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How did Someone Cares start? Read our Director’s personal story to find out how God has turned a painful situation into a social action project to help others.
When our youngest child was born, our family was suddenly catapulted into an existence that was new to us; an existence involving healthcare professionals, surgery and tube feeding, plus countless appointments and admissions to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
Photo Credit: Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
During this season I came to realise just how challenging and relentless a journey with ill health can be. I learnt that hospital is a lonely and worrying place to exist.
I learnt that behind every sick person in hospital there is likely to be a traumatised and heartbroken family member trying to hold all the pieces together.
I learnt that the upheaval of an admission reaches far outside the hospital walls and greatly impacts family life at home too - affecting relationships, mental health and the day-to-day functioning of a household.
I learnt that during a challenging health journey we need hope and someone to walk alongside us, and that during a crisis we are often confronted with the bigger questions about life.
Ian, Jenni and Dave with an essentials Care Pack
PJ Care Packs ready to go out
I remember during one admission, a mum in the bay asked whether anyone could recommend a fortune teller as she wanted to speak to someone urgently about her child’s future. This got me thinking (and praying) and when my son was discharged, I spoke to the chaplains at Alder Hey about linking our church with their chaplaincy services so that we could help to bring hope and support onto the wards at Alder Hey.
What was born out of these conversations was our local project, Someone Cares, which you can learn more about in this video!
There are over 1000 hospitals in the UK. Seeing the impact and the potential benefits of linking a local church with local hospital chaplaincy services, we started wondering whether Someone Cares would work in other hospitals too?
In 2023 we applied for the Cinnamon Network Incubator Programme competition, hoping to win a place on the well-recognised national programme that enables church social action projects to grow and replicate. The Cinnamon Network also saw the potential of Someone Cares as we won the competition!
Through the Incubator Programme we now have the support we needed to grow and replicate Someone Cares into hospitals up and down the country - which is incredible!
Cinnamon Network Incubator Entries 2023
Cinnamon Network Incubator Winner 2023
I still continue to visit patients and their families weekly on the wards as a volunteer at Alder Hey. It is an absolute privilege to be able to walk alongside families during what is often the worst experience of their lives. Working with the chaplains, our volunteers get to bring support, relationship, prayer and God’s presence into really tough situations.
I’m so thankful that God has brought something so good out of our own son’s complex health, and I’m excited to see how He goes on to use Someone Cares to bring hope into hospitals up and down the country.
I wonder if your local hospital could be one of them?
Jenni Calcraft
Director of Someone Cares
Cinnamon Network
Support for churches and Christian social action projects run by people who are passionate about addressing the needs in their communities.
Winners announced!
Someone Cares fought off stiff competition to win the 2023 Cinnamon Incubator Competition at St Peter’s Church, Notting Hill in London.
Freedom Church Liverpool
Someone Cares is made up of a group from Freedom Church Liverpool. Learn more about the church here.
Start a Someone Cares project
If you would like to know more about bringing hope into your own local hospital through running a Someone Cares project then please get in touch for an informal chat. We would love to hear from you!
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