In 1982 the founder of this charity, Dr David McGlown began using a pioneering approach to the treatment of children with Brain Injury at the Centre in Broughton near Chester.

• From the outset The BIRD Charity's aim was to offer its treatment programme to all who could benefit from it.
• The Centre has pursued it's aim of helping as many patients as possible to improve the quality of their lives by helping to develop skills never before present or lost through injury or accident.
• The improvements in many of the children who joined the treatment programme were so significant that it was extended to people of all ages who had suffered many different forms of brain injury.
• In 1989 a generous grant from Charity Projects enabled BIRD to refurbish and expand the centre, allowing them to provide more treatment rooms and extra facilities but the need for funding is very apparent if they are to become the leading charity in this field.
• They work with all forms of neurological impairment and brain injury.
• Learning Development work and the treatment of children who are failing educationally due to any of a variety of conditions, or with no obvious cause is also a primary priority.

By choosing this cause as your Charity Of The Year I am confident that we can make a huge difference in the rehabilitation of hundreds of children across the North West & UK. For more information please visit http://www.b-i-r-d.org.uk.

Based near Chester, this tiny organisation provides specialist palliative and respite care for people suffering from life threatening illness within the Chester, Deeside and Ellesmere Port area.

• Situated in the village of Backford the Hospice offers free of charge care for all patients along with Medical, Nursing, Social, Emotional and Spiritual support for patients and their families.
• The most recent addition to this massively under funded local charity is “REFLECT”. (New children's bereavement service recently launched to offer help and support for young people having to cope with the death of a loved one.
• In a recent charity event, the “Chester Bikeathon” it was quoted that they raised £20,000 in sponsorship for the Hospice.
• To ensure future care however, the Hospice needs to raise more than £6,000 each day!!!

To be part of the ongoing support to all who benefit from this exceptional charity, please choose this organisation as your company Charity Of The Year & help to make a BIG difference. For more information please visit http://www.hospiceofthegoodshepherd.com.

The last charity to grace this years nominations is the Cheshire Young Carers Project. Unfortunately, it doesn't even have a link as there is no website to visit.

• The Cheshire Young Carers Project is as basic and well worth as it sounds.
• In the 2001 census 175,000 children and young people throughout the UK were identified as carer. This lack of support is even more prominent in the more common single parent and low income families, therefore resulting in the youngsters feeling excluded from both society and other family members.
• As a project, their primary aim is to provide guidance, support and respite to children between ages (as young as) six to eighteen who are considered to have a caring responsibility for a parent, sibling or other family member within the Chester, Ellesmere Port, Neston and Vale Royal areas.
• These youngsters are the prime care contact for, not only the physically disabled, but also to the mentally impaired and are subject to the problematic use of alcohol or substances on a daily basis.
• It was also found that 45% of those in need of the care from their children also suffered from a number of various mental illness, including such disorders ranging from depression to schizophrenia, to extreme personality disorders.

The Young Carers Mission statement is to provide these amazing young people with:

• An understanding and educated support group to confide in
• Information about medical disorders
• Access to practical help to reduce the amount of care that the child must supply
• Opportunities for personal development
• Access to respite and essential “time out” from their caring role
• The chance to be a child again, if just every once in a while

In March 2008 this programme is due to lose their current means of finance with very little chance of being identified by any other companies due to it's faceless media presence. To vote this as your charity of the year please use the voting buttons at the top of this email and let them know that there's still a child in everyone. For more information please also email Sarah Hayden, a volunteer for the charity, on sarah.hayden@moneysupermarket.com