Kiltwalk 2024 Kiltwalk for Teapot Trust in 2024. FREE charity places available. Expand GLASGOW - Sunday April 28 ABERDEEN - Sunday June 2 DUNDEE - Sunday August 11 EDINBURGH - Sunday September 15 Thanks to the amazing Kiltwalk heroes in 2023, The Kiltwalk raised over £5.1 million for 1,550 Scottish Charities and this year we'd love you to join #TeamTeapot. The Kiltwalk is a great event for all the family, the Wee Wander option offers a distance suitable for all those 8 years+ and dogs on leads are always welcome at this event. They aim to make all walks as accessible as possible for wheelchair users and prams but due to the terrain this is not always possible - please contact the Kiltwalk directly to find out if the route you wish to take is accessible for your needs. Registration is now open for Glasgow and Aberdeen Mighty Stride £20 Big Stroll £20 Wee Wander adult £12.50 and child £6.50 Book your places directly through The Kiltwalk website here or contact Charlene for a FREE charity place. Charity places require a minimum fundraising total of £100 for adults and £30 for children. As with all Teapot Trust events, we will provide you with a branded Teapot Trust t-shirt, pin badge and ideas on how to maximise your fundraising!
Sfiyah's Story Expand On Christmas morning, 10-year-old Sfiyah became ill, her temperature spiked, her joints swelled, and she became limp. Her mum, Parvina, started to panic. She had developed chicken pox, which for most children causes unpleasant itchy side effects but for Sfiyah who lives with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, the virus caused serious complications. As each new spot appeared she became increasingly unwell. “Time felt like it stopped.” The presents they had been so excited to watch Sfiyah open were left lying on the floor as they rushed to the hospital. "It felt deeply unfair for her to be in a hospital bed instead of at home enjoying the family being together and just being a kid, excited that Father Christmas had visited." JIA has a devastating impact on 11,000 children in the UK. Sfiyah’s illness and diagnosis had a devastating blow on the lives of the whole family. Thankfully this was helped by the early intervention of Teapot Trust art therapy which allowed Sfiyah to communicate how she was feeling and bring some colour back into their lives. "Family life completely changed when Sfiyah first became unwell. She used to have what I now know are flare-ups and she would feel terrible and sore for weeks at a time. It’s not an illness I expected any child to have. To see my youngest in agony and be powerless to ease her suffering broke my heart. After she was diagnosed, the happy girl I knew shrank even more with the dread of regular injections which left her feeling horribly nauseous and completely drained of energy. The impact the diagnosis had on her mental health was unbearable. To hear your child say they don’t want to be here anymore - words can’t describe the anguish and fear it caused in me and my husband. She became more and more withdrawn and eventually refused to talk about how she was feeling. Our world collapsed. It took a lot of time to just reflect on what was going on. I tried to hide my own emotional distress from Sfiyah as I didn’t want her to see me so worried. I had to give up work and become a full-time carer, as all the appointments were really difficult to manage and I wanted to be there for Syfia as much as possible - especially during the flare-ups. The toll hit my older sons too, they wanted to help and protect their sister but there was nothing they could do to take this away and they found that so difficult. It felt like a wall had hit us but then she began art therapy with Teapot Trust. Jane, the Teapot Trust art therapist began to build confidence in Sfiyah which allowed her to start opening up about her feelings. Her body language changed, she became relaxed and happy again. She was part of a group session that introduced her to children battling the same condition and enduring the same stiffness, pain, and grueling treatment regime of tests and injections. For Sfiyah, it was a penny-drop moment when she realised it wasn’t just her and she wasn’t alone. Sfiyah started to wake up happy knowing she had art therapy later that day. That hour on a Wednesday became something we all looked forward to. We would have this 48-hour window where everything felt like it did before and there was a sense of the old family we had once been. She would even wake up on a Thursday happy to go to school even though her injections were the next day. Although JIA continues to pose challenges for Sfiyah, she now has an outlet with art which has made both her school and home life happier. I can’t stress enough how essential it was for Sfiyah to have a way to communicate with us that wasn’t verbal. How she feels can be far too complex for a child to articulate. Sfiyah’s newfound ability to express herself through art therapy allowed her to share her feelings." My little girl’s sparkle is back and I can't thank Teapot Trust enough. Donate today to support families like Sfiyah's
Arctic Trek Take on "the best challenge ever" and complete the Arctic Trek includes six days of inclusive travel. Jan - March 2025. Expand For those looking for the ultimate challenge of mental and physical strength - this one's for you! Romanievi, Finland - January to March 2025. 65km (over 3 days and 2 nights) £2400 ATOL protected (fundraising target of £1000) Fly from Edinburgh or London Taking on the Arctic trek will offer you a challenge like no other! Sleep under the stars, see the northern lights and bond with fellow trekkers at the campfire at night - all while challenging yourself and raising money for Teapot Trust. The price includes flights, transfers, and accommodation. Tents, pulks and harnesses are provided and an extensive kit list is provided upon signing up. The expert team at Breaking Strain are always available for any questions you may have about your trek as are the Teapot Trust fundraising team to help maximise your fundraising target. Available dates for 2025: 15-20 January 22- 27 January 29th - 3rd February 26th - 3rd March 5th - 10th March Arctic Trek - Itinerary To sign up please contact Charlene to organise your deposit of £350 and get your first information session date in the diary. The remaining balance can be paid in instalments directly to Breaking Strains.
Lake District Ultra Challenge Take on England’s finest countryside at your own pace for Teapot Trust - registration open! 8th & 9th June 2024. Expand Registration Open! Date: 8/9 June 2024 Registration fee: from £39 (£10 off registration in January) Fundraising: from £100 Location: Kendal - basecamp Take on England’s finest countryside at your own pace. The challenge basecamp is in Kendal, and then it’s a 100km anticlockwise loop. You'll be treated to some stunning views en route including the Garburn Pass, historic Ambleside, a halfway point by Lake Windermere, forests and nature reserves and a couple of tough hills. On signing up you'll receive full support and hospitality, optional camping/hostel accommodation, and with a half, a new marathon, quarter & 10 K distance options also, there’s a Lake District Challenge for everyone! Keeping you well fed and hydrated is key to getting across that finish line successfully and safely. Whichever distance you are signed up for, every meal and snack stop is included in your entry so you can expect: Regular snack stops every 12.5 km Meal/ food every 25 km Hot drinks, water & energy drinks at all stops Catering for every dietary requirement Menus published before the challenge. Once you've reached your goal and crossed over the finish line you will be given a medal, finisher’s t-shirt, glass of fizz and a photo finish! Before being guided to a finishers meal, drinks & a well earned sit down and rest. Ultra Challenge operate shuttles to and from the nearest train station for anyone needing onward travel after their challenge, the majority of our finish lines also have ample parking so your supporters can meet you and pick you up – check the individual event pages for full details. Choose your distance and select Teapot Trust here
How can I get support? Expand Referrals usually come from pediatric clinicians, other children’s health charities, young patient advocacy groups, community health workers, and others. We also take self-referrals from families. To assess whether and how we can best meet your child’s needs, we ask that you complete the form to go through the assessment process.
Are Teapot Trust’s art therapists qualified? Expand We have 30 professionally qualified and registered art therapists who work on a sessional basis. (That means they’re contractors, not staff.) They all have a Masters degree in art therapy and are registered with both the Health and Care Professions Council and the British Association of Art Therapy. Their hours vary with some working with us just a few hours each week and others doing significantly more.
How many sessions are required? Expand Teapot Trust art therapy is usually delivered in blocks of 8-12 weeks (one hour per week). This includes one-to-to-one art therapy, small group art therapy with children and young people who have the same chronic health condition on common (e.g. Juvenile Arthritis, Cystic Fibrosis, Kidney Disease, Diabetes etc.) and family art therapy for families struggling to cope with the impact of the illness.
Do you provide therapy for the whole family? Expand Family art therapy enables families under great strain (who might, for instance, be struggling to accept a child’s diagnosis, be exhausted from constant care-giving and sibling-tensions) for whom the pandemic has exacerbated the pressures they already felt to: articulate feelings in a safe space where they can hear and understand others’ perspectives navigate their health journey together build resilience so that the chronic condition does not define family life.
Do you provide therapy online? Expand We deliver online and in person art therapy depending on the needs of the child, group or location. During online art therapy, we take great care not to compromise the professional integrity of our therapy and highlight our security protocols.
What is a chronic condition? Expand Chronic conditions are those which in most cases cannot be cured, only controlled, and are often life-long and limiting in terms of quality of life. They include: Juvenile Idipathic Arthritis Diabetes Lupus Cystic Fibrosis Kidney Disease.
How will art therapy help me live well with a chronic condition? Expand Outcomes for children and young people, delivered through one-to-one art psychotherapy and condition-specific art therapy small groups, focus on enabling participants to: articulate feelings they might previously have struggled to understand and express come to accept a diagnosis successfully adhere to medicines that have unpleasant side effects through exploring coping methods learn how to deal with the wider impact of their condition on daily life and relationships overcome fear and anxiety and build resilience not to feel defined by their condition take back some control of their lives at a time when they feel they have very little reduces anxiety and prevents self-harm and suicide ideation.
Edinburgh Marathon Festival Edinburgh marathon, half, 10k, 5k and junior distances over the weekend of 25th and 26th May. Expand The ever-popular Edinburgh Marathon Festival is returning on the 24/25th May 2024: Marathon - 26th May - 10:00 am Half marathon - 26th May - 08:00 am SOLD OUT 10k - 25th May - 09:00 am 5k - 25th May - 10:00 am Saturday routes take place on the scenic and hilly Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh and the Sunday marathon and half-marathon take place in neighbouring East Lothian and offer a flatter terrain. Participants will receive the warmest cheering squad to encourage them to the finishing line in Musselburgh (also home to Teapot HQ) and you'll go home with: Wicking finisher's t-shirt Finisher's medal & distance keyring Finisher's pack Personalised event number with accurate timing chip Event baggage facilities Hydration & energy gel on route Hydration & nutrition at the finish Results posted in your account within 48 hours Fantastic running experience Sign up here Teapot Trust - Edinburgh Marathon Festival All Teapot Trust fundraisers will receive: a branded t-shirt or running shirt pin badge tote bag We will also be here to support your fundraising goals and help you achieve them by championing you across social media. Contact Charlene if you have questions or would like assistance with signing up.
Ruth Girvan Chair of Trustees Expand Ruth was unanimously voted Chair of Trustees at the May 2022 trustees meeting. Ruth has lived experience of the challenges of having a child with a long term health condition, JIA, and has experienced first-hand the life-changing impact Teapot Trust can have on children who go through multiple hospital visits, procedures and tests, and their ability to face into their (often invisible) condition. Adding an element of control, in a life where for them, so much is out of their control. Ruth has a passion for Teapot Trust, its ethos, ambition and impact, and is proud to be taking over from the charity founder as Chair, to lead Teapot Trust through the next stage of development and the opportunities ahead as the charity grows from strength to strength. Ruth has spent most of her career in the financial services sector leading people through strategic change with a passion for keeping people at the heart of any new strategic move. Never happier than when outdoors and indulging in her many passions such as open water swimming, cycling, canoeing camping and running and adding more miles to her Mileage Challenge for Teapot Trust to achieve 4k miles in 2022.
John Kennedy Finance Convenor Expand John is a Chartered Accountant with considerable experience working in public practice. He is a partner in Cowan & Partners CA practice in Leith, where he has provided advice and support to a broad range of clients for over 30 years. John is a highly respected general practitioner, and has a particular interest in charity accounts. As an auditor, he took responsibility for a broad range of audits including a number of local and high profile charities. John also has considerable experience as a charity Independent Examiner. John has served as Treasurer and Trustee of a major UK charity and a large Scottish charity as well as a number of local charities. John retired from business in April 2022. In joining Teapot Trust, he is keen to bring his professional knowledge and experience to the Trustee role, where he will have a particular focus on finance.
Jennifer Martin Board Member Expand Jen is a highly experienced communications lead for change programmes at NatWest Group. Often specialising in strategic, regulatory and legal change programmes, Jen is passionate about quality, consistency and using data and insight to guide to the right solutions. Out with the day job, Jen has worked with The Prince’s Trust as a mentor to young people. This is Jen’s first trustee position having decided that now her youngest child has started school, it was time to devote more of herself to charities that will make a difference to people’s lives. Her enthusiasm for Teapot Trust is born from the recognition of how creative therapies can positively affect children and their families through the most trying of times.
Kirsty Livingstone Board Member Expand Kirsty has been with Hampden & Co plc since August 2021 where she is responsible for ensuring the front line banking team are compliant with regulatory requirements through effective leadership of the Bank’s client journey, regulated products and procedures, and client enhancing projects. Prior to joining Hampden & Co, Kirsty was the Head of Membership Services and Strategic Partnerships for 4 years with the Institute of Directors Scotland and enjoyed multiple roles over 16 years, including the Regional Business Development Director for Commercial Banking, with Lloyds Banking Group. She is a highly motivated and effective leader, bringing 21 years’ experience of driving improvement within dynamic and competitive environments of the financial services and not for profit sectors. She combines her strategic thinking, solution focused approach and sound interpersonal skills to lead, manage and drive business initiatives for growth. Thriving on creating and developing mutually beneficial collaborations, she understands the need to nurture such relationships to the benefit of all stakeholders. On a personal note, she enjoys running and online HIT classes as well as spending time with her family & friends.
Katie Wood Board Member Expand Katie has a background in management and leadership in regulatory organisations, in particular with professional bodies. She has an excellent knowledge of governance matters and the work of committees and boards. For Katie the driver for joining the Board was the opportunity to help support not only those children and families benefiting from the amazing work of the charity, but also the hardworking staff and therapists team who work so tirelessly to make it all happen. She's also excited to be working with such talented Board members. Katie is absolutely delighted to be able to bring her skills and enthusiasm to Team Teapot.
Rumaisa Zubairi Board Member Expand Rumaisa is an MB-PhD student at the University of Glasgow, researching the relationship between immune cells and gut microbiota in arthritis. Rumaisa has volunteered with a number of organisations including Amina MWRC and The Prince's Trust and was an intern on the John Smith Centre's Emerging Leaders programme. As a medical student and poet, she is inspired by the Teapot Trust's work to bring the healing power of art to young people. She's looking forward to working with the dedicated, experienced, and ambitious team of Board and staff members at the Teapot Trust.
Cat Thomson Art Therapy Projects Manager Expand Cat joined the Teapot Trust team in December 2022 as Art Therapy Projects Manager. Cat was drawn to the role having seen friends and family benefit from art therapy. Cat has 18 years’ experience working in the voluntary sector to support the wellbeing and education of children with additional support needs. Cat previously worked in Children in Scotland where she held a variety of roles, including Communications and Engagement Manager of Enquire (the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning). Cat brings with her a wealth of people and project management experience. One of Cat’s strengths is her ability to nurture relationships with key partners, having led a national stakeholder engagement programme with education staff and family support services. Cat previously worked as a Performance Review Manager at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and as an Information Analyst with the NHS information service ISD Scotland. Outside of work, Cat is a keen cyclist and swimmer and, following a 20-year hiatus, started life drawing again. You'll find her at her happiest on a blustery beach with her family, friends and borrowed dog Lily. [email protected] Office: 0131 273 4340 Mobile: 07519 295503
Andy Comley Art Therapist Expand Andy is a state registered Art Therapist (HCPC, BAAT) with over 20 years of experience facilitating therapy in schools and other child support services in Manchester and the surrounding region. He offers support and care for individuals, groups and families that have suffered challenging health care concerns, including the lasting effects of trauma and those newly arrived in the UK. Andy has a broad range of health care qualifications (BA, BSc, PGDipAT) and a Master’s in Education (FHEA) and experience as a university lecturer and staff trainer, developing management skills and lasting professional relationships.
Patricia Watts Art Therapist Expand I started with the Teapot Trust in April 2015 and work alongside the Paediatric Rheumatology Team at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. Prior to Covid-19, I facilitated an open art therapy group for children and young people attending their rheumatology appointments which was energetic and fun! I now offer online 1-1 art therapy sessions with children and young people and enjoy that sessions can still be very creative. I am also working on an art therapy group manual with a team of researchers in partnership with the Teapot Trust and Newcastle University which I am very excited about. Prior to my role at the Teapot Trust, I worked for several other charities offering emotional support to children, young people and their families. When I am not working I am usually at the park with my husband, son and daughter, and I enjoy art, cooking, charity shops and gardening.
Charlene Madigan Donor Relationship Lead Expand Charlene has been working with Teapot Trust since September 2023 in the new role of Donor Relationship Lead. She is excited to introduce some fresh and exciting fundraising challenges for our existing fundraisers as well as attract new supporters to the charity. Charlene’s diverse background in the health sector has allowed a broad overview of physical and mental health conditions and the often negative impact they can have on their lives, as well as the lives of their families. Her experience covers fitness, elderly care, private healthcare, and most recently wish granting with When You Wish Upon a Star where she found her passion for the charity sector. Wellbeing and health are very important to Charlene as she lives with a well-managed chronic illness herself and has first hand experience of the benefits of implementing ways to improve and manage her wellbeing. In her spare time, Charlene was once massively in love with weightlifting and exercise. However, in recent years after the arrival of her daughter Olivia, she has swapped dumbbells for Yoga and Clubbercise for meditation! Charlene also enjoys catching up with friends and taking on challenges such as Tough Mudder and Go Ape. Email: [email protected] Office: 0131 273 4340 Mobile: 07394558660
Ally Lloyd Young Voices Participation Officer Expand Ally joined the Teapot Trust team in August 2023 as our Young Voices Participation Officer. In this role, Ally runs Young Voices engaging with young people who have previously gone through art therapy with the Teapot Trust in the running of the charity. The Young Voices groups are also spaces for peer support and support for areas of shared unmet needs, as well as opportunities for creativity and fun! Before joining Teapot Trust, Ally was at the University of Glasgow studying Psychology (MA). Ally is also one of the co-founders and trustees at The LUNA Project, a charity which also works creatively to support children and young people with chronic health conditions. This shared goal has led to a brilliant and ongoing working relationship between LUNA and the Teapot Trust. Outside of work, Ally enjoys being outside (ideally on a beach!) and doing messy creative things. [email protected] Office: 0131 273 4340
Caitlin Meagher Supporter Engagement Manager (Maternity Leave) Expand Caitlin joined Team Teapot in March 2018 to increase the charity’s community engagement. Now, she manages supporter relationships while juggling a busy schedule of fundraising campaigns and challenges – encouraging individuals, friendship groups and corporate colleagues to participate. Caitlin is a people person. Her warm and assured style has been praised frequently by supporters and colleagues alike. She enjoys the fast-paced nature of her role, especially interacting with stakeholders and seeing the impact of the charity's work. Her flexible approach and broad skill-set make Caitlin a real asset to the team. She's our tech/digital guru, who took a lead in producing Teapot Trust's Art Therapy At Home resource materials at the start of lockdown, which have been used over 30,000 times by children and families. Before joining Team Teapot, Caitlin worked for the State of New York and helped manage public outreach and engagement for historic sites. Having a BA and MSc in Archaeology, Caitlin enjoys spending her free time travelling and exploring historic places, almost as much as she likes being outdoors hiking, gardening, or trying to keep up with her energetic Sprocker, Willow. [email protected] Office: 0131 273 4340 Mobile: 07394558660