Members of our team visited a building of a different kind recently – as part of the work of our Assura Community Fund.
Our Social Impact Lead, Karen Nolan, and Ben from our Assura Community Fund grants panel dropped in on the new Joshua Tree centre in Nantwich to see the charity’s brand new home.
The Joshua Tree was founded in 2006 by Lynda and David Hill after their son was diagnosed with leukaemia.
They started the charity due to a complete lack of support services for family members during the traumatic experience of childhood cancer and opened their new centre in Sandiway last year.
Our Assura Community Fund supported Joshua Tree with grant funding to run cognitive behavioural therapy group sessions for up to 12 parents and carers of children who’ve completed cancer treatment. The programme will teach parents and carers how to handle negative thoughts and their ongoing fears and anxieties for their children, manage their daily life post-treatment once the safety net of hospital visits decreases, and access peer support during and outside the sessions.
Karen said: “The new centre is absolutely fantastic it is a beautiful, welcoming and chilled out place for families to go and get the support they need. Everything they do they have to fundraise for which means they can be very holistic in their approach. They support not only children with cancer but everyone around that child including family, friends and classmates.”
Funding for projects such as the Joshua Tree is always of crucial importance in helping them provide the level of service they are able to families they look to support.
The new centre also gives families a chance to spend quality time together without worrying about being too far away from services they need.
Karen added: “The new site for the charity gives them so many more opportunities to help people including giving parents the option to camp in ‘glamping’ pods meaning that the family can have a holiday and quality time together while still having access to all the help the Joshua Tree can provide them with if needed.”
Our Assura Community Fund has now distributed more than £1.3m to local health projects supporting primary care across the country, reaching almost 180,000 people.