Right Now: Congenital heart disease has not stopped because of the pandemic

By Tiny Tickers CEO, Jon Arnold

On the 17th February 2021, hundreds of charities, including Tiny Tickers, are backing the Right Now #nevermoreneeded Campaign and calling on the government to create an Emergency Support Fund for the third sector.

Right now, charities are doing everything they can to make a difference, but resources are running out and people and causes are suffering. We join the call on the government to create an Emergency Support Fund.

Charities have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have closed; stopped important projects; made staff redundant; relied on their financial reserves just to survive.

We have not been immune to these pressures at Tiny Tickers. Our income has fallen dramatically and some of our services have had to be paused because of lockdown restrictions.

And yet, we find ourselves never more needed – there is more call for our services than ever before. Congenital heart disease has not stopped because of the pandemic – all that’s happened is COVID has made a devastating experience even more horrendous for families; and even more difficult for the health professionals who look after them.

People need charities. Whether that’s a charity like ours, helping families affected by congenital heart disease; or whether it’s charities working in other areas, to solve other problems.

And, if people rely on charities, therefore so does government. To help the NHS; to cure diseases; to ease homelessness; to fight poverty; to support communities; to help the young and old; to look after society’s most vulnerable. The list is endless. If charities aren’t there to pick up the pieces – who will be?

The simple truth is that society cannot afford to allow the charity sector to continue to suffer – and, while we’re lucky here at Tiny Tickers that we’re able to carry on with our work, we are heartbroken to see other charities falling.

So we’re backing the charity sector’s call for an Emergency Support Fund – helping charities through this crisis means helping the people who rely on us.

Find Jon on Twitter @jonmarnold and Instagram at @tiny.tickers.jon