How Your Vote For James Hopkins Trust Could Help Medically Complex Children And Their Families

This March, James Hopkins Trust is part of the My Favourite Voucher Codes charity poll. It’s a  simple way to help a charity: the public votes for the charity they want to see win a donation (it’s free to vote!), and 20% of the company’s profits go to the charity with the most support.

That might sound small. Just a vote. But for families caring for medically complex children across Gloucestershire, it really isn’t small at all. Founded to ensure no family faces these challenges alone, James Hopkins Trust provides free, specialist, nursing-led respite care that gives children joyful experiences and gives parents the chance to rest, recover and spend time together as a family.

Every vote brings James Hopkins Trust closer to securing essential funding that supports families caring for children with complex, life-limiting and life-threatening conditions across Gloucestershire.

And honestly, that matters more than most of us realise.

Who are James Hopkins Trust?

James Hopkins Trust has been around for over 35 years. It started in 1989 because families caring for severely disabled and medically fragile children were, quite frankly, being left to cope on their own without appropriate respite or specialist support.

Medicine has advanced a lot since then. Children with life-limiting conditions are living longer - which is wonderful - but many now have extremely complex medical needs. Longer life doesn’t necessarily mean easier life. And families often end up providing round-the-clock care with very little break. 

That’s where the Trust steps in.

James Hopkins Trust has grown alongside this change, evolving services to ensure families receive safe, compassionate and expert care tailored to each child. They provide free, specialist, nurse-led respite care. Not casual support, but proper clinical, safe, tailored care, in an environment that feels joyful rather than clinical.

Care is delivered from Kites Corner in Barnwood, Gloucester - a purpose-built centre designed specifically for children with complex needs. It’s fully accessible, bright, welcoming, and thoughtfully designed. There’s medical safety built in, of course, but also play, colour, sensory spaces, and room to explore. Every aspect of the environment is carefully considered so children can simply enjoy being children.

The charity is overseen by an experienced board of trustees and run day-to-day by a highly skilled nursing team, so governance and clinical standards are taken seriously. But it never feels cold or corporate. Families describe it as a lifeline.

What kind of support does James Hopkins Trust provide?

The services are built around the whole family — not just the child.

Little Kites Daytime Respite (ages 0–5)
Structured daytime sessions with specialist care, sensory activities and play in a safe, nurturing environment.

Overnight Respite (ages 0–6)
Planned overnight stays, giving parents and carers a rare chance to rest properly, knowing their child is in expert hands. For some families, it’s the only uninterrupted sleep they get.

One-to-One Home Nursing Respite
Specialist nursing delivered in the family home for children with particularly complex medical needs.

Holiday Club Sessions (ages 5–12)
For children who’ve previously accessed respite and are now at school, ensuring continuity and familiar support during school holidays.

Stay and Play Sessions
Inclusive sessions where whole families attend. Siblings get time to connect. Parents meet other parents who just get it — no awkward explanations required.

Kites Corner itself includes a multi-sensory room, an accessible garden, specialist play equipment, hoist-equipped changing areas, adapted bedrooms - all carefully planned. Nothing is an afterthought.

Who do they help - and what difference does it make?

At any one time, around 90 families across Gloucestershire are supported by James Hopkins Trust. That number shifts - children grow, transition to school, and sometimes, heartbreakingly, pass away.

The children supported often live with severe neurological disorders, rare genetic syndromes, profound physical disabilities, or medical conditions requiring constant monitoring and intervention.

Many parents provide care 24 hours a day. Every day. With little outside help.

Respite isn’t a luxury in that situation. It’s survival.

Parents regularly report reduced stress, improved mental health and stronger family relationships when they have access to reliable respite care. Siblings benefit from one-to-one time with mum or dad. And children accessing sessions experience stimulation, social interaction and joy outside the home environment.

In many cases, James Hopkins Trust is the only local provider of this kind of specialist respite care.

What would the donation go towards?

Funds raised through the My Favourite Voucher Codes charity poll, should James Hopkins Trust win, will go directly toward core respite services. That includes:

• Registered nurses and healthcare assistants
   
• Specialist medical and play equipment
   
• Delivering safe, high-quality care sessions
   
• Keeping services free at the point of need

To put it into perspective: providing one year of regular Little Kites respite for just one child costs over £17,000. Every vote helps offset that cost. It helps keep these services accessible to families already facing significant emotional - and often financial - pressure.

Quick questions people often ask

What age range is supported?

From birth up to 12 years old, depending on the service.

Where is it based?

Kites Corner in Barnwood, Gloucester, plus home-based nursing support across Gloucestershire.

Do families pay?

No. All services are free.

Is the charity regulated?

Yes - by both the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Ofsted.

How Can I Contact James Hopkins Trust?

Families, professionals and supporters can contact James Hopkins Trust directly through their website, by phone on 01452 612216 or email info@jameshopkinstrust.org.uk. The team is always happy to discuss referrals, services, volunteering opportunities or visits to Kites Corner.

How can you help?

The easiest, quickest thing you can do is vote for James Hopkins Trust in the My Favourite Voucher Codes charity poll. It costs nothing. It takes minutes. And it genuinely contributes to funding respite care.

Beyond that, supporters can:

• Make a one-off or regular donation
   
• Take part in fundraising events
   
• Volunteer for the charity
   
• Organise workplace or community fundraisers
   
• Share the charity poll with friends and family

Awareness matters almost as much as funding.

Want to know more?

You can find further information about services, impact stories and fundraising activities on the James Hopkins Trust website and their social media channels. They’re always open to conversations - whether you’re a family seeking support, a professional making a referral, or someone who simply wants to help.

Voting in a charity poll might feel like a small action, but when lots of people take that small action, it becomes funding for nurses, safe spaces, sensory rooms, overnight breaks, laughter, rest, relief. For families navigating the unthinkable, that kind of support isn’t optional. It’s everything.

Supporters are encouraged to vote, share the poll, and help shine a light on the vital role hospice respite care plays in the lives of families across Gloucestershire.