The Co-operative Funeralcare - Lake

Daisy Chains Was formed in 2012 and was the idea of two of our team after having experience of having premature babies transferred to the mainland then also having had children diagnosed with disabilities and long term illness, these experiences gave an insight into how many families with children who have a diagnosis were struggling financially with the cost of ferry fares to the mainland and how there was a need for support. The charity has grown a lot in the past 8 years, from year one when we helped just 12 families to 2020 where we have already supported over 48 families with travel or equipment and sent out 428 essential food and baby parcels during the first lockdown of COVID 19. We offer support to Island children who have a diagnosis of long term or life limiting illness or disability with travel costs to hospital as well as premature babies that are transferred to the mainland for care. Premature baby support used to be quite a rare occurrence helping maybe 4-5 preemies a year but over the past couple of years we have seen a huge rise in referrals for support with this, this is due to the Isle of Wight unit downgrading , it can now only take babies from 32 weeks and only has 6 cots available, this means that most premature babies are sent to Southampton or Portsmouth for some time at least. We work closely with the nursing team in Southampton and Portsmouth and in 2018 launched our NICU box project with them, this means that every family from the Island that gets rushed over gets a box from us with all the things in it that the baby and mum needs for the first few days so new parents dont need to worry about sourcing this meaning more time to spend with their poorly baby, each box costs around £45 to make and they are kept in the Southampton unit ready to give out as soon as the families arrive. For the families with children with long term illness/disability we help by booking ferries direct with operators for the them , these can be anything from a couple of times a week to once every few months . over the past 8 years we have supported well over 200 families with the past 12 months being our busiest yet with more than ever on our caseload at any one time, we have booked thousands of ferry trips over this time. There is no other support for these families to travel if they are not on benefits and it is a huge financial strain for them when all they should be thinking about is getting their child well.

To save lives, promote safety and rescue service efficiency, and provide relief from disaster at sea and on inland and flood waters; to advance the education of the public in matters relating to sea, inland and flood water safety, and in the history and heritage of the institution; to relieve/assist those who have been involved in saving lives at sea and on inland and flood waters in any capacity. Bembridge Station serves the eastern side of the Isle of Wight and its fundraising Guild is very much a part of the operation in Bembridge.

The Isle of Wight branch of Wessex Cancer Trust provides practical and emotional support for Islanders affected by cancer. A range of services are available from its support centre in Lugley Street, Newport, including professional counselling, complementary therapies and befriending. The charity also provides the Southampton and Portsmouth Daisy Buses, which transport Island patients to their hospital appointments on the mainland for free. The charity also promotes cancer awareness and detection through education and campaigns.