We are Family celebration evening
Nerys Daniels from Regil in Chew Valley is organising an evening of celebration on Thursday 25th July to raise funds for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), which supports her son Toby aged 3.
The event has been fittingly called ‘We are Family’ because of Nerys’ connection with the hospice and she hopes other families will come and be part of the event. The evening includes a sparkling reception, 3-course meal, music and entertainment and an auction. The auction prizes will in ‘inclusive’ meaning they will suit families with children who may have complex needs. Tickets are £40 and per person and can be purchased by calling CHSW’s Charlton Farm hospice on 01275 866600 during office hours. The evening is taking place at Yeo Valley in Blagdon, which held a competition giving ten charities the opportunity to use their venue for a fundraising event. Nerys said, “When the opportunity came up to apply for one of Yeo Valley’s Charity Evenings I jumped at the chance to do this and was super excited to be offered a date for our special ‘We are family’ event.”
Nerys’ story struck a chord with the team at Yeo Valley. “Toby has a genetic mutation which affects the way his brain works. He has many complex medical health needs; he has a tracheostomy, intractable epilepsy and a feeding tube to name a few. He also cannot sit unaided, walk or communicate. Toby requires 24/7 care which means life can be exhausting, when we go to Charlton Farm, we get to spend quality time together as a family.”
Charlton Farm in North Somerset supports over 220 families whose children have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions by providing respite stays, palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care. It is the only hospice setting available to families from Somerset, Bath, Bristol and surrounding areas.
Nerys said “We call Charlton Farm a holiday, it may only be 20 minutes up the road from us but it means we get to make memories, make new friends, eat hot meals which have been freshly prepared for us, use facilities which aren't accessible at home and have a good night’s sleep or two! We know that when the time comes we will be well supported to transition into end-of-life-care, which sadly will be a reality for us one day.”