Young offenders help Rainbows Children's Hospice

Young offenders have been lending a helping hand at a children’s hospice as part of work to give back to the community. Gardening, leafletting and helping out at fundraising events are just some of the jobs they have been carrying out at the Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People in Loughborough.

Leicestershire Youth Offending Service has been organising the reparation work which young people undertake as part of their court orders. Currently three young people are delivering leaflets to households in the county to promote the work of Rainbows – the only hospice in the East Midlands to offer respite, palliative and end of life care to children and young people - but over a ten year period more than 400 young offenders have assisted the charity.

As well as helping out at the site, young offenders also make bird boxes and bird tables at the Youth Offending Team’s workshop in South Wigston which are then sold on to raise funds for the hospice.

Josh* (17) said: “Working with Rainbows has made me feel better by helping people out and seeing the good work they do first hand."

Scott Lea, Marketing and Communications Manager for Rainbows, said: “We always pleased to receive such dedicated support from the Young Offending Service.

“Over the years the young offenders have helped us in lots of important ways, not least in our marketing efforts.

“As a local charity, Rainbows feels very strongly about involving the community and we have a relationship with the service that we all benefit from. We hope it continues for years to come.”

Joe Orson, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities at Leicestershire County Council, said: “Rainbows provides a real lifeline for children and their families and by helping out at the hospice we hope young people who have commited crime will be able to give back to what really is a worthy cause.”

For more information about Leicestershire County Council’s Youth Offending Service visit: www.leics.gov.uk/index/htd/youthjustice.htm

For more information about Rainbows visit: www.rainbows.co.uk

If you can assist by donating wood to be made into bird boxes and other items that can be sold to raise funds for charity, email Maroot Patel on: maroot.patel@leics.gov.uk