KARYN’S STORY (British Red Cross)

Karyn fled Mariupol with her two children, and mother-in-law in May 2022 after the conflict in Ukraine escalated. Within a week of being settled in their new UK home, Karyn and her family were receiving support from the British Red Cross, funded by Jingle Jam. This support included a SIM card for her phone to keep in touch with her husband still in Ukraine. She said: “Just to have something of our own after so long felt like such a kindness”.

With Jingle Jam’s support, British Red Cross has helped over 2,300 refugees like Karyn and her family.

BRADLEY’S STORY (Special Olympics)

Jingle Jam support enabled a team of 82 athletes with intellectual disabilities to attend the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, along with 189 other countries.

Bradley had never travelled by plane, but knew he needed to if he were to get to Berlin - so he got his first flight! He then attended the Closing Ceremony, despite his fear of big crowds. Bradley played incredibly well at the Games and his confidence has continued to grow since returning to the UK. His latest achievement has been attending an interview and securing his first ever job!

CASE STUDY - WALLACE AND GROMIT’S GRAND APPEAL

Your support continues to fund the development of a ground-breaking facility for critically ill children and their families.

EMILY’S STORY

Emily is just one of the critically ill patients at Bristol Children’s Hospital who Jingle Jam Building will help. In a matter of weeks, she went from being a happy, healthy three-year-old girl to having to learn to walk, talk, and even swallow again after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

As a result of her surgery, Emily developed a condition which meant she had to relearn some of the most basic functions. Unfortunately, Emily has been in and out of hospital ever since and still requires physiotherapy to help her walk again.

The Jingle Jam building will provide innovative care and a lifeline of support for young patients like Emily and their families.

Core funding from Jingle Jam helped Mermaids support 11,388 trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people (up to age 19) over the past year.

In March this year, 34 young trans people took part in our event TRANS(CEND), an interactive day aimed at helping trans young people aged 16-19 thrive in preparation for the world of work.  

The theme of the day was “exploring your trans future” with the main objective being to advise and inspire trans youth regarding their futures, whether that be employment, education or other life choices. The day ended with a young person from Mermaids' Youth Advisory Panel talking about the work they do and opportunities for other young people to get involved in Mermaids.

“This event reminded me that trans people are powerful! Trans young people especially right now need to be able to see a future where we can live our lives fully and do whatever our peers do. We also need spaces where we can feel safe and make connections with other trans people. TRANS(CEND) is something that makes all that possible and more.”

Jingle Jam support enabled Dogs for Autism to train new dogs to support young Autistic adults in becoming independent.

Rebecca is autistic and is supported by her assistance dog, Lola, who helps with her emotional regulation and enables her to leave the house safely.  Lola will also lead Rebecca out of a shop if she is struggling, and lead her to a quiet place where she will provide deep pressure therapy.

“Though I may struggle to fulfil some of the daily responsibilities that come with owning a dog, over the next year or so I plan to take on more of these tasks in the hope that it will build my resilience and help me beat the executive dysfunction that prevents me from taking care of myself some days. Because I understand that Lola has needs that must be fulfilled (food, water, toileting, exercise), it can help with some of my avoidance behaviours.”

Jingle Jam 2022 made a huge impact on Whale and Dolphin Conservation Trust’s work, from refurbishing our Scottish Dolphin Centre, funding a vital report on chemical pollution and boosting our outreach to get more young people involved in our citizen science programme, Shorewatch.

In the spring and Summer 2023 WDC hosted a total of 12 schools with 448 pupils from nursery all the way up to age 12, enabling them to:

• Learn how to be dolphin scientists

• Take part in their Shorewatch programme to help identify species on the Scottish coast

• Explore the real-life bones of whales and dolphins to understand their anatomy

• Take part in their river rambles to explore the local environment and examine what makes up a beach

• Take a pledge to protect wildlife from the threat of plastic pollution.

Jingle Jam funded an expert to carry out extensive research into the impact of chemical pollution on whales and dolphins.

This report will be used to help us lobby governments for stricter regulations to stop killer chemicals from getting into the sea.

ZAK’S STORY

Zak often plays games with a controller but, owing to arm weakness, he finds it uncomfortable to hold both hands together for extended periods. Our team suggested that a split controller set-up could enable him to keep each hand in whatever position was most comfortable.

The team identified Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons as a potential controller option, and in order for him to use them with his PS5 they recommended that he used PlayStation Remote Play to stream his games to a PC. The team sent Zak a video explaining how to connect the Joy-Cons to his PC via a Titan Two adapter and Bluetooth.

The tech is making a real positive difference for Zak. He can now play PS5 games much more easily –  he’s already piled into God of War: Ragnarok and lined up Elden Ring as the next challenge!