Our Impact
The impact your donations have made
Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
Florence Nightingale Hospice Chartiy is committed to ensuring that local patients with life limiting or terminal illnesses across Buckinghamshire and its borders are able to access excellent hospice care.
The Captain Tom Foundation has awarded a grant for the Hospice’s FNH@Home Sevice, whihc is fully funded by the charity. The service makes it possible for patients to be cared for at home in their final days and hours, surrounded by their loved one and familiar things.
The Captain Tom Foundation is proud to have supported their work.
“Your donation has enabled us to commit to extending our FNH@Home service to run through the night, supporting families at a time which can be very lonely and scary.”
With your help people like Palak Kapoor could access the support of FNH Nurses when her family needed them most:
Palak Kapoor
When Palak’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in the spring of 2018 she was only 50. After a course of chemotherapy, by late 2019, the cancer had spread and she was referred to Florence Nightingale Hospice for care.
Due to Covid-19, the family decided to care for their mother at home, supported by the FNH@Home team. Palak remembers one particular evening when things weren’t going well and the family were scared and worried. A call to the Hospice meant calmed nerves and a friendly voice to help them through the process: ‘there were so many incidents where we were unsure but the nurses were there to help us.’
The team visited every morning to help Palak’s mother with her morning routine. They ensured all the medication was available and administered correctly, and helped manage and alleviate her pain.
Palak says ‘it was a relief to have them suppor us through this awful journey. They are the comfort blanket you need to ensure you are doing everything right for your loved one.’
Jo Turner, CEO of Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity said: “We are truly grateful for The Captain Tom Foundation for supporting our FNH@Home Service. Their grant will help us continue to provide the best possible hospice care for our local patients, supporting both them and their families through the toughest times.”
Cavell Nurses’ Trust
Cavell Nurses’ Trust is the national chartiy supporting nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in the UK, working or retired, when they are facing a personal or financial crisis. This is often due to illness, disability, domestic abuse, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and rapidly rising living costs.
The Capatain Tom Foundation is proud to have supported their work.
“Our experience over the past two years have confirmed that demand for support like Cavell’s in the nursing and midwifery family in the NHS and beyond is huge…with the commitment of our loyal supporters, like The Captain Tom Foundation, we are now making plans for long-term growth to meet this need.”
The work we supported:
With the grant from the Captain Tom Foundation, over the following three months Cavell Nurses’ Trust made grants to nursing and midwifery staff in financial hardship across the UK, with a total of 49 families directly benefitting from this money to help pay for vital expenses like food, children’s clothes and winter heating costs, that they otherwise couldn’t afford.
With your help, nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants were able to access financial support when they needed it most.
The impact of this funding can be seen in the following feedback from just two of the families supported by Cavell:
“Thank you so much, I can’t find words to describe how much I appreciate this at a very difficult time.”
“Thank you so much for this grant and I really do appreciate this and it will be of great benefit to me and my children at this time.”
Mind
Mind are the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. They provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
The Captain Tom Foundation is proud to have supported their incredible work.
“In the wake of the pandemic, unrestricted donations from The Captain Tom Foundation offered us crucial flexibility at a time when we needed it most.”
MIND were able to quickly respond to increased demand for their services, including:
Infoline which saw a 25-50% increase in the number of calls during peak Covid waves.
Side by Side online peer support community, which welcomed nearly 2,500 new members every month last year.
With your help, people like Nikki had continued access to MIND services:
Nikki, 24
Nikki first knew she wasn’t well at the age of 6 when, at the time, she was experiencing bullying at school. She remembers having a key conversation with her mum where she said: ‘I don’t want to be alive anymore’ and was subsequently diagnosed with depression. By the age of 14, Nikki experienced more trauma and was in an abusive relationship. As a result, her mental health deteriorated further.
Nikki, said “I have experienced complex trauma since I was a young child, and as a result of that I've been fighting a war in my mind, body, and soul. My journey has been full of joy and often grief. Through the volunteering and work I have done as a result of my mental health problems, I now feel I have a purpose. I still take medication, I still have days where I can’t get out of bed, and I still have periods where I can't function, but now through peer support, amazing friendships, therapy, and connecting with my inner child, I feel human again.”
Willen Hospice
Willen Hospice supports people affected by life-limiting illnesses in Milton Keynes and the surrounding counties.
The Captain Tom Foundation is proud to have supported their incredible work.
“Your donations helped to fund a Children and Family Social Worker at Willen Hospice. The impact of COVID-19 means the opportunity to grow our Social Care Team couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.”
The work we supported:
The Children and Family Social Worker at Willen Hospice has support more than 50 families and made more than 1,000 contacts. The families this Social Worker supports are the most in need – often struggling with difficult and complex circumstances due to someone having a terminal diagnosis.
With your help, Georgia and Jim recieved crucial support during Jim’s illness:
Georgia and Jim
Georgia’s father, Jim, sadly lost his battle with cancer and passed away at Willen Hospice in December 2019, surrounded by love from his family and the incredible nursing staff at the Hospice.
A few months after receiving the devastating news of his condition, he was admitted to Willen Hospice. Georgia says of that time, ‘I was terrified to visit my Dad in a hospice, and I didn’t want him to stay there; but as I walked through the entrance door, I was overwhelmed by the level of love, support and care not only given to my Dad, but to my whole family.’
Willen Hospice not only cared for Jim in his final days, they were also a huge support for the family. “As my world seemed to crumble around me, the Willen staff were simply incredible. I have never felt so loved, safe and cared for. I can never repay the gift those nurses gave my family - the support at our most vulnerable time. Willen’s love and support did not end there. I regularly visit the nurses and have a ‘natter’, and the young people’s bereavement service have provided me with regular counselling and support to help come to terms with the loss of my Dad.”
Peta Wilkinson, CEO of Willen Hospice said: “We are proud to be one of the first four charity partners chosen to benefit from the Captain Tom Foundation’s work. Their support has so far helped us develop our social care service for children, young people and families. This is so greatly needed to provide emotional support, reassurance and hope for people like Georgia who discover a loved one has an end of life diagnosis. We are so grateful to be able to offer this holistic, tailored support, thanks to the Foundation.”
Helen & Douglas House
Helen & Douglas House cares for terminally ill children from Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties.
The Captain Tom Foundation is proud to have supported their incredible work.
“With your support we launched a six month programme for recently bereaved parents and brought back an ongoing support group for bereaved parents. Families were so grateful to have a safe space to share their grief.”
The work we supported:
The Captain Tom Foundation made several grants to Helen and Douglas House which funded two main programmes.
The first, went towards their garden renovation project which helped transform the garden into a tranquil and sensory space for children and families staying at the hospice in East Oxford.
The other helped fund one of their core services, supporting parents through bereavement. They launched a six-month programme for recently bereaved parents and brought back an ongoing support group for bereaved parents. Parents who attended these groups were so grateful to have a safe space and forum to share their difficult thoughts and emotions, and to share their grief.
With your help, Lily-Mae and her family can enjoy time together in nature:
Lily-Mae, 7
Lily-Mae, aged 7, has been coming to Helen & Douglas House children’s hospice since 2017. She was diagnosed with a life shortening condition called Rett Syndrome in 2015 which causes regular seizures. Lily-Mae’s condition means she is unable to walk and talk and needs help with everything from feeding to moving her. The family have limited help at home, so coming to stay at the hospice means Leanne can be Mum rather than carer to Lily-Mae.
When staying at the hospice, Lily-Mae and her Mum Leanne enjoy time in the hospice garden and are delighted that it’s long awaited make over is now complete, partly funded by The Captain Tom Foundation.
Helen & Douglas House is about helping families live life to the full and this new garden will bring so much joy, hope and comfort to many families like Lily-Mae’s as a legacy to Captain Tom.
Leanne, Lily-Mae’s mum said “The garden renovation is lovely. The water features and the wooden wind chimes are relaxing. Taking all the old wood from around the tree has really opened-up that space. Seeing that they have managed to keep the train but make it look a bit more appealing to the eye and fit in with the garden is great. It was great to be sat out in the garden and enjoy its absolute full potential. Well done to all of the people that have put their time and effort into redoing it. It looks fab!”
Clare Periton CEO of Helen & Douglas House said: “We are so excited about having a new garden for children like Lily-Mae and their families to enjoy whether it be to play in or as a tranquil space for our families to spend precious moments in. This would not be possible without the wonderful donations of money and manpower we have received from organisations like The Captain Tom Foundation. We are so grateful for the support from The Captain Tom Foundation to help fund this wonderful new garden for families with terminally ill children.”
The Royal British Legion
The Royal British Legion supports serving and ex-serving personnel all year round, honouring their courage and commitment by ensuring they are given the support they need and deserve.
The Captain Tom Foundation is proud to have supported their incredible work.
“Donations from the Captain Tom Foundation have helped the Royal British Legion support wounded, injured and sick Serving personnel and veterans during a time of unprecedented national crisis.”
The work we supported:
Donations from The Captain Tom Foundation have been used to support the Battle Back Centre, a recovery centre for wounded, injured and sick personnel from across the Armed Forces community.
Terry Barnett
Terry, age 49, from Solihull in the West Midlands, previously served in the Army within the Royal Corps of Signals for almost five years, leaving service in 1992. However, after a successful civvy career in telecommunications for 17 years, Terry’s dependence on alcohol began to grow and his addiction began to take over in later years, resulting in Terry becoming trapped mentally and physically by his addiction.
Terry was in desperate need of help, having lost his job, his family and falling into debt. He decided it was time to reach out for help and contacted The Royal British Legion, setting him on a path to recovery.
The Legion have supported Terry practically with financial help as well as referring him for counselling sessions and advising on a local support addiction group.
Earlier this year, Terry attended the first ever virtual Battle Back course. He said, “The case officer and advisors I spoke with at the Legion were understanding and I was comfortable speaking with them from the outset. They never gave up on me and it was that contact on a regular basis that really kept me going over the past year to stay sober and get on the right path. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the RBL!”
Our work through CT100
The nation’s mental health has been damaged significantly by the pandemic, which have had a disproportionate impact on younger people and the disadvantaged and The Foundation wants to help as much as we can.
In spring 2021, we used our activity around Captain Tom 100 to support charities including The Mix, Young Minds and Place2Be who are doing incredible work supporting our young people’s mental health as we emerge from the pandemic.
As well as using our platform to highlight the critical work they are doing we donated some of the raised funds by the campaign to enable them to scale up their services to meet the increased demand they are experiencing following the pandemic.
Children’s mental health is a growing issue – in 2020 the NHS found that one in six children and young people had a diagnosable mental health condition, an increase from one in nine just three years previously. The generous donation from The Captain Tom Foundation has enabled Place2Be to continue providing its much needed support within schools, intervening early and preventing mental health problems from having a devastating impact into adulthood.
“The generous support that Place2Be has received from The Captain Tom Foundation has helped us to ensure that we can be there for children, families and school communities at a time when mental health support has never been more important. Captain Sir Tom Moore’s fundraising was an inspiration to us all during an extremely challenging time, and we are so honoured to benefit from his incredible legacy.” – Catherine Roche, Chief Executive, Place2Be
The donation from The Captain Tom Foundation is helping us to address the huge surge in young people struggling with their mental health. The need is growing and urgent. Only a couple of years ago, YoungMinds had a million visitors to our website every year; young people and their parents/carers accessing practical accessible information and support. Recently there have been times when we’ve received a million page views a month! With the money donated by The Captain Tom Foundation we can continue to be there for young people and those adults they turn to for help – and keep campaigning for better mental health support for young people.
“Captain Tom was an inspiration for millions, and his legacy of kindness has continued through his Foundation. The Foundation’s support for YoungMinds allows us to continue our crucial work at a time when more and more young people are struggling with their mental health. We are incredibly grateful to The Captain Tom Foundation for their support.” - Emma Thomas, Chief Executive, YoungMinds
“On behalf of the whole team at The Mix, I wanted to thank The Captain Tom Foundation for their generous support of The Mix. The coronavirus pandemic and national lockdowns posed a generational challenge to the mental health of our children and young people and the country’s overstretched health services. The Mix saw demand for mental health support through its services rise exponentially and the donations raised through the Captain Tom 100 enabled us to provide even more free, confidential, and life-saving support to under 25s across the UK struggling with issues such as bereavement, depression and isolation through our digital, helpline and counselling services. As we recover from the pandemic, we have a huge task ahead of us but the Captain Tom Foundation allowed The Mix to make a real difference in the mental health of young people when they needed us most.” – Chris Martin, Chief Executive, The Mix