An Aberdeen charity in the running to win a new minibus from the Press and Journal is hoping to use the vehicle to support low income families of severely disabled children.
Charlie House helps youngsters with complex needs and life-limiting illnesses, and their families, by providing assistance and respite from their stressful day to day lives.
From personal one-to-one support to hosting monthly days out for the children to swimming pools, trampoline sessions and more, Charlie House staff care for dozens of families across the north-east.
However, a large number of the charity’s families lack their own personal transport to take their kids to and from activities.
The organisation’s general manager, Dr Sorcha Hume, said this is partly due to the extremely high costs of having a child with a complex illness.
She said specialist medical care, wheelchairs and more weigh heavily on many parent’s purse-strings.
But Dr Hume said with their new minibus – proudly sponsored by oil and gas company Nexen – the charity’s newly-appointed activities coordinator would be able to pick up any family in need from all across the north-east.
She said: “It would be amazing for us if we managed to win the minibus.
“We hold a Saturday Club once a month where families can come along for fun activities with their kids, it’s a great place for them to just relax and be themselves and meet other families who have children with similar conditions.
“But a lot of people can’t afford their own cars, or expensive taxis, or they don’t like the hassle of taking their children on the bus because they’re in a wheelchair or need a hoist, so they can’t attend the Saturday Club.
“This minibus would give them the chance to come along, and the possibilities for us using it are endless. We could take families to hospital, down to our once a year trip to an activity park in England and more.
“If Charlie House won the competition, we wouldn’t be helping a great deal of people but for the small number of families we support it would be invaluable.”
New community groups seeking to win the minibus can visit www.pressandjournal.co.uk/minibus