Laura Lynn is a dedicated hospice service for children with life limiting conditions. Throughout the pandemic it has continued to offer crisis care for the families that use the services. While Laura Lynn does receive some government support, fundraising is essential to meet their annual budget. A lot of the traditional fundraising avenues are closed due to Covid-19 so they reached out to us to assist them with their new strategy. Using video across broadcast television and social media, Laura Lynn are able to reach a large audience, bringing them closer to their fundraising goal.
For last years Children’s Hospice Week we took some previously filmed footage from Laura Lynn and edited some effective fundraising videos, adding celebrity endorsements for further reach. This year we planned and executed an original video campaign with the generous help of the Ryans, who use the Laura Lynn hospice facilities for their son Liam. Liam has cerebral palsy and has complex care needs. He is looked after at home by his parents Niamh and Gerry and his brother Sean. His condition requires round the clock care so the only real respite that they get is when they visit Laura Lynn. Liam also loves the facilities and staff at Laura Lynn, so every visit is a huge positive for all the family.
To convey the nature of the home care that Liam requires we asked Niamh to keep a video diary at home. We wanted to show the extent and nature of the responsibilities involved in caring for somebody with Liams condition. Niamh provided us with many clips of the various tasks that she performs throughout the day, such as physio, tube feeding, administering medications, attending online school etc. We then spoke with the family at Laura Lynn and they described both the added stress of care during the pandemic and the lifeline that Laura Lynn offers them.
The video that we made in collaboration with Laura Lynn staff combines the home videos from Niamh and the interview with the family. Throughout the video, the family describe the added pressures of the pandemic and how important Laura Lynn is to their family and to all the families that use the service. It is a personal and emotive piece that conveys the importance of the service and the immediate need for fundraising.