Fletcher and his mum are raising awareness for ERIC – the charity that supported them

Around three children in every primary school class in the UK is suffering with a bladder or bowel health condition, and yet it’s a topic that nobody wants to talk about. Over-stretched or patchy NHS services across the country mean thousands are going without vital support and are turning to ERIC, the Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity, for help.

The charity is calling for greater awareness and funding for its bowel and bladder services to keep this lifeline for families going.

The growing issue of bowel/bladder problems in kids

The Paediatric Continence Forum estimates that one in nine children and young people across the UK (over 1.5 million) have bowel/bladder problems, and could be higher as some families don’t seek help because of embarrassment, stigma or hoping that the problem will resolve as the child grows. That’s around three children in every primary school class, higher than the number of children living with asthma.

Left untreated, they can cause long-term damage to children’s health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately, cuts to essential children’s services in recent years have resulted in many children going undiagnosed for long periods, or not being able to access the support they need quickly enough.

In December 2023, the Local Government Association warned of a £4bn overall funding gap over the next two years, with £4 in every £5 of additional spending going on late intervention services.  Bladder and bowel services are also feeling the pinch and there are many NHS trusts areas across the UK that do not have a service for children and young people. Covid-19 further impacted it, with many services either being restricted or closed altogether.

For people who can’t afford to seek private support, this means they may struggle to find adequate provision in their area – a postcode lottery, essentially.

ERIC: a lifeline for families

ERIC, the Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity runs a helpline for families experiencing bladder and bowel issues. For the past few years we have seen an increase in calls to the helpline, as families struggle to access essential services.

Over the last 5 years, the volume of calls received by our helpline has increased by 215% (from 1900 calls in the year to September 2019, to 5987 calls in the year to September 2024).

Juliette Rayner, CEO of ERIC, said:

It shouldn’t be left to charities like ours to pick up the pieces once the problem has become unmanageable, but unfortunately that’s exactly what is happening.

There are families who are struggling with extremely distressing symptoms, who are unable to access support or even feel able to talk about it, because discussing wee and poo is taboo.

For 35 years, ERIC has been supporting families and helping to break down the stigma around these issues so that children and young people can access the support they desperately need. Like many other charities, however, the cost of living crisis is impacting us.

We rely on the support of donors to run our free helpline and provide online resources which act as lifelines for families who have nowhere else to turn. Our costs have gone up, but donations are much harder to secure at a time when people have less to give.

It costs around £40 for a continence expert to provide 30 minutes’ telephone support to a young person, so to keep offering that service, as well as all the online support we offer, we really need people to spread the word and donate.

Fletcher’s story

When Fletcher was just six months old, his mum Hannah realised there was something wrong with his toileting. He was in a lot of pain, but the cause remained a mystery.

Over the years, Fletcher has lost out on countless childhood experiences due to constipation that left him severely impacted. The build up and blockage of poo eventually stretched his bowel and he was left unable to control his bowel movements.

Hannah said:

It was horrible. We just didn’t know what to do, where to turn. Fletcher would often ask why this is happening to him, why he couldn’t go to the toilet like everybody else.

Without a proper diagnosis and treatment, things grew extreme for the family. Fletcher began to withdraw from activities and other children, cowering in the corner. Then he stopped walking because he was in so much pain.

After discovering ERIC’s website, Hannah realised they were not alone and found a way forward. Now, Fletcher has been diagnosed with slow transit constipation. His condition is being managed, he’s not in as much pain, and he’s even become involved in fundraising for ERIC.

Fletcher has taken on a number of fundraising activities for ERIC, including selling poo emoji keyrings at school, and even doing a litter pick of all the local parks in his area, for which he raised almost £1,000.

“Despite everything, he still gets up every day with a smile. He still tries his best at everything. He is super amazing,” said Hannah:

Fletcher is one of 1.5 million children in the UK who struggles with bowel & bladder problems. we're here for children like Fletcher & their families all year round. Every donation makes a difference to the lives of children like Fletcher, donate now – https://t.co/DbIKuxnVvn pic.twitter.com/cpFmCIQxPi

— ERIC (@ERIC_UK) November 25, 2024

Donate to the ERIC Christmas Appeal now at eric.org.uk

Featured image via ERIC