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Announcing our charity of the year: Derian House
Posted on | Posted in Latest News
At Canopies UK, it’s important to us to celebrate the incredible work of charities around the country. That’s why we’re introducing our Charity of the Year initiative; a charity picked by the employees of Canopies UK for the business to support and champion across 12 months through fundraising, events and awareness.
Canopies UK employees each had their say in voting for our Charity of the Year, and Derian House Children’s Hospice came out on top of the staff vote. Read on for an introduction to Derian House as we shine a light on the life-changing work that they do, as well as what it means for them to be our first Charity of the Year.
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About the charity
Derian House is a Children’s Hospice in Chorley, Lancashire. They provide respite and end-of-life care to more than 450 babies, children and young people from across the North West. Thanks to the incredible work that they do, young people whose lives are sadly too short, along with their families, can make treasured memories in an environment focused on fun, respect and outstanding care.
The ethos of Derian House is simple: to ensure that every child and young person in their care can make the very most of the time that they have. Services they offer include palliative care, respite stays, day care, holidays and end-of-life support. Support extends to the whole family, with bereavement counselling for parents, grandparents and siblings for as long as they need it.
The charity has been offering families a supportive home from home for almost 30 years. The hospice was founded by the Haydock family, who named it after brothers Derek and Ian. The family were struggling to find support services for Derek, who lived with a life-limiting condition. The opening of the hospice in 1993 ensures the family’s legacy lives on and means that children and young people today with life-limiting conditions can make the most of every moment.
Families who visit Derian House hospice can enjoy activities including:
- Splash sessions in the hydrotherapy pool
- Visits to the state-of-the-art cinema
- Afternoons in the sensory room
- Visits from a ‘Pets as Therapy’ dog
- Week-long stays in a holiday lodge
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The importance of supporting Derian House
The services offered by Derian House are always free to families, however, the charity costs £5.7 million to run every year. With just 17% of funding coming from the NHS, Derian House relies heavily on generous donor support in order to continue providing families with the care they deserve.
Every penny counts. £10 can pay for art supplies, allowing children to create treasured pieces for their loved ones, while £125 can provide a day of music therapy for a child and their siblings. A donation of £1000 can pay for a family to enjoy a week’s holiday at a Derian on Holiday Lodge, where they’ll enjoy precious time together, creating happy memories that will last forever.
We’re looking forward to fundraising for Derian House Children’s Hospice over the next 12 months and contributing towards funding the remarkable, life-changing work that they do. We’re excited to kick off our support on Friday 23rd September with their ‘Bail Me Out Event’.
We’re locking up Jon Eastwood, our Finance Director for crimes against man’s best friend after he forgot about his dogs during a fire drill — unforgivable, in our eyes. To right this wrong, we’re having Jon (fictitiously) arrested, charged, and placed on trial. Once he’s found guilty (which he will be, it’s inevitable!) he’ll be banished to the cells, only to be released once he’s made £999 in bail money. All funds raised from this unique event will go towards the fantastic work of Derian House.
If you want to donate towards Jon’s bail and help Derian House care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions from across the North West of England, please visit our Just Giving page to show your support.
Ian Hargreaves, director at Canopies UK had this to say about the partnership:
“We are delighted that Canopies UK staff have chosen Derian House Children’s Hospice as our Charity of the Year for 2022/23. This year-long initiative will see us take part in fundraising activities that will directly support seriously ill children and young people across the North West. Everyone is looking forward to supporting the valuable work of Derian House.”
We hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the incredible work done by Derian House. We will continue to keep you updated about what we’re doing to support the charity over the next 12 months.
If you’d like to find out more about Derian House, you can visit their website. To donate towards Jon’s bail money and directly support the work of Derian House, please visit our Just Giving page to make a donation.
