WHAT WE DO

Wishes

Molly Ollys provides gifts for children aged 0-18 who have life-threatening illnesses.

Wishes have an average value of £500 and can be for anything and everything from medical aids and equipment, toys, bedroom makeovers, outside play equipment and garden improvements, days out, shopping vouchers, electronic devices, arts and crafts, funds to help with transport costs etc. Each wish is as unique as the child and our aim is that the wishes help these children through extremely challenging circumstances and provide special memories for those around them.

We give between 350 and 400 wishes per year, to children based across the UK. We’d love to give more, as there are many more children and families who need help, and we are working hard to raise the funds to do so, and to ensure that families are aware that they can apply to us.

You can read more about the wishes we provide here, including how to apply for a wish and how to help us fulfill them.

Support to Hospitals

Paediatric Palliative Care Consultant at BCH

Molly Ollys is honoured to have been key to the instigation of a new senior level post at Birmingham Children’s Hospital by providing funding for the first three years for a Paediatric Palliative Care Consultant. This important post develops the previously existing paediatric services at the hospital by leading the integration of palliative care between the hospital and across the community. For families facing the worst situation, the support that can be provided by joined up care is hugely beneficial, allowing decision-making about end of life care whether at home or in hospital to be less stressful, despite the circumstances. In addition, the seniority of the post is helping drive improvements in paediatric palliative care as a result of it being represented at senior level decision-making within the hospital trust.

During the period Molly Ollys funded the post, the Consultant was directly involved in supporting over 390 families and in a range of aspects of hospital work. The success of the post can also be demonstrated by the NHS Trust decision that the post would be funded on an ongoing basis by the NHS budget. Nationally, paediatric palliative medicine is a young speciality with very few consultants and the Molly Olly’s Wishes Consultant is contributing to the national network, influencing both policy and training. It is worth noting that a significant proportion of paediatric palliative care nationally continues to be funded by charitable means.

Magnolia House at BCH

The first of its kind in the UK and funded entirely by charitable donations, Magnolia House provides a safe-haven for parents and families at their time of need. Named because of the magnolia trees found in the hospital’s garden, Magnolia House sets the benchmark for palliative care across the UK, providing care for children and families living with terminal illnesses or those who have complex diagnoses and need help to understand and control their child’s symptoms. Every year, approximately 120 life-changing conversations take place at the hospital between health professionals and the loved ones of young people. Magnolia House is making a huge positive difference to these families. Prior to the construction of Magnolia House, difficult conversations took place in offices, empty cubicles or playrooms, with parents often moved back out onto the ward before they properly had time to digest what they were being told.

The thoughtfully designed building has three pastel-coloured private counselling rooms, a calming lounge area, a siblings play area and a private peaceful garden where families can sit and reflect. The roof of the building is covered with grass and embedded with twinkle lights to provide in-patients overlooking Magnolia House a scenic and magical view from the windows of the hospital. Molly Ollys is proud to have provided the internal furnishings for the suite, which were all chosen to create a calm, soothing and peaceful environment.