Charity set to launch Christmas appeal to raise money to provide latest assistive tech to children

Assistive technology charity Lifelites and London Freemasons are soon to launch their latest Christmas appeal to give life-limited and disabled children access to life-changing assistive devices.

The appeal has raised in excess of £275,000 over the past seven years, empowering children to engage and interact with the people they love and enjoy the world they live in.

This year, Lifelites and London Freemasons aim to raise a further £50,000 to provide the latest innovative technology, ongoing training, and technical support, so that children and their families are able to make the most of the time they have together.

Lifelites CEO Rob Lightfoot said: “We are so grateful to London Freemasons for consistently supporting our work with some of the most vulnerable children in our society. We are living at a particularly difficult time for these children and their families, with the cost of living crisis hitting families with seriously ill and disabled children harder than most.

“The technology we donate can help the children to escape the confines of their conditions and create unforgettable moments of connection and joy for their families. In these difficult times, it is absolutely crucial that we continue to work with our children’s hospice partners to help provide the best respite and end of life experiences for these children.”

Lifelites has been donating their equipment and services for children using every children’s hospice across the British Isles for the past 22 years and is the only charity that does this.

The charity continues to provide new technology, maintenance and training to hospice staff on how to use it, to ensure that as many of these children as possible will have the chance to enjoy the benefits of this technology during their short lives.

Sir Michael Snyder, Metropolitan Grand Master of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London, commented: “Over 200 London Freemason lodges have supported Lifelites for many years now. London Freemasons recognise that there are children in our society for whom technology is an opportunity to participate in the world around them and build relationships with their families.

“Lifelites and their children’s hospice partners are doing so much for children with life-limiting conditions and we are delighted to support them.”

Earlier this year, Jingle Jam, the world’s biggest games charity event, raised over £210,000 for Lifelites.