Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards raises £6000 for CHAS children’s charity

The tourism industry in the Highlands and Islands has come together to raise thousands of pounds and offer further support to help bereaved families during the last year.

A family’s heartbreak of knowing their child may die young is unimaginable but it is a reality for many across Scotland.

For families facing their darkest moments, Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) provides unwavering care to children who may die young and support to their loved ones, at every step on this hardest of journeys.

CHAS was chosen as the charity partner for the Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards (HITA) in 2024, and the event raised more than £6000 towards this vital cause, largely through a raffle and other donations which were collected by representatives of the charity during the awards ceremony.

The charity was suggested by Loganair which sponsored two categories at last year’s awards. The airline praised the fantastic work CHAS has done over the years to support children and their families.

CHAS chief operating officer Jane Smith said: “We were honoured to be chosen as charity partner for the Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards 2024 and we would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all who contributed to such an amazing amount being raised to help CHAS continue to support children with life-shortening conditions and their families across the region.

“The recognition from the HITA awards has helped increase awareness of the specialist services we provide throughout the Highlands and Islands, with several local tourism businesses getting in touch after the event to offer their support.”

Over the last three years, CHAS has directly supported 51 children across the Highlands and Islands (not including Aberdeenshire) and 256 family members. This includes medical care, nursing, respite and end-of-life care, as well as emotional and bereavement support for families.

The charity’s dedicated CHAS at Home team, meanwhile, made 606 visits to provide specialist care to children in their own homes during this period.

Palliative care, end-of-life care and respite care is offered in the charity’s two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch, and there are outreach teams in every local authority area providing highly skilled nursing care for children in their own homes as well as full family support.

Jane said: “No-one should face the death of their child alone, so CHAS nurses and doctors work closely with the NHS across the Highlands, the islands, and in every part of Scotland. We are there for families at every single step of a child’s palliative care journey – in life, in death and also after bereavement.

“The number of children in Scotland with life-shortening conditions is going up and we are expanding our teams across the Highlands and Islands and the north-east.

“As well as the hospices, we have nurses and a family support worker based in Inverness, and teams in all the main children’s hospitals in Scotland. Our CHAS at Home team fly hospice nurses to the islands and work across the Highlands, so children can receive expert hospice care in their own homes.

“We couldn’t do this without the support of so many people and for this we are truly grateful.”

More information about the many services offered by CHAS can be found at: www.chas.org.uk.

HITA chairman Calum Ross was proud that the awards had chosen an organisation that supports children and families facing the hardest of all journeys.

He said: “Knowing that your child is dying is unimaginable, it’s unbearable. But there are many families who bear it every day, and they do so because they have the support of CHAS. They are there for children, their parents, brothers and sisters – for every member of a child’s family – helping them make life as full and well-lived as possible, however short.

“HITA is proud to have raised valuable funds to help support CHAS in the incredible care they provide to so many families facing their darkest times, as well as raising awareness of their services across the whole region.”

This year’s HITAs will be held at the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness on Friday, October 3.

Details of how to nominate a local business or enter the awards as a business owner or operator will be published from early next month, with the shortlist of finalists revealed on July 7.

Covering all the regions of the Highlands and Islands; from Argyll in the west, to Moray in the east, and Orkney and Shetland in the north, the annual Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards bring together industry leaders, rising stars, new enterprises and trusted names to celebrate and recognise excellence in the sector.

HITA winners proceed to the Scottish Thistle Awards national final to represent the region and compete with the best of the rest of the country.

HITA will soon announce the charity partner for 2025 awards. Keep up to date on the HITA social media channels and sign up for our newsletter.

For more about the HITAs visit https://www.hita-awards.com/

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