire Community Fundraiser, said: “Hydrotherapy is an excellent way of allowing children greater freedom of movement and relaxation, but many EACH families are often unable to access public pools.
“Our young people really benefit from therapeutic strengthening and stretching with physiotherapy sessions in the pool, and this award will ensure that all the young people who use our services are able to enjoy hydrotherapy and all the benefits it can bring.
“We are so grateful to everyone who voted for our cause. This award will make a huge difference to our service users.”
Karl Elliott, marketing director at OneFamily, said: “The work that EACH does to support young people and their families at the most difficult of times is nothing short of inspirational.
“Our Community Awards go right to the heart of what being part of a mutual society is all about, directly benefitting our customers and the causes closest to their hearts.
“Our next round of Community Awards is set to launch in autumn and we’d encourage our East Anglia-based customers to get involved and nominate a cause that’s important to them.”
Through its Foundation, OneFamily redistributes a proportion of its profits back to its customers, to help them to help their families, their communities and those they care about most. In 2016, 100,000 people directly benefited from Foundation Community Awards.
Over a period of five years, OneFamily aspires to make £5 million available through its Foundation, helping to improve the lives of its customers, their families and communities.
For more information please visit: https://www.onefamily.com/your-foundation/
About OneFamily
As a customer-owned financial services company, with products spanning savings, investments, protection and lifetime mortgages, OneFamily is committed to doing more to help our members and those they care about.
OneFamily was created in April 2015, following the merger of two financial mutuals – Family Investments and Engage Mutual. OneFamily combines 40 years’ experience of being the trusted provider of financial solutions for around one in 12 UK families and has more than £7 billion of assets under management.
OneFamily was named Best Junior ISA provider at the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts Awards.
OneFamily Foundation
The OneFamily Foundation was set up to benefit OneFamily customers, their families and the communities in which they live and work. As OneFamily is owned by its customers, it does not need to reward third-party shareholders. Instead, it uses a percentage of its profit to fund the OneFamily Foundation. In 2016, over £800,000 was awarded through Personal Grants and Community Awards.
OneFamily customers can apply for a £500 Personal Grant, which are awarded monthly, to help them or someone they care about. From specially adapted glasses to a respite break for a carer, in 2016 OneFamily Foundation’s Personal Grants have given 646 people the equipment, time or knowledge they need to improve their lives.
Alternatively, OneFamily customers can nominate a project close to their heart for an award of £5,000 or £25,000. These awards have helped communities to fund things like the renovation of swimming pools and local children’s parks. It is estimated that 100,000 people directly benefitted from the Community Awards in 2016 alone.
https://www.onefamily.com/your-foundation/
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For further information please contact:
Ross Stebbing – ross.stebbing@citypress.co.uk / 0131 516 8347
Laura Barban – laura.barban@onefamily.com / 01273 061 337