Our Impact

When Jessie’s Fund started in 1955…

• There were 8 children’s hospices in the UK, none of which had experienced music therapy;
  • There were no courses in using music for communication specifically with life-limited children;
  • There was no charity dedicated to children with complex needs through the creative and therapeutic use of music.

Now…

• There are some 54 hospice services for children and we have provided musical instruments for almost all;
  • We have helped 44 to establish posts for music therapists;
  • 765 members of care/staff teams from all over the UK have attended two-day training courses;
  • We have funded or part-funded over 11,742 music therapy sessions with children in the community;
  • We have worked in nearly 300 school settings for children with special needs through our nationwide interactive music programme;
  • We are supporting music therapy for children in several hospitals;
  • ‘Music Therapy in Children’s Hospices – Jessie’s Fund in Action’ was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2005, followed by ‘Music Therapy in Children and Young People’s Palliative Care in 2019;
  • Awards received include the Guardian Jerwood Award for Community Achievement, DSC Social Change Great Grant Giving Funders Award, a TalkTalk Digital Heroes Award, and the Yorkshire Children of Courage Award.