Evie's Night Owls
Overnight respite at home.
Our story.
Evie's Night Owls was founded by Sam and Lee Bladon as a direct result of their personal experiences with their young daughter, Evie.
Due to oxygen deprivation at birth in 2012, Evie suffered severe brain damage and lived with multiple life-limiting illnesses, which resulted in the need for constant care. In addition to looking after Evie, Sam and Lee had two other very young children, and as a result, a peaceful night's sleep was very rare. For Sam and Lee, it took a 3-week stay in intensive care at St. Mary's Hospital to qualify for any publicly funded overnight respite care at home.
Although there was support for day respite care and limited hospice support, the necessary overnight respite was not provided. Sam and Lee wanted to change this reality for so many families so that they never have to experience the turmoil and suffering they did. In 2017, Evie's Night Owls was established by Sam and Lee as an umbrella project by the recognised charity Camp Simcha.
Through fundraising, they have funded around 7,000 hours of overnight respite care for families with children suffering from a life-limiting or terminal illness or condition requiring round-the-clock care.
In June 2023, Evie's Night Owls was established as an independent charity, enabling them to widen the families they can support. In 2018, Sam and Lee were awarded the prestigious Points of Light Award by then-Prime Minister Theresa May.
What we do.
Evie's Night Owls' purpose is to facilitate access to funding for families with dependents who have life-limiting or terminal illnesses or conditions, enabling them to access overnight respite care in their own homes.
Evie's Night Owls provides eligible families with funding for a predetermined number of hours of respite care, either by remunerating recognized care agencies that are CQC-registered or, in cases where a caregiver is specifically chosen or requested by the eligible family, by directly compensating that caregiver (provided the caregiver is also CQC-registered or possesses an enhanced DBS).
An independent charity.
After 6 years of being a Project for Camp Simcha, Evie's Night Owls is now its own independent charity helping families throughout the United Kingdom.
