Teapot Trust is making tiny changes

was set up in 2010 by Laura and John Young after seeing the gaps in care for children like their daughter Verity, who spent much of her short life in hospital, coping with illness and managing the effects of her treatment.  Art gave Verity a way of expressing herself and was an essential coping strategy for the whole family.  John and Laura felt this was a service that should be available to all families of children suffering from chronic illness.

The ‘Teapot’ name derives from the ritual of making ‘proper’ tea, often accompanied by cake, which was how Verity’s Mum and Dad encouraged her to increase her fluid intake, a vital element in the life of a child with a chronic or life-threatening condition.  Over time the teapot came to symbolise support, comfort, friendship and respite.  Now in its tenth year, Teapot Trust has improved the lives of over 12,000 children and young people.

Before lockdown, professional art therapy was delivered largely in children’s hospitals, one-to-one, on wards, and through drop-in sessions at outpatient clinics. There was bespoke work in a children’s hospice and with a specialist in patient mental health facility for young people.  But in March 2020, the world changed and no one could have predicted the devastating effect that Covid-19 would have for us all, especially charities who rely mainly on face-to-face support – and funding.

Teapot Trust withdrew support from UK hospitals, where the risk of cross infection was too high and moved the art therapy online. Supported by Tiny Changes, they were able to adapt services, include early intervention from the point of diagnosis and offer family art therapy much more widely. Working online, rather than in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, meant Teapot Trust could work with children, young people and their families who live remotely and were unable to travel to hospital for therapy.  They can now take self-referrals as well as GP, hospital, school, social work and community based referrals.