Studio44 and Ellenor a strong partnership

What that impact looks like

For the hospice care charity ellenor, having the support of local business Studio44 not only helps to raise the £6.7 million it needs each year to fund its world leading care, but it also helps to raise the local profile of the charity, giving a voice to local families facing terminal illness all across Kent.

Caring for a seriously ill child is a full time commitment and one which many families are totally unprepared for.  But then why would they be?  Imagine the horror of being told that your newborn child would be unlikely to live more than a few weeks.  For local couple Mike Jones and Sarah Burton, that was exactly what they had to face.  After making the agonising decision to switch off their baby son Finley’s ventilator, the couple wanted to spend every precious moment with him and his older brother at home.  That’s where ellenor came in, providing nursing and respite care in the home, as well as emotional and practical support for the whole family, so that they could care for Finley in familiar surroundings and enjoy as normal a life with him as possible.

 In it for the long haul

Caring for around 2,000 families each year who are facing the unimaginable, ellenor is there for as long as a family needs them.  For little Finley that means being there 24 hours a day, on the end of the phone to make sure he and his family are supported every step of the way.  Two years down the track and Finley has just enrolled in nursery – a milestone that his parents never thought he’d reach.  Dad Mike says: “We are so grateful to ellenor for helping him get there and for every single thing they’ve done for us.  ellenor continues to be a part of our family and I don’t know what we’d do without them.” 

With the support of Studio44, ellenor will continue to be there for as long the family needs it.

Meeting the growing need

Demand for the vital services that ellenor provides continues to grow year on year and, as a charity, it relies on the generosity of the local community to meet this increasing need.  The number of people being referred to the charity is up by 15% on last year alone.  150 children each year are currently cared for by ellenor but there are at least double that number of children who are not currently getting the help they need.

ellenor is working hard to respond to this increased need by improving the way families can access its services, increasing the capacity to care for more families at home and deliver medication and treatment such as chemotherapy in the home.

ellenor’s partnership with Studio44 is more than just about raising money and increasing ellenor’s profile, although this is crucial, but it is about local people helping local people and that’s a winning combination.