About Us
Our latest appeals
We like to share as much as possible with you. Read below to find out more about our latest appeals and stories about some of the children we've helped.
February appeal 2012
In the current economic climate, the old cliché ‘we need your help’ rings truer than ever. As you know, financial problems across the UK are making people’s lives tougher and tougher. Unfortunately, it is often the nation’s children who are forced to pay the price. With cuts on public spending and child services, children and families across the UK are struggling to cope.
Frightening figures predict that 600,000 more children will be living in poverty by 2013 in the UK, not to mention the thousands of children already living in poverty right now, acting as full time carers and suffering abuse.*
Gina is just one of the many children living in poverty. She lives in an overcrowded house in a low income family. Her dad sadly passed away and to make things even worse, her mother suffered a stroke. She has very little independence at home and lives in a deprived area.
Last year Gina came to CHICKS. Far from her responsibilities and worries at home, Gina was given the opportunity to spend time with children her own age and to take part in activities that she would never get the chance to do. Gina had never been horse riding or body boarding before. At first she was nervous but she persevered and ended up enjoying it immensely. Gina said ‘‘I have done things that I would never do at home’’.
At CHICKS, Gina was able to relax, have fun and to overcome her fears and self-esteem issues by taking part in new and exciting activities. Thanks to CHICKS, Gina now knows that she has friends to turn to when times are especially bad at home. When money is tight and her mum is having a particularly bad day Gina can pick up a pen and paper and write to her friends from CHICKS using her freepost envelope safe in the knowledge that she will always get a response. When she is teased at school for wearing scruffy clothes or feeling like she doesn’t fit in with her friends, she can look back at her time on camp and draw strength from the photo of her bravely riding a horse for the first time or battling the waves on her body board. Indeed, Gina is a lot stronger than she often thinks she is. And of course, if Gina’s home situation doesn’t change, she can also look forward to returning to CHICKS this year, but that's only with support from you.
We can’t solve all of their problems, but with your help CHICKS can offer children living in desperate need respite from their problems at home and most importantly, hope.
Every child deserves a childhood. Let’s make sure poverty doesn’t get in the way of that.
Donate now and help children like Gina who are living in poverty
Christmas appeal 2011
For most children, Christmas is a magical time with plenty of fun, presents and good food to look forward to. However, for thousands of children across the UK, Christmas will be a difficult time this year full of responsibility, abuse and poverty.
Here at CHICKS, we believe that every child is entitled to a happy childhood. That’s why we need your help to provide as many children as possible with a much needed break from their difficult circumstances at home. We can’t solve all their problems but with your help we can grant them a Christmas wish and give them respite.
Jessica's Story:
Jessica's mother suffers from ongoing mental health issues and on occasions Jessica takes on a young carers role. Jessica has not had contact with her father for over a year as he has remarried and stopped contact. Jessica misses contact with him and continues to text him but he does not respond.
Jessica has witnessed domestic violence and has spent some time living in Women's Refuges with her mother. She has also witnessed her mother self-harm.
In November, Jessica went on a CHICKS break. This is how the supervisors on camp described her:
Jessica is a very mature young lady, she is a pleasure to have around and will giggle at anything. She participated in all activities. She interacted well with adults and kids and was a well liked member of the group.
Jessica says:
'I had a good time mixing with people and doing activities.' When asked what her best memory of CHICKS was, she replied, 'everything'.
Grant a Christmas wish now and help children like Jessica
Today the letter below landed on my desk from a camp volunteer. I think Laura really sums up why our six day break makes such a difference.
Laura Knight | Volunteer on Disco Camp | Moorland Retreat | 28th April – 3rd May 2011
“I hope you don’t mind – but on the train home – I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I had to get it out of my system – so I ripped some pages out of a newspaper and used my CHICKS pen to scribble down some thoughts and I would like to share them with you…
I’ve met some amazing and inspirational young people who rarely get the chance to be accepted for who they are. They never get given opportunities or encouragement to try and develop themselves in new things and never have the chance to just enjoy being a kid. All of the children on Disco camp had wonderful personalities and a chance to be comfortable, safe and confident in themselves and who they are.
Anger and frustration runs through me when I consider their hardships and tough home lives. I’m glad they all had an opportunity to attend CHICKS! To see a child be appreciated and involved is priceless. To see them flourish and grow and conquer – even in such a short space of time was amazing. To see each child achieve emotional well being, only having to have thoughts appropriate to their age and seeing that they don't have to be scared about thinking freely, or worried about where they are living. To develop trust in us and to step outside of the world they live in - hopefully seeing things can change for them – and that they can make those changes.
How privileged and humble I feel right now is indescribable. I just hope each and every child remembers the experience and takes away the memories – recognising they are all truly amazing. I want their time at CHICKS to give them hope to fight on for another day. The children have truly touched my heart and a lingering instinct to protect them still lies within me. I shall definitely be returning to volunteer again. The work that CHICKS do – on the “front line” and “behind the scenes” to make these breaks happen is incomprehensibly astonishing to me and I would like to say a big thank you for enabling me to be a part of a wonderful and unique experience.” Laura Knight
Please donate to CHICKS and make a difference. 1,200 children need your support.
Whatever you can afford will have a huge impact.
For all of us at CHICKS, children benefiting from a life changing break is what it is all about.
We want children to have an incredible six day break that they will never forget and we want to provide them with a listening ear for life. That is why we provide every child with a free post envelope at the end of their camp.
Every time they write to us, we always write back.
I want to share two letters with you today, from a child called Hanna to our CHICKS supervisor - Louis...
In 2010 we helped just over 1,100 children. This would not have been possible without you! And we are truly grateful. .
We really need you.
Read on to find out how CHICKS helped Laura...
Throughout May we will be running our Change for CHICKS campaign. We're asking all our supporters to encourage their friends, family and colleagues to donate their small change to CHICKS. More...
