When a child is seriously ill, the focus naturally falls on their medical care. But for parents living on hospital wards for weeks, months, or even years, the toll can be overwhelming. There is currently no legal obligation for hospitals to provide for parents’ needs. As a result, many face financial pressure from lost income, separation from other children, and the relentless stress of making life-changing decisions every day. Family support at Manchester Children’s Hospital, and across the country, remains a significant gap in provision.
Much-needed support for parents
Emmie’s Kitchen was founded by Eve Naraynsingh after her daughter Emmie was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2017. Eve witnessed first-hand how little support existed for parents on the wards. So she and her mother began informally bringing surplus food for families. By 2018, this had grown into monthly meal sessions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, parent facilities closed and needs intensified. Because of this, the charity expanded rapidly, developing the Friday Night Takeaway, snack bags, and wellbeing sessions that now form the heart of its offer. Today, volunteers run Emmie’s Kitchen entirely, including clinical psychologists, wellbeing practitioners, and community supporters.
Every Friday, partner restaurants cook 100–130 meals. Parents choose from a menu offering not just nutrition, but dignity and choice. Eighty snack bags go out weekly, packed with drinks, fruit, and snacks to keep energy levels up. A monthly wellbeing drop-in offers massage, sound healing, crafts, and peer connection in a calm, non-clinical space. Seasonal support, including Christmas gift bags and Mother’s Day packages, ensures families feel remembered throughout the year.
Continuing the vital work of Emmie’s Kitchen
Support from John Good Group will allow Emmie’s Kitchen to continue this vital work. The charity costs around £2,500 per month to run and relies entirely on grants and donations. Therefore, this funding will directly pay for meals, snack bags, and wellbeing sessions. It will ensure that parents on some of the hospital’s most demanding wards – including oncology, haematology, and critical care – continue to receive the care and connection they deserve.
I wasn’t a hospital parent the day before my daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia. I had no idea how hard hospital life is for parents of children undergoing life-changing treatments. I have met families who have spent years in hospital, not knowing where their next meal was coming from, losing jobs, being miles from home, separated from their other children. Emmie’s Kitchen attempts to fill some of those gaps, providing meals and snacks, but also being a friendly face in what can often feel like a hostile environment. Helping parents to know how valuable and important they are to their child’s recovery, and to wider society.
Emmie’s Kitchen delivers a service that is simple in its offer but profound in its impact. Eve’s lived experience and deep passion for supporting families shine through everything the charity does. Entirely volunteer-led and built on trusted relationships with the hospital, local restaurants, and the families it serves, this is grassroots community support at its best. We are confident that Emmie’s Kitchen will continue to provide the care, dignity, and connection that parents at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital so clearly depend on.
Latest Project Updates
March 2026
Grants for Good Finalist
Emmie's Kitchen has become one of the top five finalists in the latest Grants for Good round, and will receive a grant between £2000 and £5000 after employees at the John Good Group have voted on their favourite causes.