Flaming Fundraiser Challenge for The Children’s Trust
On 2nd March, we were very excited to volunteer at the Firewalk event organised by The Children’s Trust. Both of us assist child clients who have suffered a brain injury, so we were glad to be able to lend a hand and support the Trust. HJA were also honoured to be the official sponsors of the event.
The Firewalk
The Firewalk 2023 involved many of the brave attendees at the event “facing the heat” by walking on hot coals to support and fundraise for the Children’s Trust. And all whilst bare foot – amazing! There were 15 feet of hot coals that they had to walk on, which were temperatures of up to 1200°F.
The Legowalk
At the beginning of the event, many children participated in ‘The Legowalk’. This was another fun and innovative way of fundraising money for such a great cause. The Legowalk involved the children walking on lego plastic blocks, which as you can imagine would have been very painful! However, the children thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a great way to bring all of them together for this fabulous event.
Registering for the event
People were asked to receive a minimum sponsorship of £100 to register to take part in the Firewalk. Make sure to keep a look out for any more fun events held at The Children’s Trust that you can participate in!
On the night
We arrived in Tadworth around 5pm and had a team meeting where we were briefed on our marshalling duties. We then had a few minutes to browse the pop up thrift store which was set up to fundraise for the event and had some useful warm clothes which came in handy later in the evening. We then took our posts. We were delighted to meet so many other people who are passionate about the Trust’s work as they often came up to us to strike a chat.
Later, we attended a health & safety briefing for those completing the Firewalk and learned that it was a lot safer than we imagined. Still, we felt our skills were being better used as volunteers than participants (or so we told ourselves).
Returning to our posts, we grabbed some delicious hot chocolate while catching up with familiar faces from the Trust team. We were approached by a sweet 9-year old who was getting people to sign up for a ‘guess the teddy bear’ challenge and we couldn’t resist to take part. Lyubov later found out she had won the bear by guessing her name – Mabel!
Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for came and the fire was lit. Once it had turned to coal, the Firewalk began. The Firewalk team introduced every brave participant and we cheered them on as they completed the walk. Some even braved a second go! Everyone then received a certificate for completing the walk and a HJA goody bag. It was fantastic to see so many people come together to take part in such a fun activity and challenge themselves beyond their limits.
The three of us (Mabel was now part of our team) then made our way back to London thinking about the great time we had attending and supporting the amazing work The Children’s Trust do. We already look forward to the next time we head to Tadworth.
What does The Children’s Trust do?
The Children’s Trust was formed in 1984 and is one of the leading charities for children with brain injury and neuro-disability. They deliver rehabilitation, education and community services through skilled trams who work with children and young people, and their families.
The Trust provides access to intensive rehabilitation at their national specialist centre as well as support in communities across the UK. They provide a wide range of therapy and psychological services centred on the child or the young person.
They have also created an online Brain Injury Hub which is a resource for families and anyone who would like to know more about acquired brain injury in children.
You can read more about the impact of their work here.
How you can support The Children’s Trust
Our team has previously volunteered for The Children’s Trust and continues to support their work.
There are a number of opportunities for you to play your part in supporting such an amazing charity.
They also provide a wide range of volunteering opportunities, for example you can cheer at one of their events or volunteer in one of your local charity shops at their headquarters in Surrey. Anyone can become a volunteer, whatever your skillset or experience. They are also flexible with how much time you can dedicate during the week to volunteering for them.
You can read more about how you can offer your support to The Children’s Trust here.
Brain injury claims
When a child suffers a head or brain injury it is often difficult for the paediatricians to be clear about the effect of the injury and whether the child will fully recover. Our team specialises in getting early rehabilitation for our clients with brain injury to ensure they receive the best quality of life possible. Early rehabilitation may involve physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and even gym sessions. Other rehabilitation options such as music therapy, art therapy and hydrotherapy are also available. It is important to note that every injury is different as every individual is different so our treatment and recommendations are tailored to each client.
If you’ve suffered a life changing injury such as a brain injury as a result of an accident and are pursuing a Personal Injury claim, call our highly experienced Personal Injury team today on 0808 271 9413 to talk through your situation with us. Alternatively, you can request a call back online.
