Our Mission
We want to uplift vulnerable members of our Thanet community by supporting families in crisis and enhancing patient care in the Cheerful Sparrows wards at QEQM Hospital.
Our vital role in the community
We accept requests through professionals in healthcare, social services, education and other caring organisations to provide families in need with essential items such as beds, bedding, storage, school uniforms, shoes, fridges, freezers and cookers.
Our History
Cheerful Sparrows has been a beacon of hope for people in need since it was founded during the Boer War (1899-1902). The name comes from a Mr Sparrow, a friendly porter at Honor Oak Park railway station in South London. He joined the volunteer corps to fight in South Africa and, while he was away, city commuters made regular collections to support his family.
This idea gained popularity and Cheerful Sparrow branches formed countrywide to offer financial help for the poor and needy. The Cheerful Sparrows Thanet (formerly Margate) formed in 1925.
Our work at Margate’s QEQM Hospital
By 1939 the charity had raised almost £25,000, of which £20,000 went towards building the Margate General Hospital, now Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital. As a thank you, two wards – one female, one male – were named in honour of our charity.
Today we continue to offer support by providing items that improve patients’ day-to-day comfort and the general running of the wards. To date, these include:
- A Sara Stedy Aid that lets staff transport immobile patients to bathroom facilities with dignity, and enables patients to reach quiet areas for talks with families and doctors. Staff tell us it has helped improve patient morale and wellbeing.
- All kinds of toiletries
- Bedside trays for patients’ belongings
- Stand-alone + handheld fans to combat summer heat
- Bed-end holders to keep patient notes tidy
Help us make an impact on the lives around us
As the last remaining branch of the Cheerful Sparrows, we want to continue this legacy of compassion. But our journey is far from over. We need your help. By donating, volunteering or simply spreading the word, your support makes all the difference.
Our Trustees
Peter Silver
Chair
Peter joined as a trustee after moving from central London to Birchington in 2021, then became Chair in 2024. He brings his experience of working in sales and marketing with advertising and creative services. An Emeritus Churchwarden of St Bride’s Church in London’s Fleet Street, he’s also a trustee of St Bride Charity, and past trustee/chair of the St Bride Foundation. Peter’s a widower with three grown-up sons, five grandchildren and Bellini, an aged but active Golden Retriever.
Ruth Farmer
Vice-Chair
Ruth joined the charity in the early ‘00s and became Vice Chair in 2020. She worked for over 30 years with social services across Medway, Gravesend and Thanet as an occupational therapist then business manager, helping people with Disabilities to live independently. Ruth also served as a local magistrate on youth and adult panels in courts across East Kent. She values the charity’s willingness to help people in need and is proud to continue its work.
Jane Williams
Treasurer
Jane joined as a trustee in 2012 and soon became Treasurer. After university, she qualified as a Social Worker then took a Computing Science degree, leading to a varied career in the NHS, Social Services (including child protection) and the Government. In 2006 she moved from Blackheath in southeast London to Broadstairs in search of sand, rock pools and cliffs. If only her four children and six grandchildren – currently scattered globally – lived nearer!
Derek Williams
Trustee
A trustee since 2013, Derek moved to Broadstairs following a varied career in London, including being MD of a global graphics company and starting a 4-diamond hotel in Greenwich to accommodate millennium visitors. He works as an occasional freelance interviewer for the National Centre for Social Research in Thanet and London.
Julia Lidstone
Trustee
Julia became a trustee in 2019. After an honours degree in Economics (UCL), she pursued a career in finance, gaining several professional qualifications, and is now retired. She finds work with Cheerful Sparrows rewarding, especially the way the charity gives deprived and underprivileged children a better start by providing essentials to help their development and education.
Gemma Perry
Trustee
Gemma joined us in 2024. During a varied career in childcare she worked in nurseries and with the NHS, supporting families in need with child development, both in the community and at Children’s Centres. Now a financial administrator, her role with Cheerful Sparrows allows her to continue doing what she loves alongside her work and busy family life.