TGt Meets Lindsey Corporate Partnerships Officer at Jessie May Children's Hospice

Meet our latest TGt Meets...Lindsey, an outstanding corporate partnerships officer at Jessie May Children's Hospice. We asked her all about her day to day job and how we can all help this fantastic charity!

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

Where do I begin? I haven’t always worked for a charity; in a previous life I had my own company selling commercial CCTV systems, and then decided to change direction completely and joined Jessie May. The longer I worked for Jessie May the more I saw opportunities to work with partnerships in the corporate sector, introducing this incredible cause, and I haven’t looked back.

Please tell us a little bit about Jessie May, Children’s Hospice at Home…

Jessie May offers support to families that hear the dreadful news that their child is not going to live beyond 19 years of age. Our Nurses become a trusted professional, going into the homes of poorly children providing respite not only to parents who need a break, but also giving the child a break away from Mum and Dad! Who wants to be with their parents all day anyway?! Jessie May Nurses also offer end of life care, bereavement support and a listening ear when it all becomes a little overwhelming. Unlike the traditional hospice model, we don’t have a physical building; our Nurses travel to the homes of the children we support enabling parents to make informed choices about their child’s care. We dream of the day when every family has a real choice in end of life and palliative care, with good information given early on, together with linked services - because a good death is priceless.

What persuaded you to work at Jessie May?

Initially, if I’m honest, it was “just another job”. But Jessie May has this way of pulling you in, and it very quickly becomes a passion. I work with a team of incredible people, Nurses who truly make a difference in the community, a team of fundraisers who are dedicated to their jobs and an admin team who, as in every business, hold it all together.   

What’s been the hardest challenge you’ve had to face since working with Jessie May?

The hardest challenge as a fundraiser is trying to find sustainable income. Once we have offered support to a family, we can’t take that support away due to lack of funding, so each day throws new challenges at us. I meet the most amazing people who want to help – and that’s not something you can say about every job! We offer local businesses the chance to make a real difference to real people and they can do this in many ways.

We welcome the opportunity to start conversations to see if your company can help, either by choosing Jessie May as a Charity Partner or by joining our Caring@work scheme. All I ask for is a little of your time to tell you how you can help us shout about this wonderful charity and help raise funds for the most important piece of equipment imaginable - a fully trained Jessie May Nurse. 

What are some of the roles you carry out within your day to day job? 

Every day is totally different. I can be at a networking event, shaking a bucket, selling raffle tickets, riding a tractor!! (I’ll tell you more about this if I meet you). Presenting to (hopefully) new companies that would like to support us, and having conversations with anyone and everyone along the way.  You never know who is in a room and it’s good to talk!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Free time is all about family, travel and good murder mystery novels. I also like a good courtroom drama, so any recommendations are gratefully received.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

I was invited to an event to represent Jessie May.  It was a prestigious event hosted by an incredible gentleman who has a huge business empire but has never lost sight of where he came from and has helped many people along the way.  I met two gentlemen at this event…one successful businessman who told me he wouldn’t be donating as he didn’t make his money to give it away!! The second was a man who had wandered into the venue to keep warm, he was homeless and cold, and after asking me about Jessie May he put his hand in a hidden pocket in his coat and gave me his last 2 pennies. Humbling and priceless!

How can people support Jessie May?

You can support Jessie May in a variety of ways:

• Jessie May relies on donations, no matter how big or small, to continue the FREE support that we provide to families across the South West. You can make a donation on our website here: https://www.jessiemay.org.uk/donate-now/
• We have a number of events running throughout the year at which you can meet some of our team: https://www.jessiemay.org.uk/events/.
• If you fancy giving up some of your time each month, then get in contact to find out about our Volunteering opportunities: https://www.jessiemay.org.uk/volunteering/
• Or if you’re a business out there looking to boost your charitable efforts, get in contact with me at lindsey.horton@jessiemay.org.uk, or call our office on 0117 9582174 to find out more.