About The Maypole Project
The Maypole Project has for the past 18 years provided a unique and now renown model of emotional and social support to whole families where a child or children have complex medical needs. The child’s condition may be a diagnosis of a condition that may threaten life, curable such as cancer, one that will shorten life, or that is a complex or acquired medical fragility.Their therapies are free of charge to families and are designed to be flexible in how they are provided, how they address all of the families issues and is accessible to all for their lifetime.
Sadly they also support families where a baby, child or young person has died. Their services include the provision of information and advocacy through their helpline. Every day they receive a stream of referrals and every week they have multiple support sessions being provided to approximately 100 clients. Every year they support around 1000 clients and have just over 105 volunteers on their team.
The Maypole Project's Challenges
Christmas can be an extremely difficult time for the families they support – this results in a 30% increase in requests for their services. Along with the added increase in needs and requests from Covid, they face a lot of difficulties being able to support the families – but their amazing team powers through and does it!
They survived the initial financial impacts of Covid 19 which really amazed them but they were so pleased. Through online fundraising, multiple grant fund bids and the incredible generosity of those who knew their work and how essential it is meant that they could push through. They adjusted all of their services to an online or phone format which meant that none of our families had to miss out on their essential lifeline of emotional support. Even though they managed to survive financially throughout the Covid pandemic, they still experience 50% fewer funds coming in through fundraising. Here you can find The Maypole Project’s donation page.
The team of 7 at The Maypole Project have gone above and beyond – not working when it was essential to engage furlough and coming back to work with full strength and enthusiasm. What an amazing community and team they have at The Maypole Project!
The Maypole Project's Achievements / Goals
They have also created Maypole Play Boxes (with corporate sponsorship) which means that every child engaged in children’s therapies at The Maypole Project received a play box through their door designed and filled especially for them. It meant they could engage in therapies, buddying, or play parallel with their therapist or key worker.
They adapted their MiniBus into a sensory play space, taking more children on outings, and their youth club had some amazing trips! Currently, it is being adapted to become Santa’s Sleigh! Their offices were unused for a period of time but creativity won here too as they have redeveloped the family support room, garden and cabin into a soft and sensory play space (which is also available for rental). They are currently looking for sponsorship to develop all of these ideas further.
Their main New Years resolution for 2022 is to not only fill this gap in funding which means we could maintain their services, but they also want to increase their funding which means they would be able to expand their services. They are a locally-based organisation (Orpington) that has always served 5 SE London boroughs but is now developing a National outreach!
Support The Maypole Project
Check out The Maypole Project’ social media channels below!
