Get support
Practical help for families facing serious illness, and open doors for young people through sport, work and wellbeing.
What we can help with
We help in two main ways. We stand alongside children and families when a child is seriously ill, and we open doors for young people through sport, work and wellbeing. If your situation does not fit neatly into either, talk to us anyway.
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Help through illness
When a child is seriously ill, everyday life gets harder for the whole family. We help with the practical things that make a hard time easier to get through.
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Help for families
Support is not only for the child. Parents, carers, brothers and sisters need backing too, and we stay in touch for as long as it helps.
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Opportunities for young people
A chance to try something, stick at it and find what they are good at. Sport is one way in. So are work and the things that keep a young person well.
Help through illness
A serious illness does not only happen to the child. It happens to the parents who stop sleeping, the brother or sister who gets quieter, and the week that falls apart.
We cannot make a child better. What we can do is take some of the weight off the family around them: the hospital parking week after week, a food shop in a month that has got away from you, something for a brother or sister who has had a thin few months of attention.
We are not a medical service and not an emergency one. We are the people who turn up, do what we said we would, and stay.
Help for families
When one child in a family needs everything, everyone else quietly makes do. Parents and carers run on nothing. A brother or sister goes to school with a lot on their mind and says they are fine.
We back that family too, and we say so out loud, because most people will not ask on their own behalf. A relative, a friend, a teacher, a coach or a health worker can get in touch for them.
You do not need the right words, and you do not have to be at the worst point first. Ask early if you can.
Opportunities for young people
Some young people never get the chance to find out what they are good at, and the reasons are usually practical rather than anything to do with ability.
Sport is often the way in. A place on a team can change how a young person sees themselves. It is not the only way in. A first bit of work experience, a course, a piece of kit, or the thing that keeps someone well enough to take part at all can matter just as much.
We back young people to get started and, just as importantly, to keep going once the novelty wears off and the hard work begins.
If that is you, or someone you know, tell us about them.
Why this help exists
The MMC Foundation was born from personal experience. It exists to back young people and their families when life gets hard: practically, consistently and for the long term.
That means more than a one-off gesture. It means someone who listens, does what they said they would, and stays alongside you.
How to ask for help
Asking for help can feel like a big step. This is what happens when you get in touch.
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Get in touch
Call or email us. You do not need the right words, and a few lines is enough to start.
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A short conversation
We talk with you about what is going on and what would make the biggest difference.
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We agree what would help
Together we agree what we can do, and we are honest about anything we cannot.
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We get on with it
We do what we said we would, and we check in to see how things are going.
Who can ask, and what to expect
If you are not sure whether we can help, ask anyway. It costs nothing to ask and nothing to talk it through, and we will be honest about anything we cannot do.
You can also get in touch for someone else, as a relative, friend, teacher, coach or health worker. Please say so when you do.
We use what you tell us to reply and to give the help we have agreed, and for nothing else. Our privacy notice sets out how we look after it, and we treat anything about a child’s health with extra care.
Ask for support
Fill this in and we will come back to you. You do not need the right words, and you do not have to answer everything.
- Nothing is decided from the form alone. It only starts a conversation.
- We will reply as soon as we can, and we will be honest about what we can do.
- If you would rather talk, call us on 01572 747 936.
Common questions
Who can ask for help?
Families who have a child facing serious illness, and young people looking for support with sport, work or wellbeing. If you’re unsure whether the Foundation is right for you, get in touch. We’d rather you asked than ruled yourself out.
How long does it take?
It depends on what you need. We will get back to you as soon as we can, and we will be honest with you about what we can do and when.
Does it cost anything?
No. It costs nothing to get in touch and talk things through with us.
What if I am not sure what I need?
That is fine. Lots of people are not sure where to start. Tell us what is going on and we will work it out with you.
Can someone ask on my behalf?
Yes. A relative, friend, teacher, coach or health worker can get in touch for you. Please let us know when you are asking for someone else.
Talk to us
If you need help, or you want to help, we would rather hear from you than not.