Together we will make every cuddle count

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ heartfelt 10-day appeal, Making Every Cuddle Count, officially concluded on Sunday 22 June, coinciding with the end of Children’s Hospice Week. We are thrilled to share that thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, the campaign raised an incredible £9,155.50 from 166 donations.

In a wonderful boost to our efforts, we also received a generous grant from the Community Foundation for Surrey, enabling us to reach our goal of fully funding a cuddle bed for our hospice. This vital piece of equipment is expected to arrive in early autumn and will make a profound difference to the families we support.

The campaign was inspired by the story of Dylan-James, who spent his final days at Shooting Star with his family. His mum, Alison, shared a moving video about how a cuddle bed would have brought comfort during that time, and how it will now help other families create precious memories.

Launched on Friday 13 June 2025, the appeal aimed to raise £15,000 to purchase a cuddle bed, an innovative bed that transforms into a double at the touch of a button, allowing families to lie side-by-side with their loved ones. It’s a simple but powerful way to offer closeness and connection when it matters most.

Alison shared, “It means so much to be able to be as close as possible. Having physical contact is so priceless. To give families comfort in those last moments is invaluable.”

Sarah Ward, Individual Giving Fundraiser at Shooting Star shared; “A cuddle bed is such an important piece of equipment enabling families to spend precious moments together and cuddle. To be able to offer this specialist bed at Shooting Star will make such a meaningful difference to our families, giving them the opportunity to have physical closeness and connection in the most challenging of times. Thank you so much to all our incredible supporters for your generous donations and for helping us to make this possible.”

We are deeply grateful to everyone who donated, shared the campaign, and supported us in making every cuddle count. A special thank you to the Community Foundation for Surrey for their generous support in helping us bring this vision to life.

If you would like to read more about the different ways that we support our families, please visit here.