There are few better ways to celebrate success than to share it with others.

As our Group celebrates its 25^th Anniversary this year it seemed particularly appropriate to join forces with Credit Strategy and become their Charity Fundraising Partner – a Link representative will present a cheque for the money raised from auction items and raffles during each event throughout the year.

However, we saw the opportunity to do more than that, especially since the charity involved is Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.  Link Financial decided that a wonderful way to mark our 25^th Anniversary would be to make our own individual donation of £25,000 to the children’s hospice and this was announced at Credit Strategy Annual Credit Awards.

Shooting Star cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting illnesses, providing a period of respite both for them and their families.  There are two sites, Christopher’s in Guildford and Shooting Star House in Hampton, supporting over 700 children and their families throughout Surrey and across 14 boroughs of London, 365 days a year.

We visited Christopher’s to make the presentation in person, meet the team and find out more about their incredible work. We met with Shooting Star’s CEO, Paul Farthing and Head of Hospice Services, Geraldine Sheedy who told us how delighted they were to receive the donation from Link and what it means to them in terms of being able to run their services.

The hospice only receives 30% of funding from the government, meaning that they rely on charitable donations – including funds raised in their seven charity shops and various fundraising activities – to keep doing their incredible work helping the children and families who need them so much.

At Christopher’s, there are nine children’s bedrooms fully equipped to make their stay as comfortable as possible, as well as five family flats so that parents and other relatives can stay on site too.

A full range of specialist facilities and therapies are provided including a hydrotherapy pool, music studio, sensory room, arts and crafts and a den for teenagers. There are lovely gardens and a play area with specially adapted equipment for those in wheelchairs.

There is support for the whole family with an extensive range of counselling, therapies and support groups including for parents, siblings and grandparents.   Over 700 brothers and sisters are supported in dedicated sibling groups where fun activities are arranged and there are opportunities to explore and share their feelings in a safe environment.  Other groups include family workshops, bereaved men’s group and “chill and chat” groups.

The team at Christopher’s also provides support outside of the hospice with symptom and community nurses ensuring that families receive support in their preferred place of care – whether that’s at home, at one of the hospices or in hospital.

There’s a remarkable team of people at Shooting Star who have created a special place for very sick children, dedicated to making every moment count.

Pictured is Bryn Balchin, Operations Manager at Link Financial,  presenting  the cheque for £25,000 to Shooting Star’s CEO, Paul Farthing and Head of Hospice Services, Geraldine Sheedy .