Thomas’s Fund celebrates after receiving over £70k of National Lottery funding to help local children

Thomas’s Fund started in 2007 and became a charity in 2008. It was set up by Jan Hall and Lucy Smith after a need was identified to provide music therapy, across Northamptonshire for childr Northamptonshire charity Thomas’s Fund is today celebrating after being awarded over £71,258 in National Lottery funding to support its work with children and young people with life limiting illnesses. The charity, based in Northamptonshire, will use the money to provide music therapy for approximately 300 individuals to access music therapy with work in the home, on the children’s hospital wards, and within specialist groups within the communityen and young people (0-19) with life-limiting illnesses (or life-threatening conditions) and/or a disability which, for medical reasons, means they are unable to attend school, or an Early Years setting, for extended periods. It was inspired by Thomas Smith. Jan was Thomas’s Music therapist at Fairfields school before his death in 2004, and Lucy was Thomas’s mother.

They now work 5 days a week with 3 music therapists providing the much-needed music therapy for children with life limiting illnesses. Children and young people, like Thomas, are often in need of the emotional outlet and sensory stimulation that music therapy provides. Sessions enable them to express themselves through the medium of music (which can often be more accessible than the use of words). Since the formation of Thomas’s Fund, music therapy can be accessed at home when needed. The advantages of this were clearly demonstrated when Thomas’s younger brother Harry (who had the same condition) was able to receive music therapy, via the charity, at home when he was very ill and unable to attend school.

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see Thomas’s Fund being secure in the knowledge with this funding over 3 years of being able to continue to support the children across Northamptonshire

Jan Hall Founder says: “'As chair of Thomas's Fund I would like to thank the National Lottery Funding, on behalf of the team and of the children/young people and their families, for the generous 3-year grant that they have given us. This will help to enable our amazing Music Therapists to continue to deliver our unique service on the Northamptonshire children's wards and in the community, thus having a huge impact.”

Esther Mitchell Lead Music Therapist, says: “Longer term grant funding such as that awarded to us by the National Lottery gives Thomas's Fund a sense of stability which is crucial to the consistency of the service we provide with isolated, vulnerable individuals in the home being able to access more long term therapy. It also makes for real potential - we have already been able to extend our therapy hours and have started new group work to support pre-school age individuals across the County with complex needs to experience the benefits music can provide in supporting their early social interactions with their peers”

The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its new strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.

As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk