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Social isolation is not new to families caring for children with life-limiting conditions. Many are used to long hospital stays far from home, long periods of illness preventing normal daily activities, being unable to attend school due to health needs, and sacrificing social interactions due to care needs.

But the Covid lockdown has brought many new and often terrifying challenges to these families, many of whom have seen care packages fall away and their wider support networks disappear in the wake of the global pandemic.

Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), which looks after 550 families a

A mother and daughter from Portishead have been putting their sewing skills to good use.

Sarah Johnston and daughter, Ella, 16 from Portishead have been creating face masks and selling them in the community with profits going to local charity, Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

In 2019, both Sarah and Ella were hospitalised with Dengue fever, a virus with similar symptoms to coronavirus – this experience inspired them to do something to help prevent the spread of coronavirus and support CHSW at the same time.

Sarah said: “We were worried that many people from the town would not know

After the disappointment of having to cancel its three Rainbow Run’s in Newquay, Exeter and Bristol this summer the Fundraising Team at Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) decided to give supporters the option to take part in the event virtually.

Over the weekend of 20-21 June around 2000 people across the region completed their own 5k some walking, running, swimming, rowing and scooting and all raising vital cash for CHSW. The charity put on virtual warm-ups as well as a virtual 'after party' each day, providing as much of the full event experience usually enjoyed at their annual Rainbow

A Bristol man’s muscle-pumping lockdown challenge is raising hundreds of pounds for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Patrick Connolly, from St George, has pledged to do 20 push-ups or more a day until he raises £1,000 for the charity, which is asking people to ‘ Be Incredible’ and do ‘whatever they can, however they can’ to help combat a loss in fundraising due to coronavirus.

Patrick, 37, started his ‘twenty21000' push-up challenge on March 25 and is set to hit 100 days of press-ups this week, raising more than £700 of his £1,000 target.

He said he took on the challenge as he was not

Cleaning equipment supply company The Cleaning Collective has lent its support to Children's Hospice South West.

The company said it recognised the extra strain put on the charity’s essential fundraising activities due to the coronavirus pandemic and wanted to do something to help.

So as part of its Hospice Campaign, the Scarborough-based company is donating five per cent of online sales of home and business cleaning products to chosen hospice partners.

Other hospice charities being supported are Saint Catherine’s in Scarborough, Teesside Hospice in Middlesbrough, and St Ann's Hospice in

Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) was invited to join a video call made by The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duchess of Cambridge to mark this year’s Children’s Hospice Week.

As Patron of Children’s Hospice South West and Helen and Douglas House, The Duchess of Cornwall invited Eddie Farwell, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of CHSW and Clare Periton, Chief Executive of Helen and Douglas House to join the call along with the Delf family who have received support from East Anglia Children’s Hospice (EACH) of which the Duchess of Cambridge is Patron.

During the call Their Royal Highnesses

Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) is asking people to help spread more rainbows by taking part in the charity’s first ever Virtual Rainbow Run next month.

CHSW has had to cancel its three colourful fun runs in Bristol, Exeter and Newquay this summer due to COVID, losing an estimated £150,000 in fundraising.

Instead, it is asking people to ‘get rainbowed up and run’ their own 5k Rainbow Run on the weekend of June 20 - 21.

Events fundraiser Kiley Pearce said: “Whether you rock a tie-dye tee, get crazy with hair colours or go fully fledged rainbow warrior with flashy face paint, you can

Motorbike fans from Nailsea have braved the shave for Children’s Hospice South West – raising £1,100 for the charity.

The five now-not-so hairy bikers chose to take part in Saturday’s lockdown fundraiser for CHSW, which has had to cancel many of its fundraising events this year due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Nailsea Bikers chairman John Colley was joined by David Elliott, Dave Moorcroft, Phillip Weston and 11-year-old Nailsea School student Peter Colley and all the action was streamed live on the Nailsea Bikers Facebook page.

John, 55, said: “While we are isolated at home and unable to get out

People can show their support for key workers – and raise money for Children’s Hospice South West and other charities – by wearing one of two specially-created new charity wristbands.

The blue bands come in a choice of two designs – ‘Key Workers are Heroes’ and ‘Rock the Lock Down’ – and cost just £3 (plus 50p postage), with 80 per cent going to charity.

They were created by Jon Carter and Eddie Brown of Banding Together, who said they wanted to find a way for people to represent how they may be feeling during the Covid-19 crisis and raise money for good causes around the UK.

Jon said:

A 52-year-old cyclist from Bristol is hoping to conquer the world on his bike – without actually leaving the country.

Rob Berry from Bradley Stoke has set off on a virtual 22,187-mile cycle of the globe in aid of Children’s Hospice South West's (CHSW) Be Incredible fundraising appeal.

He started his Lockdown V-autour de Monde on March 26 and has already ‘reached’ Moscow covering a staggering 2,600 miles. His planned route will take him through Europe and China and onto Japan, crossing 6,828 miles of the Pacific Ocean to California, before heading across the USA and the Atlantic Ocean to Dublin