Teapot Trust

Guest speaker Sarah Randell described the invaluable work undertaken by the charity Teapot Trust.  Sarah has served as the Trust’s CEO since she took over the role from Tommy Robinson (the current President of the Rotary Club of St Andrews) six years ago. Teapot Trust was set up in 2010 by Laura and John Young. Their daughter, Verity, spent much of her short life in hospital coping with rheumatological illness and managing the effects of her treatment. Art gave Verity a way of expressing herself and was an essential coping strategy for the whole family, so John and Laura wanted to help other children and families in similar situations. The charity provides art therapy and art psychotherapy to children and young people living with painful long-term health conditions such as cystic fibrosis and juvenile arthritis. These therapies have proved to be highly effective (where talking therapies often haven’t) in reducing anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide ideation. Typically, participants say art therapy helps them to not feel defined by their illness and to self-advocate. Sarah told members that one child in five in the UK now has a long-term physical health condition, with no government funding to support them or their families. Since its creation in 2010, Teapot Trust has therefore played a vital role by providing art therapy to over 16,000 young patients. Last year alone it supported 1354 children and young people. Sarah has worked through Covid and some tough economic challenges to ensure that Teapot Trust can grow sustainably to benefit many more children and young people in the future. She has embraced partnership working and creative approaches to reach more children and overcome health inequalities. As a result, the charity currently partners with 33 hospitals and patient advocacy groups. The voices of young people are firmly at the heart of everything Teapot Trust does.  For more information visit:  https://www.teapot-trust.org/vision-and-values