15 years of Rainbows

Celebrating 15 years of exceptional care

 

In 1994 we opened our doors and hearts for the first time. And now it’s time to celebrate 15 years of care and to look to the future with confidence.

It’s amazing when you think about it. In those 15 years we’ve cared for hundreds of children and their families, helping to bring fun into their lives and memories while giving a shoulder to cry on. We’ve seen years of fundraising to provide a service which so many people need. 15 years that simply wouldn’t have been possible without supporters like you.

A major milestone

It’s our supporters which make our Building for the Future project such a major milestone in our history. When the project is completed, we will have officially grown up and be able to care for young people after they reach their 18th birthday. We will be even more than Rainbows Children’s Hospice – we will become ‘Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People’. And we can’t really say just how excited we are about this change.

Our founders, Gail and Harry Moore, knew exactly what was needed when they began fundraising to build a children’s hospice for the East Midlands. They had a very poorly daughter, Laura. So they did their utmost to create a service that would really make a difference to parents in the same position. And how did their new hospice get its name? Well, Laura’s favourite thing in the whole wide world was a rainbow.

So, in an empty field in Loughborough, Rainbows was born. Since HRH Prince Charles arrived to cut the ribbon so much has happened and so many lives have been touched. Now is the time to recognise how far we have come, to say ‘thank you’ to the people that have got us here and to take Rainbows into the future.

A new and modern image 

As our Building for The Future project completes and we become Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, we have a brilliant opportunity to make our image stand out and get noticed and recognised. After all, by 2010 our hospice will have effectively doubled in size so we need a strong image to reach new donors in new areas.

That’s why creating a new logo was so important and we really wanted to get everyone involved. We emailed thousands of people including our families, our children and young people, our staff and our supporters. Hundreds of people responded and the overwhelming decision was to choose a brand new logo, the ‘Rainbow Arch’.

To help us implement the new brand and logo, some kind local companies have been donating their services to us for free. These include printed materials, graphic design, signage, photography, PR and web design.

As Lorna Milligan, Creative Director of Jupiter Design in Nottingham says: “It’s important to us that we give back to our community and the causes we believe in. Our team loves using their skill and experience within the not-for-profit sector. That’s why we’re delighted to help Rainbows with their new brand.”

Sib Turner, of Lighthouse Signs in Loughborough had similar thoughts: “Everyone at Lighthouse really wanted to support a local charity, we asked the staff and Rainbows was a clear favourite. Since we started donating signs, we’ve completed lots of projects to help them. We helped with the Walk of Life, Building for the Future press launch, an art competition and much more. This year as building work on the new extension progresses, Rainbows will really benefit from the support of Lighthouse. We love doing our bit for such a deserving cause.”

Online with Rainbows

Rainbows is getting ready to make the most of the internet. We can reach more people more easily online and save a lot of money on postage. Our friends at Nzime in Nottingham and DeMontfort University in Leicester are helping us to make the most out of the internet and the online community. We’ve already noticed big increases in online responses and donations and we’re looking forward to this trend continuing.