K107FM TO SUPPORT PRECIOUS MEMORIES FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPICES ACROSS SCOTLAND (CHAS)

K107FM, the award winning community radio station has announced its support for CHAS this Christmas.

Leith has created a new campaign for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), a registered Scottish charity which supports children with life-shortening conditions and their families with hospice and palliative care.

The Kirkcaldy based station has most recently worked with Leith on the ‘Trust In Advertising’ campaign for the Advertising Standards Authority, with K107FM gathering more community stations onto the campaign with the UK Community Radio Network.

Tasked with creating a campaign to encourage donations to CHAS, Leith have created a Christmas radio advert which sees a father narrating how CHAS helped give his terminally-ill son Charlie, ‘Christmas-time in summertime’, with ‘time for Santa, time for toys, time for treats and hugs from grandpa’, and asks listeners to take the time to donate to CHAS.

The campaign has already launched on TV, with a 30-second advert showing a mother and her son enjoying precious moments;from playing on a swing and painting to bath-time and reading together - the short film capture pockets of everyday happiness shared by families everywhere. As the film goes on, the child becomes more and more ill. The final scene ends with a rug pull indicating that the entire time, her son has been dying and that all these joyful moments were spent at the hospice and made possible by donations to CHAS.

Graham Steven, Fundraising Campaigns Manager at CHAS commented: “At CHAS, we believe strongly that no family should face the death of their child alone. We’re thankful to our existing supporters who share that belief and whose donations mean families can be supported by CHAS at every stage of their most difficult journey. Our hope is that on seeing or listening to these wonderful new adverts, new supporters will join us too so that more children with life-shortening conditions and their families can be afforded the time and space to make precious memories together no matter how short their child’s life may be.”

Jess Thompson, Senior Account Manager, Leith commented; “Time with your child is precious, especially when they’re dying. By showing the everyday moments which can so often be taken for granted, we hope to drive home the message that a simple donation can help CHAS give families the support they need to enjoy what precious time they have left together. We’re appreciative of the support and kind donation of airtime from K107FM”

Alex Airnes, K107FM commented: “We’ve long been aware of the dedicated support that CHAS provide, and have seen families within our area benefit from what they do during challenging times. The campaign from Leith is powerful and we’re proud to provide an additional platform for the campaign and hope our efforts to do so at no cost can help CHAS create more precious times”

In addition to medical support from their highly skilled staff of registered nurses, CHAS offers psychological support through therapy and counselling and by helping to take care of the dying child, the parents, and siblings, and so much more to families whose children are nearing the end of their lives.