Our From That Moment fundraising appeal which launched at the start of September has raised £1,002,294, exceeding our ambitious target of £1m.
The crucial funds will help to cover some of the costs required to run our services which currently stand at over £6m per year. All donations made during the first part of the campaign were doubled on 20th October at 10am thanks to the charity’s generous backers and then the 36-hour window opened to reach £1m which ended on 21st October at 10pm.
During the campaign individuals, schools, and businesses in our community really pulled together to make a real difference to the lives of children who are seriously unwell and their families across north and central London and Hertsmere. 44 community events were organised, and 204 supporters volunteered to be ‘Champions’, to share content to engage their networks and promote donations. The campaign also received support from celebrities including comedian and actor Stephen Merchant, celebrated photographer Rankin and Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison and Brandon Austin.
The campaign film which accompanied our appeal was extremely well received and featured Elaine and her daughter Willow. The film’s theme, From That Moment, documents Elaine’s journey through the hopefulness of pregnancy to the fear and uncertainty that followed when they realised that their child had a serious condition. The film features a poem, written for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, by Charlie Brogan, a writer and poet based in London. The beautiful work is voiced by Dr Kathryn Mannix, a retired palliative care doctor and a powerful advocate for better understanding of death and dying. She is also a successful author, having written “With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well” and more recently, “Listen: How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations”, both published by HarperCollins.
Elaine said:
“We were delighted to be asked to be part of the film, it was an amazing experience and a memory that we will treasure. I wanted to take part as I want to give something back to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice for all the support and joy they’ve given us but also to raise awareness of Willow’s condition, Type 2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy.”
Our CEO Sophie Andrews OBE, said:
“I’m delighted that we have reached our £1m goal and would like to thank everyone who supported, donated and shared the campaign. The generosity of our community is vital to us as 83% of our income comes from voluntary donations. These crucial funds will help us be there for the children and families who need us.”
Elaine, Willow and CEO Sophie Andrew plus all the team at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice recorded a very special thank you message to all who supported the campaign, which you can view here.
You can still donate to the campaign here but please be advised that the doubling of donations period has now ended.
We’d like to say a BIG thank you to Elaine and Willow for allowing us to share their story and sincere thanks to everyone who supported our campaign.