Who we help

Here are the stories of just some of the organisations who have benefited from the money you have helped us to raise...

London’s Young Carers

Did you know that in London alone there are over 22,000 children and teenagers who are young carers?!  Under 18 years of age and often as young as 7 or 8, they miss out on the kind of childhood their friends experience to look after an ill or disabled relative.

These young people take on a wide range of caring responsibilities helping a parent, sibling or other family member, and also doing household chores such as cleaning and cooking.

Due to these caring responsibilities, many miss out on schooling, play and social activities. 95.8 Capital FM’s Help a London Child is currently funding 7 young carers groups across our Capital, from Barking to Merton, and Barnet to Lewisham. The groups support these special children by providing clubs and activities where they can forget the pressures of their caring responsibilities for a few hours and BE children.

Barnet Young Carers and Siblings (BYCAS) is part of Barnet Carers Centre and they support young carers between the ages of 5-17 years old.

“I don’t have time after school. I’ve never been ice skating in my life and the first time I went to the cinema was when I was 11.’’ Young carer, aged 13 years who look after her dad who has a mental health illness

This young carer was supported to attend outings and has had the opportunity to go on her first ice skating trip as well as attend supportive teenage outings funded through 95.8 Capital FM’s Help a London Child.

Our Capital Help a London Child grant last year has helped enable BYCAS to have positive and engaging outings for teenage young carers.  These outings have been beneficial for our young carers and siblings to have a fun break from often heavy caring responsibilities at home and over the last few years the continued support from Help a London Child has facilitated friendships to grow and support systems to manifest amongst the teenagers. This has been a very positive outcome as young carers are a group which are prone to bullying and social isolation.

We are extremely happy with the success of our ‘Teen Time’.  We believe our teenage members have benefited greatly from having outings with their peers and we are excited about the latest 95.8 Capital FM Help a London Child grant of £1,409 enabling us to continue this project in 2009. The Teen Time activities to Paintballing at Canary Wharf, Top Golf in Watford and 2 Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall aim to provide a mix of energetic activities as well as cultural events.

If you are a young carer or know someone who is, you can find more information and advice at www.youngcarers.net

London’s Adventure Playgrounds

Across our capital there are over 80 adventure playgrounds, with most being in inner city areas. These playgrounds give children who are often living in flats or overcrowded accommodation the space and opportunity to play. Playgrounds are normally free and in addition to children playing on the structures, they also provide a range of activities after school, at weekend and during the school holidays. There also have an indoor space where children can do their homework, or join a club. During the holidays outings are sometimes organised, giving children, many from low income families, the chance to visit places or try an outdoor activity.

Somerford Grove Adventure Playground - Northumberland Park, Tottenham

We have been granted £1,321 to go on outings in London with children and young people during the Easter and Summer holidays.

The playground is a free drop in project for local children aged 5- 15yrs to play and meet friends. We offer opportunities for adventurous and outdoor play, building dens, making campfires cooking and lots of arts and crafts.

The children and young people are encouraged to make suggestions and help out at the playground. We did a week of consultation asking for ideas for activities the children would like to do on the playground, places they would like to go and things they would like to do.   The problem was that some of the places the children suggested were beyond our small playground budget. The grant from Help a London Child will enable us to go ahead with the young people‘s suggestions.  

Northumberland Park is not a wealthy area and many of our children’s parents are under pressure to pay for basic living needs. In order to be inclusive we heavily subsidise any outings so that no child will be excluded because of lack of money, most of our outings are free. This means that we do not usually go places that cost a lot of money.  London is an amazing city with so many wonderful places to go and yet many young people living in Tottenham have never visited these places in their own town!

Children's Hospices

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to be told their child will die before them. But for an estimated 20,000 families across the UK, this is a reality.

Children’s hospice services help children and families in these situations with the emotional and physical challenges they face, helping them to make the most of life. They welcome the whole family for a break in a home-from-home environment or in the comfort of their own home (Children’s Hospices UK)

95.8 Capital FM’s Help a London Child has helped fund play and sensory equipment, and provide support services to children and their families using London’s children’s hospices, since the first, Richard House in Beckton, opened in 2000.

Earlier this year Lisa Snowdon unveiled the new wing at Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, which Help a London Child helped to fund during the 2007 Christmas Appeal…

"All of us at The Shooting Star Children's Hospice have thoroughly enjoyed being involved in a first for 95.8 Capital FM's Help a London Child - a major build project made possible by a fantastic team at Capital, support from Vodafone and so many donations of services, toys and books from London's magnificent listeners. On behalf of the children, young people and the families we support, a huge thank you for everything. The Cosmos Therapy Zone, including the Family Therapies Room (made possible by Capital), will benefit so many for years to come."