Make-A-Wish UK recruits Children’s Board

The children’s charity Make A Wish^® UK is putting young people at the beating heart of its activities by setting up a Children and Young People’s Board.

Make-A-Wish is recruiting eight young people from all over the UK* who are aged between 11 and 20 and who have been granted a wish in the past two years, to form the first STARboard.

The group will each represent a nation or region of the UK and help make decisions that shift the charity’s focus from being child-focused to one that is child-led.

The creation of STARboard is part of the charity’s mission to ensure every wish has a life-enhancing, positive impact on each Wish Child and their family.

It will draw on the expertise of former wish children who are best placed to offer insights on how wishes can be improved, based on their own experience.

Recruitment for the board has just begun and it closes on March 4th with the first meeting scheduled to take place on May 16th in Reading. The commitment involves two further meetings this year at different locations around the country.

Members of STARboard will provide a voice for wish children to inform the charity’s decision making, future strategy and their development of the wish journey – from the day volunteers visit them at home or in hospital, to the day their wish becomes a reality.

Not only that, being a member of STARboard will present children with the opportunity to enjoy themselves, meet other wish children and gain experience in public speaking and making decisions.

Jenny Cook, Director of Wishgranting, said: “The charity has recently experienced unprecedented demand, with approximately 1,700 children turning to us for a wish between July – November 2019 alone.

“With the charity in a period of growth and demand at an all-time high, there has never been a better time to bring the voices of children to the forefront of our work.

“Not only will STARboard revolutionise the way that Make A Wish operates, it will help former wish children stay connected to a charity that granted their wish when they most needed it”.

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*The areas will be split as follows: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, North, East, South, South West of England, Central and West Midlands.

Media contact

Simon Henry
Make-A-Wish UK Communications
[email protected]
07786 650922
Make-A-Wish UK, 7th Floor, Thames Tower, Station Road, Reading, RG1 1LX

For images or video footage to support this story, please contact [email protected]

About Make-A-Wish UK

Every day, the lives of 10 families in the UK are changed forever when a child is diagnosed with a serious illness. From that moment, childhood takes a backseat to medical appointments and worry. A wish helps to restore that childhood and puts worry on the backseat. It provides an opportunity to choose something positive to look forward to and the chance to be a child first and a patient second.

Make-A-Wish UK is a registered charity that was established in the UK in 1986 to support children and young people diagnosed with a serious illness or life-limiting condition, by granting them their dearest wish. The charity receives no Government funding - registered charity numbers: 295672 in England and Wales, SC037479 in Scotland.

Notes to editors

We do not use the phrase ‘terminally ill’ and ask that you follow suit because some poorly children and young people are not made aware of the exact nature of their diagnosis and we respect their family’s approach to their situation. Some also recover fully from their illness.

Please refer to us as Make-A-Wish^® UK in the first instance to distinguish us from affiliates in other countries. Thereafter ‘Make-A-Wish’ is suitable.

Please hyperlink to our website (https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk) when you mention Make-A-Wish online.

You can also find us on social media @makeawishuk