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What we do

We support children with cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities (such as Downs Syndrome) and rare genetic disorders (including Angelman Syndrome and Rett Syndrome). Families from across the south of England access our service, with children travelling from Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and South London. Our team assess every child individually, providing children with bespoke therapy programmes that support their individual needs.

We do not require a formal diagnosis, as we know that the earlier children can access the necessary support, the better their long-term outcomes will be. Our services focus on building children’s physical, emotional, social, cognitive and communication skills; as well as providing support through our parental mental health support group.

Physiotherapy/ conductive education

A young boy with cerebral palsy being helped to climb a ladder.

Home-outreach

A young girl with Downs Syndrome holding a blue ball.

Music therapy

A young girl with Angelman's Syndrome playing with a drum.

Swim sessions

A young boy in a swimming pool with a carer and swimming instructor.

Speech and language therapy

A young boy using his PODD book.

Our impact

A young girl with cerebral palsy using a posting toy.

1014

sessions

of physiotherapy & conductive education

A young girl using a tablet in a speech and language session.

180

sessions of

speech & language therapy

A young girl with Downs Syndrome smiling at an outreach worker.

275

hours

of outreach support

A young boy with cerebral palsy in the swimming pool.

74

hours

of swim sessions

A young girl with Rett Syndrome being held by her dad.

83

families

supported each week

Our history

Two children reading books in a conductive education session.

2000

National charity Scope announced that they would no longer be able to fund its network of School for Parents.

This was a facility providing early intervention services, centred on the principles of conductive education, to support parents in raising a pre-school aged child with cerebral palsy or other neurological conditions.

Dame Vera Lynn signing autographs and smiling at the camera.

2000

Determined not to see the School for Parents close, Dame Vera and her friends launched the ‘Bluebird Appeal’, raising awareness and funds to save the school.

If it were not for her efforts, many children would have lost out on vital support in their early years.

Two children sitting on peanut balls in a conductive education session.

2001 – 2016

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity continued to provide for the early intervention service, in collaboration with Scope, until late 2016.

The charity then took a number of decisions to ensure a more sustainable future by ending the collaboration and delivering all of its own services.

A young boy taking part in a music therapy session

2017 – 2024

The charity has been supporting children with cerebral palsy and other motor learning impairments from across the Southeast for a number of years.

Growing from supporting just two families in 2017, the charity now supports over 80 children every week.

A family at Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity centre.

2024 – present

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity moved to their new centre in August 2024.

Situated in Chailey, the new centre has two extra service rooms, allowing the charity to further expand. Our goal is to support double the number of children in the next year, meeting the phenomenal demand for early intervention services in the area.

Want to make a difference? Check out our current vacancies.

Donate Today

Your £10 monthly donation could help us to keep offering the hydrotherapy sessions with the children each week

Families playing with a parachute at Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity's centre.

Contact us

Want to know more? The team will be happy to help – get in touch today via email or phone.

[email protected]

[email protected]

01444 473274