J.O.Y Charity

Why we started JOY:

As a family going through the motions we quickly realised that there was no help for children suffering bereavement here in Cambridge (or at least very little). Indeed there is only one charity that deals with helping children and their funding is so limited they simply cannot help enough kids in crisis, so with this in mind we set our main focus on purchasing and sustaining a holiday home for kids suffering bereavement and kids living with mental health conditions, Two areas that are very dear to our hearts. 

Speaking from personal experience we found ourselves struggling with nowhere to go or nobody to help us come to terms with the pain of losing our son and worse still our children were in the same position if not worse as how does a child understanding losing someone so close, This is why it was important to start J.O.Y and give the gift of joy back to those that really need it the most.

Our initial aim is to raise £500,000 to purchase a holiday home so that children suffering bereavement along with their families can get that much needed time and space after losing a loved one, again from experience a break away from all the questions and the ability to go somewhere without memories is a major start in the healing process. To be able to go somewhere completely new and to have the feeling that nobody knows you so they are not judging you simply creates a safe heaven where you can at least start the healing process. We felt that this is the turning point where you can actually take time to accept and consider things and then you become more open to talking.

Following of from that we’d also like to have fully trained staff on hand to simply sit and talk, play or just be there to listen to these children giving them an outlet that they will really need and benefit from, giving them someone to confide in and someone that will simply listen in a professional manner, just an outlet that can really make a huge difference.

We also appreciate that there is no funding available for mental health so also along the way we will be raising money to support other charities here in Cambridge and maybe help someone that otherwise would not receive the help that they need, to be overlooked due to funding is something that simply cannot be allowed to happen and if we don't make a change then who will?

Join J.O.Y today and help us to help others, Together we can make that change & the difference that is desperately needed.

Can you help J.O.Y:

As joy are continually growing we are constantly looking for ways to progress, One way is to open a charity store! If you are local to cambridge and have  a piece of land with access that you would like to lend or donate to JOY that we could build a log cabin style shop on please do get in touch.

Maybe you have a shop and you want to do something great with? with little in return other than a massive sense of pride then again Please get in touch as we would love to hear from you.

A Charity store where people can donate items for us to be able to re sell them on to good homes would help people that cannot afford all they would like but ultimately would help us to obtain the holiday retreat for kids suffering bereavement faster, whats more important in life than smiling? Imagine being a child and losing your parents, brother or sister? This is a reality, it can happen and there is very little out there to help these kids suffering with bereavement! Worse still the help is typically 6 months away and these children are left to cope by their own devices?

Well we can change that! We can provide a place for these children to be able to go to get away from every day life and to start to rebuild themselves, they can learn to find their smiles again while they are waiting for the professional help - lets not leave these children to suffer - please support JOY as together we can be the difference!