Christchurch five-year-old Arthur is Rainbow Trust charity’s face of National Sibling Day

A FIVE-year-old Christchurch boy has been in the limelight as national children’s charity the Rainbow Trust’s ‘face’ of National Sibling Day.

The trust supports families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness with supporting siblings when they have a seriously ill brother or sister.

In Arthur’s case the trust provides support to him with his poorly little sister Esme, aged three, and their mum Carly at their Christchurch home.

Esme was diagnosed with a complex epileptic condition called SCN8A when she was less than a year old. Her condition means she has lost the ability to sit up or use her hands.

Due to her complex medical needs and the frequent hospital trips, everyday life changed for Carly and brother Arthur, and the family first began receiving support from Rainbow Trust family support worker Georgia in January 2022.

Carly described the relief of having Georgia’s support, saying: “I was borderline suicidal at one point. I was at my complete lowest. But Georgia is someone that I can just offload to. I can be at home on my own a lot without seeing another adult, so it’s just great to have her.

“Life without her would be really difficult; Arthur in particular would also really miss her – she takes him on days out and plans fun activities for him outside of the home. Time with Georgia is invaluable for Arthur, as he gets one-to-one time with her to do fun things that I don’t have time for due to Esme’s needs.”

The family has also been given tickets to Paulton’s Park, joining in Rainbow Trust family days out with their support worker’s help.

To donate, visit rainbowtrust.org.uk/donate