Rainbow Trust provides practical and emotional support to families with a seriously ill child. Families are paired with a Family Support Worker who enables them to make the most of their time together. Rainbow Trust supports the whole family and the support provided is tailored to the needs of the family.
It can include:
· Listening to family fears and anxieties.
· Keeping a seriously ill child company during hospital stays.
· Organising fun activities for unwell children and their siblings at home and in the community.
· Support through bereavement and grief.
For more information please visit: www.rainbowtrust.org.uk or email enquiries@rainbowtrust.org.uk
Please keep an eye on Sacha’s Events page for our fundraising events.
What Rainbow Trust Meant to Sacha and Our Family
Our family was fortunate to be paired with a wonderful young woman named Ellen through Rainbow Trust. From the very beginning, Ellen formed a special bond with Sacha, spending countless hours playing and reading with him—reading being one of his greatest joys. He adored her company and eagerly anticipated each visit, always excited to share stories about their time together, the games they played, and the books they explored.
Sacha saw everyone in his life as part of his extended family, and he loved them all, including Ellen. She held such a special place in his heart that, during festive occasions, he always wanted to include her in his crafts and card-making, thinking of her with excitement and pride as he showed her his creations on each visit.
For us as parents, the support from Rainbow Trust and Ellen was truly invaluable. It gave me the peace of mind to focus on work, knowing that my wife had the support she needed. It also provided my wife with rare but much-needed moments of respite—something incredibly difficult to come by. For our daughter, Sacha’s sister, Rainbow Trust ensured she was always thought of and included, offering activities and excursions that not only supported her but also helped us create beautiful family memories with Sacha.
Thanks to Ellen and the Trust, Sacha was able to experience many wonderful “firsts.” He saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the cinema—at first unsure, but soon enchanted, after some extra cuddles reassured him that the dark and loud theatre wasn’t so scary after all. And at the tender age of “three years and a bit,” he even piloted his very first canal barge. That day was filled with laughter, a peaceful river cruise, and a picnic—a day we will cherish forever. Seeing him, so small in his life jacket, was a moment of pure joy.
These memories are treasures that we will hold in our hearts always, just as Sacha did. Through both the difficult and the beautiful times, Rainbow Trust and Ellen were a constant source of love and support. Ellen played such a meaningful role in Sacha’s life, making it that much more special, and even now, both she and the Trust continue to stand by us in our bereavement.
No words could ever fully express our gratitude. Thank you will simply never be enough.
Ellen’s memories of Sacha
I met Sacha, Lisa and Julian in January 2022 when Sacha was 17 months old. One of my first memories of him is that he liked making me clap my hands together to tell him he was a clever boy. That always brought a smile to his face. Sacha quickly worked out that I wasn’t another doctor or nurse and the purpose of my visits was to play and have fun with him.
We got to know each other through playing with his favourite toys and reading his favourite stories. Sacha loved anything to do with dinosaurs and one of his favourite books we used to read together was Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson. He always joined in with the words as I read it to him. He would sit on my lap engaged in all the pictures and would listen to it over and over again! We also enjoyed a farmyard book that was written to the tune of the ‘Wheels on the Bus’. This was one of Sacha’s favourite songs. He always joined in with this one too and would make the animal noises as I sang it to him.
After a few months of knowing Sacha, he learnt to crawl which quickly turned into walking and then there was no stopping him! Once he found his feet, his favourite game to play with me was hide and seek. We used to play it around the dining table and he would peek at me under the table or in the gaps between the chairs, trying his best to hide and giggling as he followed me around or I chased him.
Sacha also loved playing with his cars and liked to talk to me about the colours of them and to show me how fast he could make them go. We spent some time during my last visit with him building a race track together and enjoying his cars.
Sacha was a delightful boy who faced all his health challenges with such bravery and resilience. Lisa would frequently send me photos of him in his hospital bed with a beaming smile on his face. It was always a pleasure to spend time with Sacha. I think of him when I read Julia Donaldson books to other children or see anything to do with dinosaurs and have fond memories of my time with him. I feel privileged to have been part of his life and I am grateful to Lisa and Julian for welcoming me into their home to work with him.
