Imagine This

Who we are

Actors Jim Murray and Sarah Parish’s first daughter, Ella-Jayne, was born with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome in 2009 and spent half her short life in paediatric intensive care, Southampton Children’s Hospital. Ella-Jayne died, at home, just eight months old. After they recovered from the immediate horror, Jim and Sarah felt an overwhelming drive to help other children and families and founded The Murray Parish Trust in 2014. They were awarded MBE’s in the King’s New Years Honours 2025 for services to seriously ill children and their families. In July 2025, the day before our co-founders were awarded MBE’s for their voluntary services, we rebranded the charity to Imagine This as part of our ambition to raise more money to scale our projects to reach more children and families.

Our charity delivers diverse projects that support the mental health of seriously ill children and their families and prevent long-term or complex mental health difficulties that are harder to treat. We do this by delivering a vast range of projects in children’s hospitals, hospices and other health or community settings across the UK. These include drama, dance, art, nature and music therapy; bereavement and mortuary suites, distraction equipment that reduces anxiety, sanctuary and quiet rooms; sibling support; counselling and therapy rooms; and psychological support for children/family members.

Our culture and values

Over 1 million children in the UK face life-long, life-limiting, life-threatening, complex or acute health conditions. These children are far more likely to experience mental health challenges. Childhoods are overshadowed by coming to terms with diagnosis, hospital stays, treatment, feeling different from friends or managing how their illness affects daily life. Many of them struggle with severe anxiety and depression, experiencing isolation and trauma during their journey.

Understandably, the focus is on medical care as NHS funds are limited and children’s hospices face a funding shortage for essential services. A child’s mental health needs are critical but often left behind. Left unsupported, mental health  challenges can become more complex and difficult to treat later in life, on top of living with often complicated medical needs. The impact on the mental health of the wider family is also clear. Parents or siblings often get no support at all. Many parents need to give up work to care for their child - adding to the emotional strain. Many siblings play an active part in the care of their brother or sister.

We bring a creative and diverse approach to our projects, driving a nationwide movement to improve understanding of how best to support the mental wellbeing of seriously ill children and their families. Through imaginative, innovative, and empowering projects, we help them navigate their journey with connection, resilience, and hope. Our approach is unique, recognising that traditional talking therapies alone cannot address this issue. We bring a creative and diverse approach to our projects to facilitate a nationwide movement in learning about how to best support the mental health of children with significant illness, and their families. 

Our small team model our values of Innovation, Resilience, Community, Imagination, Compassion, Bravery and Integrity. They demonstrate a passion, commitment and ambition for improving the mental health and wellbeing of seriously ill children across the UK.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

We are committed to an environment where everyone can realise their potential, free from discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic. The aim is for our team to represent our community and for each member of the team to feel respected and able to give their best. This approach extends through our staff and freelance team; volunteers, ambassadors and trustees; supporters and donors; and the children and families that our work supports.