"2020 has challenged us all in unexpected and varying ways and I am proud that we are still here to help and connect members of the heart community."

- Samantha Johnson, ECHO Chief Executive 

This week,our Winter 2020 Newsletter is on its way to ECHO members by post and it is also available to read online on our website from today.

In this newsletter we reflect on a year that has challenged us all in varying ways and impacted ECHO as a charity, hearing stories from parents, supporters and medical staff in the ECHO heart community about their year and we share ideas about how you can help heart families now and into 2021.

We’d like to welcome each and every one of our members who have joined our growing community in 2020 and thank each person who has supported ECHO this year by fundraising, making a one-off donation, setting up a direct debit, joining as a Secret Santa, volunteering, or simply liking and sharing our social media posts.

Your support is so important to us right now, when as a charity we are facing a huge loss in income. With your help, we can ensure we can continue to be there for children with heart conditions and their families when they need us most. We look forward to all we do together in 2021!

Thank you.

The Christmas period can be a particularly difficult time to be a heart parent, child or young person in hospital as they face time away from loved ones while undergoing surgery, treatment and care, with COVID-19 precautions adding extra challenges.

Since we launched this year's Secret Santa Club, our Secret Santas have collectively donated a generous £2,430 - thank you to each and every one of you!

Your donations have helped us to provide fun arts and crafts packs for children and young people to use in 1:1 sessions with a play specialist at the bedside at Evelina London.

Will you join this special crew of Secret Santas? By making a donation as a Secet Santa this festive season you can help us to fund more crafts, games and books for children in hospital. 

On Tuesday 22 December ECHO is sending special festive afternoon tea boxes and treats into Evelina London for cardiac patients and staff in hospital.

While we cannot all be together, we invite you to join with others in the ECHO heart community for a moment of shared relaxation by sharing a photo of you enjoying your own festive tea break!

👉How to take part: Take a selfie of you and your tea (including any accompanying biscuits or cakes!) anytime on Tuesday 22nd December and share it with us by posting your photo on social media, tagging us @echoukcharity using the hashtag #TogetherForTea

At a time when heart children and families in hospital face extra isolation due to limited visitor numbers and restrictions to accessing communal spaces, let's join together for tea.

In the run up to Christmas Day, we are sharing a special message every day from people across the ECHO heart community including Evelina London staff and ECHO heart parents, to send festive wishes and celebrate our community this year.

Check out all the festive messages over on our social media:

Facebook, Instagram + Twitter.

ECHO’s team will be taking some time away from ECHO over the festive period, this year more than ever we hope that you and our team get some time to relax and unwind. From Weds 23 Dec to Tues 5 Jan we will be away from our phones and emails; our team will be around for a limited period each day checking social media.

We'll be back in 2021! 

Wishing you and your family all the best this festive season,

Team ECHO

Samantha, Emma, Siobhan, Sinéad and Kate

Connect with ECHO

Email: hello@echo-uk.org

Website: www.echo-uk.org

ECHO office (temporarily closed)
Canterbury House, 1 Royal Street London SE1 7LL

Tel: 0207 998 4710