Taylor-Made Dreams

What we do

Taylor-Made Dreams supports children with life-limiting illnesses achieve their dreams. Alongside their difficult journey, TMD also provides the family with financial, emotional and practical support. We do this through 10 core services:

Wish Fulfilment

Taylor-Made Dreams assist in the creation of a unique 'Taylor-Made' wish list to meet the specific needs of each child with a life-limiting illness. The wish list includes whatever the child can think of, from toys and days out, to meeting their favourite celebrities & holidays; whatever it may be, we will try our best to fulfil it.

Holistic Therapy

The charity has sourced and financially supported many holistic therapy sessions for service users and their primary carers. From massage to Reiki, there are several ways families can use the holistic therapy service. The therapy service is open to the child referred, the siblings and the primary carers of the family.

Counselling

Taylor-Made Dreams sources counsellors close to families, so that they have easy access to counselling. The counselling service is open to the child referred, the siblings and the primary carers of the family.

Medical Travel Fund

The medical travel fund is our way of supporting families with the expenses of travelling to and from medical appointments. Through this service we award families £500. Every TMD family we work with will have to drive, take a taxi, bus or train to get to essential medical appointments regularly, which is why the TMD medical travel fund was created. There are no restrictions on the travel used, it is meant purely to ease the stress of the rising cost of travel.

Funeral Fund

The Funeral Fund was launched off from our first funding service, the Medical Travel Fund, both of which aim to assist with costs and alleviate some of the stress of an incredibly difficult time in their lives. The Funeral Fund supports families with £1,000 towards funeral costs, so that choices can be made without worrying about finances.

Medical Sheepskins

Medical sheepskins provide comfort for our TMD warriors when their movement is restricted. Rest in the home, in hospital, or wheelchair use is often part of the journey of living with a life limiting illness. Long-term sitting or lying down can cause bed sores, overheating and hygiene concerns. Medical sheepskins provide ventilation of the skin as the wool allows air to move more freely underneath the body. The wool also limits bacteria growth lowering the chance of sores.

Photo Experiences

• Family photoshoots: Our family photoshoots take place wherever is most comfortable for the family. After the day is done, the photographer will email a digital library of all the photos taken on the day, for them to keep. Out of that library, we ask families to choose one, which we then have printed on to a large canvas for their home.
• Fantasy photoshoots: The fantasy photoshoot is a super fun way to turn you in to something fantastical. Once we have a photo that they are happy with and their character idea, we turn it over to our photo wizards to create the fantasy photo. After the photo is ready, we send a digital copy, as well as a canvas. We then also offer cushions and mugs with the image on.

Technology Loan Library

The Technology Loan Library (TLL) is our way to bring accessible technology to every family we work with. Phones, tablets and computers are now in every home, but that doesn’t always mean everyone is able to use them. The TLL caters to people with mobility difficulties, so that everyone is able to get involved with technology at home. The current library includes: Five Sharp interactive tables, three Skyle eye trackers and a one portable detachable screen and keyboard.

Sibling Support Service

The Sibling Support Service (SSS) is a group designed around supporting the siblings of the children we work with. We provide activity days and workshops for the siblings to be connected to other children who understand their situation, to be around other brothers and sisters who face the same challenges as they do on a daily basis.

Memory Keepsakes

The Memory Keepsake service now provides 6 ways to create physical memory keepsakes:

• The dragonfly memory pendant
  • A silver dragonfly, with the name of the child engraved on the back.
• Hand casts
• Fingerprint Jewellery
• Hair jewellery
• Ash jewellery
• Memory teddy bears