Wishesjust4you has been founded in the last year by Bill Stillman, who was the managing director of Corby-based Swan Packaging in the 1990s.
It offers enriching art experiences to children facing significant health challenges, offering them a creative outlet for self-expression, engagement, and memory-making.
The organisation works closely with children’s hospices, SEND schools, and NHS nursing teams across the UK to reach as many children as possible.
Instead of discarding unused materials, Wishesjust4you has encouraged businesses to repurpose them for a meaningful cause.
The organisation said it welcomed donations of clean, reusable materials including, but not limited to, A2/A3 paper, card, and board; fabric, foam board, and bubble wrap; and any surplus art supplies.
“These materials can bring so much joy and creativity into the lives of children facing unimaginable challenges,” said Stillman.
“By donating surplus supplies, businesses can directly contribute to meaningful, hands-on experiences that brighten the days of these children.”
Speaking to Printweek, Stillman said: “I’ve always been wanting to raise money; when I was running my company in Corby we did a lot of fundraising. We raised money for a charity for children with leukaemia, and another one which was muscular dystrophy.
“I've always wanted to help the kids, and then when I retired, I joined something on Rutland Water, where I now live, called Sailability, which helps disabled kids go sailing.
“I've been involved with that as a volunteer for a couple of years, and then I wanted to do something on my own to start raising money and helping the disabled kids.”
He added: “We’ve got a local hospice called Rainbow in Loughborough. I helped them initially, and then I went all over the UK, and started getting calls from different NHS nurses and hospices who wanted to look at doing wishes for the kids.
“So last year I was doing things like visits to farm parks, go karting, and bowling, and then somebody said that they wanted help with art and so that started me off on this, and at the end of last year I did an art competition and shared all of the paintings on our website.”
Mason's entry to the art competition
Stillman said the parents of the children being supported by the initiative particularly wanted help with art education.
“At the end of last year we got artists volunteering their help to do workshops. And then some of the hospices and SEND schools asked if I had any contacts because they use lots of paper, board and craft and art materials and asked if I could get any for them.”
Within 24 hours of making contact with a raft of printers, Stillman had heard back from about six companies who said they would help, including a paper merchant.
“So I’ve now got about 10 SEND schools around the country that I’m matching with the local printers who have offered to donate waste and excess card and paper,” he said.
Without being registered as a charity or CIC, donations could not be accepted directly by Stillman, so he applied to register Wishesjust4you as a CIC and has recently been given a certificate number that confirmed its registration.
“There’s no conditions – it’s all set up and I’ve got all the correct software programs to deal with it. The more printers we get on board, the more schools we can deliver to.”
For those interested in supporting the initiative, donations can be arranged by contacting Stillman at bill@wishesjust4you.co.uk or via phone on 07342 945690.
Further information is available on its website.
