Newlife launches Christmas appeal to fund play therapy equipment for disabled children
National disabled children’s charity Newlife has launched a Christmas appeal called Give the Gift of Play, to help fund its play therapy equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illnesses.
According to Newlife, children that have a disability or terminal illness often have difficulty using standard high street toys, switch-adapted and specially designed toys help children to experience the joy of play for themselves.
The charity provides Play Therapy Pods on loan for 12 weeks. There are a variety of toys available in a variety of pods to suit different ages and developmental needs. The charity says the pods are vital to help children develop key skills, distract them any from pain they might be experiencing and help a family to bond.
Newlife says that since families with disabled children are often unsure which toys will be of most benefit, the pods can also help families discover which specialist toys their child responds to, which is particularly important with the cost of living spiralling, as specialist toys can be expensive.
As each pod costs £400 – £500, there is often a waiting list, which is why Newlife has launched its Christmas campaign to help fund more pods, to enable more children to receive Play Therapy Pods when they need them most.
Over the last 10 years, Newlife has distributed over 9,000 Play Therapy Pods to disabled and terminally ill children all across the UK, with each pod costing between £400-500, but each capable of helping a large number of children. With support, Newlife will continue to give the gift of play to more children throughout 2023 and beyond.
Sally Insley, Head of Public Fundraising, said: “The toys in our Play Therapy Pods can be just as life changing as the disability equipment we provide for children through grants and loans.
“Finding the right toys for a child to respond to can lead to developmental leaps, children reaching out for the first time, saying their first words and even playing with siblings for the first time, creating magical memories many families never thought it would happen.
“We urgently need more pods so we can help more children and more families know that joy this Christmas.”
Previously, the charity launched a Christmas campaign to raise money for its equipment services for disabled children in need.
