Strong Support for Taylor-Made Dreams

There are some things in life you simply can’t imagine. Being told your child has a life-limiting illness is one of them. It’s the sort of news that turns your world upside down. For families facing that unimaginable reality, charities like Taylor-Made Dreams provide far more than practical support. They create moments of joy, precious memories, and remind families that they aren’t facing the journey alone.

Like every charity, however, they rely on the generosity of volunteers, fundraisers and supporters to continue their incredible work. At BakerWilcox, we’re proud to support Taylor-Made Dreams in as many ways as we can. Yes, we donate financially, but we also believe the most valuable thing we can give is our time. Whether that’s volunteering at events, fundraising, or simply introducing more people to the charity, we’re committed to helping them continue making a difference.

How it all began

I was first introduced to Taylor-Made Dreams through a friend from my local BNI networking group. He is a taxi driver, but during Covid, when taxis suddenly weren’t in great demand, he decided to volunteer for the charity instead. As he has children of his own he soon realised that visits to see Father Christmas that year would be out to, so instead he set up online calls, in full costume and character. At the time, my daughter Tilly was just three years old, so despite all the restrictions, she still got to enjoy a magical visit from Father Christmas. My friend donated every penny he raised back to Taylor-Made Dreams before eventually joining the charity full-time.

That introduction led me to meet more of the team, including the charity’s founder, Suzi Mitchell. Taylor-Made Dreams exists because of one remarkable young man. Suzi’s son, Taylor, was diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and, heartbreakingly, passed away at just 15 years old.

Before his illness, Taylor and his family had watched ‘The Bucket List’ (and if you haven’t seen it, I’d highly recommend it). Inspired by the film, Taylor created his own list of experiences he wanted to achieve, including meeting his favourite comedian, John Bishop (who has since become a Patron). Sadly, time ran out before he could complete every wish.

Rather than allowing Taylor’s story to end there, Suzi created something extraordinary. Taylor-Made Dreams was born from unimaginable heartbreak, but it has gone on to bring happiness, unforgettable memories and vital support to hundreds of families facing the toughest days of their lives.

Why it matters

There are moments that stay with you forever. Every Friday morning at our BNI meetings, another Father Christmas (yes, there seems to be a surprising number of them involved with this charity... I promise it isn’t actually a Christmas charity!) Neil Long would give us updates on the families Taylor-Made Dreams had been supporting.

Sometimes those updates included the words: “Jared has been given his wings.” “Lily has been given her wings.”

Those are sentences you never forget.

They serve as a stark reminder that behind every fundraiser, every raffle ticket, every volunteer and every donation is a family living through something most of us can’t even begin to comprehend.

Having a healthy child is something none of us should ever take for granted. That was the moment I knew I wanted BakerWilcox to do more. Thankfully, it didn’t take much persuading. The whole team immediately got behind the idea.

Of course, charities need financial support, but they also need people. People willing to give up a Saturday morning. People happy to paddle a dragon boat. People prepared to encourage others to get involved. That’s where we’ve focused our efforts.

Dragon Boat Racing

In 2024, Taylor-Made Dreams organised its first Dragon Boat Racing event to see whether there was enough interest to make it an annual fundraiser.

Sixteen of us climbed into a boat with Suzi keeping us in time as our cox. Somehow, despite our lack of experience we did very well and almost beat the Army in one race!

I managed to raise £285, which I was really pleased with at the time. More importantly, the event showed just how much fun fundraising could be.

The following year, I decided to think a little bigger. I brought together an entire crew made up of BakerWilcox colleagues, clients, friends and business connections. We proudly became the ‘Blazing Paddles’, and together we raised over £4,000.

Taylor-Made Dreams filled another two boats, taking the event total to more than £12,000.

This year, in 2026, the Blazing Paddles are back for another race. Our crew once again includes friends, colleagues, clients and business connections, but this year it feels even more personal.

One of our paddlers has experienced first-hand the support Taylor-Made Dreams provides, as his young niece has been helped by the charity. He’s seen the difference Taylor-Made Dreams has made to his family, and he’s brought both his brother and father-in-law along to help raise funds.

Other ways we’ve supported Taylor-Made Dreams

Supporting Taylor-Made Dreams has become part of who we are at BakerWilcox. Just to give you an idea of the events we have been fortunate to help with here is a summary:
• Local Choirs sing Christmas Carols in Tunbridge Wells
• Gardening at the Dragonfly Woods
• Holding a Christmas Stand at Holmewood House School
• Joining a Vintage Tea one year, then serving it the next
• Collecting donations at the Vintage Car Show in the Pantiles
• Buying Medical Grade Sheepskins
• Promoting everything they do

Why BakerWilcox supports Taylor-Made Dreams

At BakerWilcox, we believe businesses should be about more than the work we do.

We’re fortunate to work with fantastic clients and a wonderful local community, and with that comes an opportunity to give something back.

Taylor-Made Dreams creates memories that families will treasure forever, supports parents through unimaginable circumstances, and with the Sibling Support group makes sure that siblings get access to counselling and have some adventures to. 

If giving up a few hours, raising a few pounds or persuading a few friends to climb into a dragon boat helps make that happen, then it feels like a very worthwhile investment of our time.

We’re incredibly proud to support Taylor-Made Dreams, and we hope that by sharing our story, a few more people might decide to volunteer too.