On 17th December 2021, UK charity Action Duchenne, with support from Sporting Bears, brought light, hope and Christmas magic to 32 families living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. They were invited to attend an amazing “Virtual Santa’s Grotto” with Father Christmas and his Elves, joining other families in the online event. The Grotto looked magical, Santa and his Elves were definitely the “Real Thing” and Christmas sparkle was abundant.
97% said they felt more positive after taking part in this experience.
Action Duchenne work tirelessly to provide both emotional and practical support to the Duchenne community. The COVID-19 Pandemic has added to the huge strain of living alongside a life-changing and life limiting diagnosis and the need for this support has never been greater. For many, living a ‘normal life’ has not been possible at all. The Charity were delighted to receive the donation from Sporting Bears which meant they were able to deliver hope and magic this Christmastime.
90% of families told us in their feedback that they felt more part of the Duchenne community after being part of this experience
The set up of the Virtual Grotto allowed children, parents and even grandparents the opportunity to interact with others who live with Duchenne. For some of them this was the first time they had been able to do this. It was an incredibly powerful part of the experience.
The feedback received demonstrates just how important the connections within the Duchenne community are. Creating and sustaining opportunities for families to interact with those who share lived experience of DMD is an vital part of the work that Action Duchenne do, particularly after the isolation of the last 2 years.
A personalised experience
As always, Action Duchenne staff were on hand and online to ensure that everyone taking part felt fully supported and included. They made sure that Santa was armed with information about each family. He and his elves wowed the children with an extra special, totally magical experience.
Christmas 2022
This support project was made possible by the generosity of our partners The Sporting Bears Motor Club. A big thank you to all their Members for choosing to support Action Duchenne through fundraising at the NEC Classic Motor Show.
Action Duchenne is passionate about continuing to create partnerships which allow events like these to take place. The powerfully positive impact they make is clear to see.
If your company would like to help make the 2022 Christmas Grotto possible, please contact us via info@actionduchenne – we’d love to hear from you.
Story from the ground
In her new blog, our Marketing & Support Officer Lynnette Ellison talks about making the Christmas Grotto 2021 happen and how it felt to bring so many Duchenne families together.
Fundraising total announced for GP’s epic 362 mile run
