We are fundraising with Tree of Hope to get a trained companion dog for our son from the specialist support dog charity Supporting Paws.

Ben is a wonderfully caring boy who sees the world differently. He loves board games, video games, bouncing on his trampolining and creating the most incredible machines out of Lego. He has a few diagnoses which make daily life an adventure including Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. He is now in a specialist school which is helping him engage with his lessons and progress academically while receiving help with understanding himself and those around him.

 We’ve looked into ways to support Ben and believe a trained companion dog from Supporting Paws would make a huge difference to Ben's life. A companion dog would provide the companionship he really needs but struggles to find as he can struggle understanding the people around him. He often finds the world an overwhelming place and that causes a lot of anxiety and having a dog by his side who would be trained to support him with these challenges would help him find ways to overcome them much more independently.

We know that money is tight for everyone right now so we would be grateful for any donation you can make, no matter how small.

Our goal is to raise £7,000 get a Buddy for Ben!

Supporting Paws is a Community Interest Company (CIC) that trains assistance and companion dogs for a variety of disabilities and needs. Each dog is trained for the specific needs of their handler. Supporting Paws is proud to have been awarded a government Disability Confident Committed Award. For more info please visit Supporting Paws

Tree of Hope children’s charity helps children and young people with a disability or illness by supporting their families to raise the funds that they need to pay for specialist care that is not freely available through the UK healthcare system. They are the crowdfunding children’s charity of choice for young people with healthcare needs, giving access to corporate donations, GiftAid and potential grants from Trusts and Foundations. Most importantly we give reassurance to your donors that their money will be spent on your child and their healthcare needs. For more info please visit Tree of Hope

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover their operating costs.

If we don’t reach our target, or exceed our target, the funds would be used, if appropriate, to support Ben’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives. 

If we are unable to use all or part of the funds, they will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.