CHARITABLE CAUSES, PROMOTION & PARTNERSHIP BUSINESS NETWORK


Making a difference


Maria Hanson MBE, (pictured) Founder and CEO of me&dee registered charity, discusses the work that goes into running a charity, and how businesses can get involved.


me&dee provides bespoke holidays for families in need


‘Families have a safe and comfortable space to make memories together, away from all the stress, pain and related issues within the home and hospital’


THE INSPIRATION Many people set up their own charities on the back of personal experience, where support for their own situation has been difficult to find. In my situation of multiple major surgeries and being confined to a wheelchair, I also found myself needing to be rehomed with two children. My close cousin Delia, who had cancer, and I were


amazed to find that in such a stressful situation, most charity applications meant waiting for stacks of forms to come through, most with tick boxes – which I could not tick. Once settled, Delia and I decided to set up our own


charity to be run in a different vein with a stress free, short application process – no tick boxes and a criteria to suit adults and children with any life threatening/terminal condition. We agreed that we would give our gift of time unsalaried. To this end, that would mean as much personal attention


as could be given, with a 24-hour phone line open with empathy to each situation. Sadly, Delia passed away in December 2005 and in July 2006, me&dee was registered as her legacy. I remain, 13 years on, working a minimum of 50 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, unsalaried.


Maria receiving an MBE from HRH The Prince of Wales


Almost 3,000 families have been supported over this


time. All of this is achieved by just myself, my partner and one part-time member of staff.


THE WORK We provide a space to make memories for families facing short and uncertain futures together, presently by providing a week-long holiday in our two luxury caravans on a quiet residential caravan site in Mablethorpe, on the East Lincolnshire Coast. Each family has a holiday bespoke to their needs, identified by my interaction with them, which includes a private sea front beach hut. Here, families have a safe and comfortable space to make


memories together, away from all the stress, pain and related issues within the home and hospital. We have had families on holidays that have had to be cut short, and the parent or child has died before the end of their planned week. We don’t just arrange a holiday and move on, we stay in


touch with families supporting through funerals and looking for opportunities of days out, allowing the family to continue making memories together. We have families where the adult or child dies before the


holiday takes place. That becomes support with the funeral and, later in the year, a bereavement holiday.


THE RECOGNITION I have won several business awards for the shrewd business acumen needed, Inspirational Business Woman awards, a Pride of Britain Fundraisers award and am so proud to have been awarded in 2015 an MBE for my service to over 2,000 families facing hardship and short futures, along with raising more than £250,000. I studied for a degree at the University of Derby and am


now an alumni with an honours degree, was a national student officer for disabled students, have worked as an independent adviser for disability hate crimes with Midlands Police Forces and with the Metropolitan Police in London, and for stop and search issues for people with appliances on the outside of their bodies, as I have. I have been a chameleon with my charity to keep it going and self funded through nearly thirteen years.


HOW YOU CAN HELP If you are looking to comply with Social Corporate Responsibility, charities such as me&dee can work in partnership with you, and promote your company too, giving you the great satisfaction of helping to make a difference to families whose precious memories you will have helped to make.


business network June 2019 59


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