We are delighted to announce that Contact has successfully secured £86,000 in funding from the Welsh government to provide practical and emotional support to parents caring for disabled children in North Wales.
Thanks to the funding, Contact Cymru will work in partnership with the All Wales Forum to help parents in Conwy and Gwynedd claim the benefits they are entitled to such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA), confidently.
Contact will do this by offering workshops and one-to-one support to help guide parents through the complex benefits system and application forms, carry out benefits checks and identify potential grants families can apply for. As well as this, new resources will be developed to help families maximise their incomes.
The funding to improve families financial health comes at a crucial time. Contact’s Counting the Costs research shows that 86% of families with disabled children in Wales find claiming benefits difficult. In addition, 39% of parent carers in Wales told Contact they had been unable to keep their homes warm enough for their disabled child’s needs, and 88% reported that the extra costs of caring for their disabled child caused worry, stress, or financial strain.
Kate Wyke Contact Cymru’s manager says: “Parent carers of disabled children face disproportionately high living costs such as higher utility and transport costs and specialist equipment needs – often alongside a reduced capacity to work because of their caring responsibilities. Despite this, many struggle to access the benefits they are entitled to. Parents tell us that getting welfare support is difficult and frustrating as they face multiple barriers including a complicated benefits system and inaccessible information. Many tell us that they simply do not trust the system which can often feel adversarial.
“For example parents describe applying for DLA – the main benefit for disabled children – as traumatic, requiring them to relive difficult moments, highlight their child’s challenges and prove their need for support. One parent from North Wales recently shared that they had spent 4.5 months trying to get help with a DLA renewal and during that time, they risked losing access to their financial support. It wasn’t until they turned to Contact that they got the help they needed. This experience is sadly not uncommon. This funding will mean that parents in North Wales will be able to get the information and support they need from our trusted and expert parent advisers who truly understand the daily challenges families face, offering them much needed empathy as well as practical advice.”
Too many parent carers in Wales are living in poverty, despite being eligible for support. This has a significant impact on their child’s life chances and ability to reach their potential. The funding for Contact announced today is one of 25 projects across Wales which form part of the Welsh Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty and its impact in Wales. Find out more about this funding on the Welsh Government’s website.
We’re over the moon to share that a mum of three boys with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has just won £1,000 in the Contact Weekly Lottery!
Having played our charity lottery for just six months, Kimberly was lost for words when she found out. Listen to Contact’s Beena break the good news over the phone:
Listen to Kimberly’s reaction
The Stoke-on-Trent mum is now looking forward to treating her boys to a special family holiday. She says: “Having three SEN children, it’s quite difficult to keep them busy!”
And if you’re considering playing our lottery, here is Kimberly’s message to you:
“You could help other disabled children, and every time you enter the draw you get a chance to win as well – so it benefits everybody!”
Parent carers winning big
Kimberly is just the latest in a string of parent carers who have hit the jackpot in the Contact Weekly Lottery — including one particularly lucky family who bagged a massive £10,000 just in time for Christmas.
In fact, we’ve given away more than £100,000 in prizes to thousands of families since launching our lottery in 2020. And if you join us, you could be next!
Sign up today for just £1 a week, and you’ll have a chance of winning between £5 and £10,000 every single Friday.
By playing the Contact Weekly Lottery, you’ll also be helping to fund our vital support services for families with disabled children. It’s a win/win!
Huge congratulations once again to Kimberly and her boys! And good luck to all our wonderful players in this week’s draw.
Contact’s team of amazing London Marathon runners surpassed themselves yesterday completing the 26.2 mile course around the capital’s streets on a blisteringly hot day.
Despite the monumental challenge being made even harder with the heat, our determined team of 17 runners didn’t let it stop them.
Spurred on by the atmosphere created by record breaking numbers of runners as well as cheering crowds, they all completed the course and bagged themselves an iconic medal.
Beena Patel, Head of Individual Giving at Contact, said: “We want to say a huge congratulations and well done to our spirited bunch of London Marathon runners.
“We are so grateful for your efforts and achievements with your months of training and fundraising and taking on such a big challenge to support families with disabled children. We thoroughly enjoyed cheering you on and are so proud of you all for yesterday’s heroic efforts. Thank you from all at Contact and the families we support.”
This is it. The London Marathon is finally here! Our 17 wonderful runners finally get to take on the streets of London this Sunday, 27 April and bask in the glory of running an incredible 26.2 miles and at the same time raising vital funds for Contact.
For months our runners have been training and fundraising to help us continue our work supporting families with disabled children. We couldn’t be prouder of all their hard work and dedication.
This year our London Marathon team includes Jeanette, who’s daughter Rose has a rare genetic condition and has received advice and support from Contact in the past. She’ll be running alongside Welsh MP Chris Evans who is running his third London Marathon for Contact and Marcus Boddy who as well as raising money for Contact, is attempting to break the current Guinness world record for fastest man with hemiplegia to run a marathon.
A HUGE thank you and good luck to our runners – every one of you has made a tremendous difference to the families Contact supports, and we can’t wait to see you doing your thing this Sunday!
We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in securing a £45,000 a year for the next three years from John Lyon’s Charity to help Contact’s Ealing team support even more families with disabled children in the borough.
Thanks to this generous funding from John Lyon’s Charity, Contact’s Ealing team will be able to continue the vital work they do supporting families with disabled children there by offering high quality and expert one to one advice, school outreach work, parent workshops and meet ups, as well as running popular family events that bring families together and reduce isolation.
Contact has been working in the London borough of Ealing for over 40 years.
Brigitte Bistrick-Bryan, Contact’s Ealing manager says: “We’ve been lucky enough to have had the support of John Lyon’s Charity for the last three years, and we’re extremely grateful that they have agreed to fund our work for a further three years. The funding they provide makes a huge difference to Contact and the families we support. It means that parents and carers in Ealing can rely on us to be there for them when they need us with information, advice and support.
“The funding from John Lyon’s Charity couldn’t have come at a better time as families with disabled children in the borough – and across the UK – face disability benefit changes, squeezed education, health and social care support and a daily battle to get the support they are entitled to for their disabled children and their families.”
John Lyon’s Charity gives grants to benefit children and young people up to the age of 25 who live in nine boroughs in North and West London including Ealing.
A mum of three from Cambridgeshire is running her first marathon to support families with disabled children across the UK.
Jeanette Dyer’s daughter Rose, 19, has the genetic condition Noonan Syndrome. Jeanette received advice from Contact while Rose was growing up. And now she has signed up to do the London marathon in support of Contact!
Jeanette said: “Rose has conquered many challenges in her life. She has a learning disability as well as learning difficulties, growth and motor issues. I got advice from Contact’s helpline about how to apply for an education health and care plan for Rose so she could receive 1:1 support from a Teaching Assistant in mainstream school to access the curriculum.
Jeanette added: “Rose’s determination to overcome challenges led her to participate in dance classes and gymnastics, in which she later coached young children.
“Rose went on to study childcare at college. She is now in her first job as an early years practitioner, supported through Access to Work. I am sure that Rose has managed to achieve her potential in life through accessing all of the support that Contact has recommended for her. We are so grateful to them.”
Jeanette was bitten by the running bug over 12 years ago. In that time she has completed five Cambridge half marathons, as well as many Cambourne 10K races. But this is the first time she has done a full marathon.
Jeanette added: “I enjoy running because it is a chance to get out of the house away from life’s difficulties and into nature and also for ‘me time’. I realise now that it is something that I am good at. It gives me confidence, having had to give up my career as a research scientist.”
As well as running and being a parent carer, Jeanette enjoys helping other families with Noonan Syndrome. She is a Trustee and Chair of the Medical Subgroup of the Noonan Syndrome Association UK.
“Our runners help us continue providing vital support”
Jeanette will be running as part of a team of 17 runners for Contact.
Beena Patel, Individual Giving Manager at Contact, said: “We know that running 26 miles is a monumental challenge. We’re incredibly proud and humbled by our runners’ dedication, hard work, training and fundraising to support our work. It really does make a difference and helps us to continue to provide vital support to families with disabled children up and down the country.
“That’s why we will be there on the day cheering and congratulating their efforts to help us help more families with disabled children.”
Chris Evans, MP for Caerphilly in Wales, is once again taking on the challenge of the London Marathon to raise money for families with disabled children.
This is Chris’ third time running the London Marathon for Contact. He has been a long-time supporter of ours, as an advocate for ending fuel poverty and helping families experiencing financial difficulty due to disability or illness.
He said: “I’ve always carved out a space in my diary for a regular morning run. It gives me time to plan and reflect. I often find my best ideas, or solutions to problems, come to me while out running.
“I have now signed up to do the London Marathon for Contact, a charity close to my heart, for a third time. The work that they do to support families with disabled children in Wales and the rest of the UK is vital, and provides a lifeline to so many who need support.”
Our runners’ dedication will help us provide vital support
Chris will be running alongside his wife, Julia Evans. They are part of a team of 17 runners donating money raised to our services.
Beena Patel, Individual Giving Manager at Contact, said: “We know that running 26 miles is a monumental challenge. We’re incredibly proud and humbled by our runners’ dedication, hard work, training and fundraising to support our work. It really does make a difference and helps us to continue to provide vital support to families with disabled children up and down the country. That’s why we will be there on the day cheering and congratulating their efforts to help us help more families with disabled children.”
Before & after shots of Hattie’s sponsored haircut
Meet Hattie Mander, the 7-year-old fundraising superstar who bravely cut her long locks to help raise vital funds for Contact and the families with disabled children we support!
Hattie has an autistic cousin called Arthur who Contact supports, as well as other family members supported by Young Epilepsy. She wanted to help more families with additional needs like theirs, so she decided to fundraise for the two charities by braving a big hair chop.
And her courage paid off: Hattie managed to raise a whopping £700 through her fundraiser – and even donated her hair to The Little Princess Trust, which provides free wigs to children with cancer.
Thank you, Hattie, for working so hard to raise vital funds for Arthur and all the other families with disabled children who rely on our advice and support!
“We are very proud of her kindness and willingness to help others.”
Sarah, Hattie’s mum
Start a fundraiser of your own
Feeling inspired to take on a fundraising challenge of your own to help raise vital funds for Contact’s life-saving services for families?
Whether it’s changing your hair, hosting a bake sale, taking on a sponsored challenge or something else, we’re here to support you every step of the way!
If fundraising isn’t for you, you can also support Contact’s vital work by playing our weekly charity lottery.
Huge thank you to Hattie and all our other wonderful supporters!
Christmas came early for parent carer Emma and her two disabled children. The lucky family won the massive £10,000 jackpot in the Contact’s Weekly Lottery just two weeks into December!
As a disabled person herself and with two autistic sons, Emma decided to play our lottery to give back to the community and support other families like hers. Little did she know her generosity would turn into a Christmas miracle.
Watch Emma’s amazing reaction when we called her to share the exciting news as the family were on their way to the chippy:
Watch Emma’s reaction
Emma’s seven-year-old Kaenan has ASD and severe learning difficulties. Her eldest son Kyron is autistic, has ADHD and is very destructive, meaning he needs a new bed every year.
Their unexpected earnings meant Emma was able to invest in a sturdy new bed and mattress for him, as well as several other well-deserved treats.
Her son Kyron said: “The winnings helped us get a little bit extra spoilt this Christmas! We got a Nintendo Switch and I got a nice new strong bed with a new mattress. Mummy got a new washing machine, new cooker and tumble dryer too. And we have a family holiday booked for all of us to go to Gran Canaria, which is all-inclusive with a waterpark! Thank you so much Contact for helping our family.”
We’re thrilled to see a parent carer winning £10,000 in our lottery once again and to have made yet another family’s Christmas — just like we did the year before, when mum Samantha and her two disabled girls won big just in time for the festivities.
In fact, we’ve given away more than £100,000 in prizes to thousands of families since launching our lottery in 2020. And if you join us, you could be next!
Families with disabled children in the UK are more likely to be struggling financially than parents without disabled children. The impact of this goes beyond simply being unable to afford the basics.
Through our Family Finance Helpline, our range of accessible online resources and our webinars, families gain the confidence, resilience, and knowledge to alleviate the financial disadvantage that they face. 99% of surveyed parent carers who used our family finance service felt better informed about their rights to benefits and grants.
Did you know a £70 donation could fund a phone call with one our specialist benefits advisers, helping unlock potentially thousands in welfare entitlements?*
The difference your donations will make
Save the Big Give date
For our Winter Appeal 2024, we’re partnering with our kind Big Give match-funding partners.
From Tuesday 3 to Tuesday 10 December they’ll double every pound you donate to our appeal.
This means that donating £35 could fund a potentially life-changing phone call for a family.
Mum Sara Nicholl was delighted when we called to tell her she was the latest parent carer to win £1,000 in the Contact Weekly Lottery! She told us:
“I have won £5 before, but I wasn’t expecting to win this big. I’m speechless! I joined the Contact Weekly Lottery after hearing about it on Facebook around six months ago, and I’m so glad I did.”
Lottery winner Sara with her family
Parents of autistic children supporting families like theirs
Sara’s son is autistic and has ADHD, so she is very familiar with Contact and started playing the weekly lottery to support our vital work.
Around half of the families that access Contact’s services have an autistic child, making it incredibly rewarding when families like Sara’s hit the jackpot!
Sara joins other amazing parents of autistic children who have all celebrated big wins in our lottery.
Join the fun for just £1 a week and you could be next…
We’re seeing an unprecedented demand for our free services. Parents and carers are facing a constant battle to get support, not knowing where to turn, and reaching crisis point.
The Contact Weekly Lottery has become a vital source of income for our charity, funding services like our parent advisers, who help prevent stress, isolation and financial crisis.
“Contact was literally a lifeline. I was given information and understanding.
Most importantly I was given hope and support. I will never be able to say thank you enough.”
You can make a real difference for just £1 a week and be in with a chance of winning up to £10,000 every Friday.
Siobhan is a parent carer to three amazing children with additional needs, including one with complex medical needs. After discovering Contact on social media and finding valuable help and advice for her family, she decided to invest a few pounds a month in our charity lottery.
Siobhan shared her excitement with us:
“I honestly never thought we would be so lucky to win anything! It couldn’t have come at a better time for us, as this year has hit us hard financially.
The things I’ve learnt from Contact on social media have been invaluable. The work they do is fantastic!
So if anyone reading this can spare a few £s a month and wants to support a worthy cause, choose the Contact lottery!”
We recently had the pleasure of calling two amazing parent carers with some exciting news – they had both won £1,000 in the Contact Weekly Lottery on the same day!
Then just a couple of weeks later, we told another parent carer, Stephanie from Redcar, that she had also landed £1,000. It was such a shock that she didn’t believe us! She said:
“When I first heard I won £1,000 with the Contact Lottery I thought it was a joke! I actually had to call back to double check as I couldn’t believe it.
I heard about the Contact Lottery at a parent group. I thought I’d sign up as I get to support Contact, a charity that has helped my family before.
It’s easy to do, and I barely notice the £1 a week, but I know it makes a difference.”
Parent carer, Alison from Cheshire, was celebrating her birthday the weekend she found out the good news! She shared:
“I found out about Contact through my local Carers Centre and have used them many times for advice and information ?
For someone who never wins anything, this has literally made my family’s summer! Thank you so much!”
21 parent carers have won big
21 parent carers have now taken home one of our lucrative jackpots, and most of them have used Contact’s support services and advice in the past.
We’re delighted that they chose to give back to other families like theirs and were rewarded with such a big win.
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that our DinoDay Stomp & Roar Challenge has raised an amazing £20,325!!
A dinosaur-sized thank you to all the families and incredible children across the country who sported their DinoDay t-shirts and took on 19 activities to support our vital work.
Children helping other children
This year, we saw a huge increase in the number of disabled and neurodiverse children taking on the challenge to help other families like theirs.
Take five-year-old Fraser, for example. He is autistic and loves everything about buses. Teaming up with his mum, Nichola, they took on the adventure of travelling on 19 different bus routes and raised an incredible £173!
The determination of all the children who took part has been truly inspiring, with many choosing 19 acts of kindness for their challenge.
Making memories together
When we asked parents what they loved most about participating in the challenge and the responses melted our hearts:
“Getting out and about on adventures and making memories.” “Seeing my son helping others.” “Bonding time, making time every day after school or at the weekend to do a special subject for a special cause.” “Finding lots of new places to explore.”
We’re not just thrilled that the challenge has raised so much money. We’re also delighted to see families, including those with disabled children, having such a blast while doing it.
The difference the money will make
With the growing demand for our support services, the funds raised through DinoDay will enable us to meet this need and reach even more families.
The money raised this DinoDay will help us continue running our vital services, which include:
If you’re looking to have fun with your family while supporting Contact, we’d love for you to join us next year! There’s no fundraising target – just take on a challenge themed around the number 19.
Plus, every little dino participating will receive a free t-shirt and activity tracker!
We’ll be inviting participants to sign up in early 2025, so stay tuned!
It’s been four years since we launched the Contact Lottery, our exciting game that gives players a chance of winning cash prizes every week, all while supporting Contact’s vital support services families with disabled children.
And what an incredible journey these past four years have been! We’ve given away £79,245 in cash prizes to 7,021 players – with 18 parent carers taking home one of our lucrative jackpots, including recent winners Michelle, Sophie and Samantha.
We now have 3,000 amazing players and nearly 100 prizes are being won every single week.
We’re seeing an unprecedented demand for our support due to the underfunding of public services and the escalating costs of caring for a disabled child. Our lottery has become a crucial source of income for Contact, helping us meet this need and enabling us to reach thousands more families.
We’re determined to grow our community of players to 5,000 by the end of 2025. You can help us achieve this goal by signing up today!
What makes the Contact Lottery so special? The fact that parent carers have been the top winners — taking home most of the £79,245 cash prizes awarded so far!
When we call a parent to deliver the exciting news that they’ve won, they often tell us they play our lottery to help support other families like theirs. As our first-ever £10,000 winner put it: “Knowing the money I pay each month can help so many families with disabled children is overwhelming. It makes me feel so proud that I can help someone with a disability, especially a child.”
Join the fun and be part of Contact’s history
Playing our lottery is as easy as spending £1 a week!
For each £1 entry, you’ll get a unique 6-digit number. Match three or more numbers, and you could win fabulous cash prizes ranging from £5 all the way up to an amazing £10,000.
Want to boost your chances and support Contact even more? Simply opt to play for £2 or £3 a week!
This little superhero is Imogen. She is autistic and has ADHD, so sitting still and concentrating was never her strong suit — that is, until she decided to colour in 19 different dinosaur drawings as part of this year’s DinoDay Challenge…
With her crayons on hand and dino toys on guard, the difference was like night and day: Imogen dedicated 110% of her attention to completing the challenge while impressing all of us with her remarkable dinosaur knowledge. It’s not every day that you meet a 4-year-old who can pronounce Spinosaurus!
“Thank you for bringing our little girl out of her shell and making her shine”
Laura, Imogen’s mum
Imogen also managed to raise an amazing £680 through her challenge, joining nearly 400 other kids who together have fundraised a truly incredible £17,900 in support of families with disabled children.
With just 4 days to go until our DinoDay Challenge fundraiser comes to an end, can you help celebrate their achievement by chipping in too?
Your support could help take our fundraiser over the £20,000 mark and make a huge difference to thousands of families who rely on Contact’s life-saving services.
Donating just £15 could already help a struggling family to cover their household bills with the support of our dedicated Family Finance advisers.
Show Imogen and all the children who took part in our DinoDay Challenge that you commend their efforts to help other families by chipping in whatever you can!
Today is DinoDay, our annual event to raise vital funds for Contact’s support services for families with disabled children. Hundreds of incredible families across the UK have been taking on 19 activities in the Stomp & Roar Challenge to raise money while having fun.
A huge, dinosaur-sized thank you to everyone who has taken part so far!
The importance of DinoDay
Today is all about raising awareness of Cameron Mathieson and his family’s successful campaign to stop Disability Living Allowance (DLA) payments from being taken away from children who spent over 12 weeks in hospital.
We supported Cameron and his family in challenging this unfair rule. As a result, no other family with a child who spends long periods in hospital has been denied this essential financial support.
Today is Cameron’s birthday, so we are thinking of his family during this difficult time. We also want to say thank you for everything they have done for other families in similar situations.
The money raised from DinoDay will help us continue to campaign for a fairer society and more support for families with disabled children.
There’s still time to take on the DinoDay Challenge!
It’s not too late to get involved in our DinoDay Challenge before our fundraiser officially closes on 15 July! Simply register for your free t-shirt and then set up your fundraiser. We’ll ship your t-shirt and activity tracker once you have one donation.
The challenge you take on is entirely up to you – just make sure the number 19 is involved! Join our DinoDay Facebook group for challenge inspiration and to meet the other families who are taking part.
Could you support us with a small donation instead?
You can help us reach our £25,000 target by making a small donation to Contact (make sure you select DinoDay in the reason for donating).
A donation today could help us continue vital projects like By Your Side, supporting families while their child is seriously ill in hospital, like we did for Cameron Mathieson’s. Our parent advisers provide parents with emotional and practical support when they need it the most.
June has only just started and yet hundreds of families have already raised more than £10,000 for this month’s DinoDay Stomp & Roar Challenge!
Families up and down the country have been busy taking on exciting challenges of their choice this month as part of DinoDay, our annual fundraising event on 19 June – all while rocking their free dino t-shirts and activity trackers.
We’ve been blown away by the uniquely creative activities that this year’s participants have chosen to raise funds for our vital services. Some of our favourites include:
Doing 19 acts of kindness – with Heidie and her brother taking homemade cupcakes to staff at their local hospital this week, while Oscar donated kitten food to a cat rescue
Trying to learn a new ‘Just Dance’ video routine over 19 days
Learning to hula-hoop in 19 days
Trying 19 new foods (a tough feat for those with sensory issues!)
Reading and reviewing 19 dino-themed books
It’s been heart-warming to see children of all ages and abilities take on often difficult challenges because they want to help other families.
And the parents have enjoyed it too, with mum Debbie – whose son Alfie is taking on 19 different activities – telling us: “We have done a woodland walk, a river walk, a trip to the beach, visited arcades, discos, went on rides and even tried new foods. What a great way to get out of the house and explore all whilst raising money for a fabulous charity.”
There’s still time to join the fun
It’s not too late to get involved in our DinoDay Challenge and help us smash our £25,000 target before our fundraiser officially closes on 15 July!
Once you’ve received at least one donation to your fundraiser, we’ll automatically ship your t-shirt and activity tracker so your children can take on their challenges in style.
The challenge you take on is entirely up to you – just make sure the number 19 is involved!
The inspiration behind DinoDay
The inspiration behind DinoDay is a little boy called Cameron Mathieson, who had both Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy and sadly passed away when he was five years old after spending over two years in hospital.
Get the latest SEND updates, benefits advice, practical help caring for your child, plus free workshops and family events in our weekly email newsletter.
(Make sure you select ‘News updates’)
