In memory of their daughter, a Mill Hill family is fundraising to establish a nocturnal respite service for Camp Simcha, which supports families coping with serious childhood illness.

Although Camp Simcha offers occasional respite to clients who cannot access it from their local authority, Sam and Lee Bladon hope to make Evie’s Night Owls a regular service.

Their daughter Evie was born in 2012. Oxygen deprivation during birth resulted in severe brain damage and doctors didn’t expect her to survive beyond 48 hours. But Evie was a fighter who went on to celebrate three birthdays with her family.

Multiple health issues meant she required 24/7 care and among the many services the Bladons received from Camp Simcha was night-time respite.

“Presently it is only the most severe of the severe who are eligible,” Mrs Bladon explained. “Evie had to nearly die before this provision kicked in for us. Until then we were up every night with her.

“It was so hard to keep functioning on no sleep night after night, looking after your other children and going to work. The respite care we got from Camp Simcha was a life-saver. It helped us keep our heads above water.”

The hope is that sufficient funds will be raised to make Evie’s Night Owls an ongoing service. “This will be Evie’s legacy.”

Its first fundraiser will be a sale of 200 new party dresses for girls and teenagers in Mill Hill on October 19. There will be an option for people to sponsor those who cannot afford one.

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