52 little things week 22

Welcome to week 22 of 52 in my year long challenge. I am making and donating a special bead for each week of the year for the Beads of Courage program here in the UK. The program is sponsored by a small family run charity called Be Child Cancer Aware and is in place in 45 UK hospitals for children with cancer and blood disorders.

Act of Courage beads like this little purple robot and  are and gifted by glass artists all over the UK and Europe. They are given to children and teens on the program to mark milestones on a child's treatment journey. The strings of beads (in many cases hundreds of beads) that a child enrolled with BoC will collect through the course of their treatment are a powerful tool. They are a tangible way for friends, families and care givers to be able to see and recognise courage and bravery.


The Beads of Courage program helps to help to reduce illness related distress and encourages positive coping strategies. Every treatment bead gives a child something tangible to use to be able to discuss their treatment and experience. Beads of Courage are very powerful and I am very proud to be able to do something to help bu doing something I love, making glass beads. If you would like to know more about the program here in the UK please visit

Jolene x