In order to raise funds and awareness for Scotland based charity the Teapot Trust, four courageous men are setting out to endure the toughest challenge in Europe this month. The Enduroman’s Arch to Arc Event starts in London and finishes in Paris, connecting two of the world’s most beautiful cities.
The Teapot Trust is an East Lothian-based charity that provides hospital-based art therapy to children with chronic illnesses. The charity’s co-founder, Dr John Young, 51, alongside his good friends Richard Hobson, 51, Stuart Macleod, 44, and Alan Cardwell, 49 are all taking part in this amazing challenge.
Gullane resident John and his wife Laura founded the Teapot Trust in 2010 after seeing the gaps in the care of their daughter Verity, who suffered from Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) and also cancer before her tragic death at the age of eight, in 2009.
Beginning at Marble Arch, London John and the team will start the challenge with an 87 mile run to Dover, Kent. They will then complete the notoriously difficult 21 mile channel swim to France. Finally, the team will cycle 180 miles from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
‘The Teapotters’ team will be completing this challenge in the form of a relay, where each member competes in 60 minute durations. The event will be taking place in the last week of September 2016, with the team’s boat due to depart on Thursday 29 September 2016.
John Young said, “We are incredibly proud of what the Teapot Trust has achieved over the years, and fundraising events like the Arch to Arc challenge are fantastic ways to raise awareness and funds for the charity.
“{{Art therapy makes a huge difference to the lives of so many chronically ill children by helping them to relax, communicate or express themselves}}.
“The Teapot Trust relies completely on donations to continue its operations and so we would like to use this opportunity to raise as much awareness and funds as possible through this tough challenge.”
In 2015, the Teapot Trust provided over 3,000 hours of art therapy and interacted with 5,215 children. The Prime Minister, David Cameron in June 2015, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the community, named the couple as ‘Points of Lights’.
The charity works across Scotland in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Dundee, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy and Melrose as well as in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
The aim is to continue to provide the current services and to fundraise for a programme of research. The Teapot Trust also hopes to begin one-on-one work in the Borders and begin a group art therapy session in the outpatients department of St John’s Hospital, West Lothian.
The Teapot Trust also hopes to raise enough funds to start providing art therapy to the remaining six NHS regions of the Scottish Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Network (SPARN).
The Team’s fundraising page can be found here: http://m.virginmoneygiving.com/mt/uk.virginmoneygiving.com/f...
Over £10,000 has been raised so far.
Timeline:
2005 John, with wife Laura wrote the children’s book Sandy Starfish
2010 Registered charity set up: Teapot Trust, fundraising begins
2011 Edinburgh RHSC Rheumatology Group begins 26 September (first provision of art therapy)
2012 Edinburgh RHSC Oncology Ward 2
One-to-one art therapy at RHSC Edinburgh
Glasgow RHSC Yorkhill Rheumatology Group
CHAS Rachel House Hospice
Glasgow 1-2-1 Art Therapy
2013 Dundee Paediatric Rheumatology Group at Tayside Children’s Hospital
(Ninewells Hospital)
2014 Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital Rheumatology Group
Tayside Children’s Hospital, Ninewells, Dundee 1-2-1 art therapy
Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Paediatric Rheumatology Group
Administrator and Community Fund-raiser employed
Teapot Trust celebrates its fourth birthday party
2015 John and Laura Young named Points of Light by David Cameron
‘West of 8th’, donated by artist John Byrne, sold for £20,000
Teapot Trust named Charity of the Year (income under £250,000) and Children’s Charity of the Year at Charity Champions Awards
2016 John’s wife Laura receives MBE in the New Year’s Honours List
Dr John Young and friends take part in Arch to Arc Challenge to raise funds and awareness for the Teapot Trust.
Links:
Teapot Trust http://www.teapot-trust.org/
Teapot Trust Fundraising Page http://m.virginmoneygiving.com/mt/uk.virginmoneygiving.com/f...
Enduroman Arch to Arc Challenge http://www.enduroman.com/#/arch-to-arc-events/4583446845
ENDS
John Young is available for interview prior to heading to London on Monday 26 September to begin the challenge.
Media information provided by Famous Publicity. For more information, please contact: George Murdoch at george@famouspublicity.com or 0333 344 2341 or Tina Fotherby at tina@famouspublicity.com or 07703 409 622.
The Teapot Trust
The Teapot Trust provides professional art therapy to children with chronic illnesses in medical settings, with a particular remit to help children with rheumatological conditions. The Trust’s art therapists work in outpatient clinics, hospital wards, mental health services and hospices.
Long term health problems can cause anxiety, anger or upset for children and their families and may be difficult to talk about. Art therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety in clinics and before blood tests as children don’t always have the words to describe how they feel. Making art often gives them the ability to share worries non-verbally, helping children gain confidence, feel more in control and cope with their condition.
All of the Trust’s art therapists are clinically qualified with postgraduate-level training and extensive experience of working with children. They are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and the British Association of Art Therapists.
The Teapot Trust runs up to three art therapy projects a day and currently works alongside other medical professionals in the following locations:
RHSC (‘Sick Kids’), Edinburgh
RHC, Glasgow
Tayside Children’s Hospital (‘Ninewells’), Dundee
Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital
CHAS Rachel House Hospice, Kinross
Art workshops for TCT, SNAC, SPARN and others
Group work for CAMHS, Young Person’s Eating Disorders Unit, Edinburgh
Raigmore Hospital, Inverness
Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Borders General, Melrose
The Teapot Trust has exciting plans for further development across the UK in the future.
