The Appeal
The story began with the formation of the Rainbow Family Trust to fund both the building and day to day running of the desperately needed children's hospice, which became Francis House. The trust was established in 1990 as a direct result of the Catholic Children's Rescue Society's (Salford Diocese) involvement in placing families. The Adoption and Fostering service expanded into placing children with severe handicaps both mental and physical. It was seen that in order to give support to these families, respite provision had to be provided by the Society. Francis House is non-denominational.
Staff work around the clock to ensure these youngsters cram as much into their short years as possible whilst helping their parents come to terms with the inevitable.
A home from home
Francis House is a loving home from home where the corridors are filled with laughter, the rooms flooded with light. It was opened in 1991 by Diana, Princess of Wales and currently, it is helping over 150 families from the North West region. It's tough but they haven't turned away a single child since they opened in 1991.
Why we need £5 million
Francis House receives less than 4% government funding, so all the running and caring costs are by voluntary donation only. £5 million is needed to ensure the long-term viability of the hospice and the consequences of that figure not being raised aren't worth thinking about.
Kirsty Howard, the face of the campaign
In September 1999 the leading lights from the North West agency scene lined up behind our major fund raising drive to secure the future of Francis House. The hospice and it's fundraising arm - The Rainbow Family Trust needs - £5 million to continue it's care programme for terminally ill children and the support function it offers for parents.
Then one day at the Hospice I saw this adorable child Kirsty and it all fell into place I asked permission from her parents and thankfully they agreed to let our campaign infiltrate their lives. Steve and Lynne are very brave and Kirsty is an angel.
J Walter Thompson supply their staff time, creative work, production work including radio reels, bromides etc... All free of charge.
- Newspaper groups are pledging their help by donating space
- The Times, The Mirror and The Manchester Evening News have given space on a regular basis
- Radio stations have also pledged their support
- The Sunday People have adopted the Kirsty Appeal
Celebrity support
A number of big name celebrities are supporting the appeal. Sue Johnston, John McArdle, and Richard Branson have given generously. Steve Coogan has voiced radio advertisements and Bill Tarmey fronted the mail drops publicity. Mohammed Al Fayed has given the largest donation of £120,000 and has recently pledged to donate £5,000 per month. The £5 million is to provide a safety net and underpin Francis House. This would ease the burden of day-to-day fundraising. The current total for the Rainbow Millennium Appeal is shown at the top of this page. A vast amount of this must be credited to Times Newspapers with support from Mirror Group and Manchester Evening News.
Kirsty's condition
Kirsty's heart is back to front, so all other organs are misplaced. Kirsty has a single pumping chamber heart and has had nine Cardiac procedures. Her day-to-day living is severely restricted by abnormal blood vessels developing in her lung. Kirsty is one in 60 million, and was given six weeks to live in February 1999. Thank God she is still here and we pray each day for a miracle.
How you can help
There are lots of ways you can help the appeal. You can donate online. You can check out our upcoming events, or sign-up for the Kirsty's Appeal Newsletter and get information about upcoming events so you can get involved. Click here to find out other ways you can support the appeal.
