Rose Road Childrens Appeal
The Rose Road Association has been supporting local children and young people with profound disabilities since 1952. Based in our state-of-the-art home in Southampton we provide a special school, short breaks, play activities, fostering services and much more.
Every day presents different challenges to overcome as well as exciting opportunities to experience and at Rose Road we want to do more for every child and family. We are only able to provide the highest levels of care as a result of the very generous support we receive through fundraising from the local community and our supporters and volunteers.
The Children’s Appeal aims to direct monies raised to those young people who are in most need of care and support, providing more short breaks for the children who come to Rose Road and others who may not currently access our services. With the rooms we have available we can provide 4,200 overnight stays a year but at the moment we can only provide 3,400 of those linked to the funding we have available, and this is why the Appeal is so important.
The monies raised through the fantastic 123 Decathlon Challenge 2012 will make a real difference to the lives of many children and their families, and we are delighted to be part of the event. Thank you!
Case Study
Lauren was born with severe and complex disabilities, which changed her Mum Lynn’s life forever:
“Caring for Lauren can be a little overwhelming at times and it’s easy to get swamped with things. Lauren’s feeding takes 20 hours of every day and she is dependent on us for all of her daily needs. She can find it hard to communicate and that can be difficult. It’s often the small things in life we take for granted, like being able to visit friends and family or take a relaxing bath – Lauren loves bubbles! But these are things I cannot physically offer her at home.
The support we receive from Rose Road is so important. Lauren has been coming here since she was 7 years old and the team at the Bradbury Centre have really helped to develop her social skills which means she can ultimately be more independent. I have lots of friends here too who I enjoy catching up with over a cup of tea, which makes a big difference to my life.
I recently joined the fundraising team as the collection box co-ordinator – it’s a great way for me to meet businesses and those within the local community across Hampshire and the surrounding counties and for them to hear a little about what makes Rose Road special. Lauren joins me on some days, and she really enjoys meeting new people and helping with our fundraising, at a time when every penny really does count. And it was amazing to go on stage to present Dame Kiri Te Kanawa with her flowers after the gala concert in September, it was a wonderful occasion for everyone.
Rose Road gives Lauren the opportunity to do so many things and to experience so much in a safe and caring environment supported by the dedicated team of staff and carers – which means Lauren really does make the most of every day.”