I joined Miles Briggs, Lothian MSP and the Shadow Minister for Public & Mental Health at a drop-in event at parliament to pledge support for a new fundraising campaign from Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) called ‘Keep the Joy Alive’.
The campaign is calling on people across Scotland to spell out their names using alphabet stickers, designed by the children supported by CHAS services, and aims to boost awareness of the vital work the charity does as Scotland’s national children’s hospice service, supporting babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions and their families.
CHAS teamed up with a group of creative youngsters supported by its services to design the organisation’s new look. The ‘CHAS Alphabet’ is made up of over 60 bright and beautiful letters, each with a unique story behind it relating to the designer.
I had the honour of being the first MSP to try out the colourfully alphabet stickers for myself as you can see form my handiwork above.
The ambitious campaign aims to double the charities income over the next five years to help CHAS and the event was also opportunity for MSPs to learn more about the charities new strategy, Reaching Every Family in Scotland, which sets out the steps the charity will take over the next three years in order to reach every family in Scotland that needs its care.
I spoke to to CHAS Chief Executive, Maria McGill, who said: “It was great to see so many MSPs take time out to support our Keep the Joy Alive campaign by spelling out their names in the CHAS alphabet.
“The drop-in session was a welcome opportunity to highlight the importance of high quality palliative care for babies, children and young people in Scotland.
“We believe that no family who is facing the heartbreak of losing a child should be without our support, but we cannot do this alone. We developed Reaching Every Family in consultation with individuals, organisations and most importantly the families we support and we will continue to work with them to deliver our vision.”