Last Christmas we raised over £1200 for two charities that helped extended members of our Majenta family when they most needed it. Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Georgie’s Gift both received £625 from the money we raised at our Christmas party. Following the support of the whole company last year, we have decided to support a further two Christmas charities.
Similar to last year, we put it out to the team and here are two inspiring and touching stories from our chosen causes:
SibsService by Paul Woodhouse
In 2016 our middle son, Tyler (7), was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This diagnosis has significantly impacted our lives and how we deal with daily life as a family.
While as parents we have adapted and accepted the difficult ongoing challenges, the tremendous impact on our eldest son, Reilly (10), is sometimes overlooked. Reilly is growing up trying to understand the complexities of ASD behaviour and mannerisms without receiving the attention and support we naturally give to Tyler.
SibsService allows Reilly to meet with other children once a fortnight who also have siblings with ASD, providing some respite away from Tyler to relax and have fun. Importantly for us as parents, SibsService explores ASD with Reilly to help him understand Tyler’s diagnosis and to give Reilly coping strategies to deal with Tyler’s behaviour.
They also provide the parents with a support network where we can speak to others in the same situation as well as trained professionals.
Fortunately our youngest son, Jacob (3), is not currently affected in the way that Reilly is. However, when he grows older, the service that SibsService provides will be vital to him.
We are so grateful that Majenta has chosen to help us support SibsService as they receive no government funding. They rely solely on fundraising and sponsorship events to continue providing this valuable service to families like ours.
For further information on SibsService, please visit:
Guide Dogs for the Blind by Senay Runciman
Like many other nine-year-olds, my daughter Remi is a happy, outgoing little girl. Unlike her friends, however, she is completely blind in one eye and has very limited central vision in the other.
Until about three years ago, Remi solely relied on me for everything from buckling up her shoes, cutting up her food and guiding her when out in public, as she, of course, had no concept of road safety and she used to panic in busy places.
Then we were introduced to the Guide Dogs for the Blind and Maria Peploe, a rehabilitation specialist. Maria introduced Remi to a long cane, which she loves, it’s helped her become spatially aware, she now knows how to protect herself in a crowd and is much more confident and independent. Maria is now working on Remi’s fine motor skills, which helps her with the everyday tasks that she previously struggled with, which again has given her so much more independence.
Recently Maria went to Remi’s school assembly so that she could help explain to everyone about Remi’s sight loss, they did a question and answer session, which gave Remi so much confidence she was answering the questions herself! Maria and the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity have already made a massive difference to Remi; she has the tools to go out and be more confident, which not only makes me very happy but also not quite so worried about her!
From the age of 14, Remi could be given a guide dog to continue to help her independence grow; this is dependent on her confidence at that age, she may still need more support from Maria. However, she will definitely have a 4-legged friend from the age of 18, so I like to support Guide Dogs for the Blind continually, and I’m thrilled that Majenta Solutions have chosen them to support this Christmas as it will not only help Remi but other children like her.
For further information on Guide Dogs for the Blind, please visit: http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/