Reaching New Heights: JAR's first Leeds JIA family event 

Last weekend, we hosted our first event in the Leeds area for children and young people with JIA and their families. We’d been asked by so many people to run an event closer to this area, yet with a small team of volunteers and budget and capacity constraints proving a challenge, we knew it would take some effort to overcome these challenges to make it happen. But we were determined to do so because these children and young people with JIA deserve the chance to connect and receive the support they need.

When Clare joined our volunteer team, we knew it was the perfect chance to make it happen. With offers of help from other parents including Samia, the date was set and the venue was chosen based on what families wanted - somewhere the children can have fun, and parents/carers can chat and connect. Following on from a successful previous Clip n Climb event in Kent, we knew Clip n Climb would be a great event in Leeds too, and preparations began, culminating in a super event last Sunday.

Samia and her daughter Fatimah have written up a piece all about it:

"There are many disabilities that are invisible and arthritis can be one of them. Receiving a diagnosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) can be a really difficult thing to go through – both for the child or young person and for their loved ones - especially if this is something they have not ever heard of before. 

We found the Juvenile Arthritis Research event at Clip n Climb in Leeds to be a pillar of support for us. Knowing that we are not alone with facing the difficulties of JIA, is very supportive and encouraging. We were able to escape from the pain and suffering for a couple of hours during this inspirational event. We smiled and laughed together, along with sharing a few tears of solidarity knowing the fact we have gone through what you are going though at the moment and being able to say “YOU WILL BE FINE, YOU WILL BE HELPED, YOU WILL BE GUIDED”.

Fatimah is my daughter who has JIA. She and her siblings were very excited to be going to the event. It was so comforting to us as a family to know that there are other people there who were also facing the challenges that JIA brings. The kids were jumping with excitement when we arrived at the Clip 'n Climb, Leeds. It was just delightful to see the children bonding and talking with each other. For us parents there was no sense of awkwardness since we all shared this one common thing between us, so we could support each other and talk about our experiences. 

The climbing activities were very exciting for the children, and they enjoyed it a lot. Trying new things that can be quite scary but overcoming their fears by having a go really built up their courage. It was a beautiful scene when all the children were cheering for each other, encouraging each other and saying to each other “yes you can do this” whilst clapping for their new-found friends. After the climbing session we went upstairs and ate some delicious pizza, biscuits and juice which was very welcome and refreshing after all that climbing. 

Juvenile Arthritis Research volunteer Clare did an amazing job – everything was very well organised. I had offered to create the goody bags for this event and it was so satisfying seeing all the children receive their goody bags and see their faces light up with excitement when they saw all the goodies in there.

As the event drew to a close, it was great to see the new friendships that had developed. Friendships between people who will be there for each other when facing the challenges of life with JIA. All this couldn't have happened without the help of supporters and the JAR team. Thank you Juvenile Arthritis Research for making this amazing day happen and we can’t wait for the next one!"

Thank you Samia and Fatimah for the excellent write-up and a big thank you for your generosity in providing the goodies for the goody bags for the event. With many thanks also to Clare for organising the event and the volunteers and helpers who supported with planning and preparation and those helping on the day.  With no grant funding for this event, this event was made possible thanks to the kind support of our donors and fundraisers. Family events are not a 'nice to have' for those with JIA but can be the only time they get the opportunity to connect with others with the condition and receive the support they need by talking to our volunteers. With thanks to our fundraisers, donors and supporters for making this possible.