Due to the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the planned broadcast of our BBC Lifeline Appeal has been postponed. The new broadcast details are as follows.
Broadcast 1: Tuesday 13 September, 9:05am on BBC Two.
Broadcast 2: To be confirmed.
We will share full details as soon as we have them.
The Sick Children’s Trust will be the focus of the next BBC Lifeline Appeal, providing the charity with the opportunity to showcase how it supports families with a seriously ill child in hospital by providing a warm, welcoming place to stay close to the ward and giving them one less thing to worry about.
The appeal, which will be presented by Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke and features three families supported at the charity’s ‘Homes from Home’, will be broadcast in the coming weeks with slots on BBC One and BBC Two. It will then be available on BBC iPlayer for three weeks.
This year The Sick Children’s Trust is celebrating 40 years of keeping families together. Relying entirely on voluntary contributions to keep their ‘Homes from Home’ running, it costs them approximately £40 to support one family for one night. With a calm place to rest and a friendly ear to listen just a stone’s throw from their child’s hospital ward, The Sick Children’s Trust provides so much more than just a roof over their heads.
Over the past four decades The Sick Children’s Trust has supported families with a seriously ill child in hospital by providing a ‘Home from Home’ just minutes away from their child’s hospital bedside. In that time our charity has helped more than 73,000 families from all over the country by providing a warm, welcoming, clean, and comfortable environment free of charge.
The BBC Lifeline Appeal will see Anton Du Beke visit the charity’s Rainbow House ‘Home from Home’ in London, with families from Norfolk, Wales and Northern Ireland all discussing how The Sick Children’s Trust supported them while their respective children were in hospital, many hours away from their own homes. Speaking about the BBC Lifeline Appeal, presenter Anton Du Beke said:
“I’m truly honoured to support this appeal for The Sick Children’s Trust, which is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. As a dad to twins I can only imagine what it must be like for families thrown into chaos when their child suddenly becomes ill. But this charity provides a crucial service to families that have a seriously ill child in hospital, with their ‘Homes from Home’ being so much more than just a place to stay close to the ward.
“They are a sanctuary for parents and carers at the most distressing of times, a warm, welcoming place to get some much-needed rest with staff on hand to provide a shoulder to cry on when things become too much to bear. By removing the prospect of long car journeys or expensive hotels, the ‘Homes from Home’ are worth their weight in gold to the families they support. I hope this appeal will help them fulfil their wish to support thousands more families in the years ahead.”
Jane Featherstone, Chief Executive of The Sick Children’s Trust, said:
“At a time when mental health and wellbeing is at the top of the agenda, we want to do all we can to ensure we make life a little better for families with a sick child in hospital. Our ‘Homes from Home’ are a lot more than bricks and mortar, our caring staff provide a much-needed listening ear to families going through a traumatic time.
“We hope many people will tune in and give what they can, ensuring that we can continue to support families when they need us in the future.”
To find out more, please visit the BBC Lifeline Appeal webpage by clicking here.