About Us
Providing the very best care and support possible
Specialist nursing care
For children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions
At Jessie May, we provide specialist nursing care, at home, for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. We support parents, siblings and wider family members in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire.
Through life and death, bereavement, and grief, we are here for families for as long as they need us – support for weeks, months, and years.
With us, seriously ill children can still be children, and their families can make memories to look back on when they need them most.
Our families let Jessie May in to their homes, both physically and emotionally., offering expert care and much-needed space for parents and carers to rest, and recharge.
Because they know the children so well, the nurses can advocate for children in clinical settings, so their voices and needs are always heard, whilst also supporting worried families during extremely difficult times.
When the end of a child’s life approaches, they’re there too, offering the kind of gentle, familiar care that only long-term, trusted relationships can provide.
Our mission is to provide the very best care and support possible, at home, for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their whole families – for the whole journey in life, at the end of life, and in bereavement.
Our vision is that all children and young people with life-limiting and life threatening conditions are supported to have the very best quality of life possible. With the chance to live, and to die, in their own homes with their families.
Our values
We put children and families first
We are kind, passionate and committed
We are honest, respectful and collaborative
Our impact with
your help
758
Children and families members cared for in their own homes
1400days
worth of free fully funded days out available for our families
153%
Increase in referrals for support
At Jessie May, we believe that the care we provide should make a genuine, lasting difference in the lives of the children and families we support. That’s why we’re deeply committed to understanding and improving our impact — every single day.
We listen to families, evaluate our services, and constantly seek better ways to provide the compassionate, expert care our community deserves.
We know that behind every donation is trust — and we value that trust. That’s why we work tirelessly to ensure every pound makes a real, measurable difference where it matters most.
Our history
Jessie May
Jessica May Purrington died peacefully at home in her father’s arms at just four and a half months old. Her family, who had experienced strong support where she was born in High Wycombe, were shocked to find that similar care wasn’t available when visiting relatives in Bristol.
All of the Jessie May nurses have training in listening skills and supporting parents and are experienced in offering support and a listening ear both before and after the death of a child.
In their grief, and to honour Jessie May’s memory, they founded the Jessie May Trust in 1996, determined to ensure that no family should face such heartache without the right support.
They knew from their own experience that home is where families feel safest. They understood that care at home helps parents, siblings, and children to create lasting memories, even in the hardest of times.
Since then, our service has grown to support famillies across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
Support Jessie May
Your contributions will help children with life-limiting conditions and their families through their toughest times.
