Hamilton Family
A Tale of Love, Resilience, and Support for Chickenshed
Chickenshed played a huge part in the Hamilton Family life, from Suzanne taking Lola and Ruby to regular Tales from the Shed shows to both girls performing in many of the infamous Christmas Shows and Youth Theatre productions.
It played a particularly monumental role in Ruby’s life, given the challenges she faced. Following Ruby’s tragic passing in 2020, Suzanne and Lola decided to take on the 2023 London Marathon in her memory and to raise funds for Chickenshed.
The TCS London Marathon
Sun 21 Apr 2024 | Registration fee: £100 | Minimum Fundraising Target: £2,000
Since its very first race in 1981, The London Marathon has become one of the most epic challenge events of all time!
Every year we are in awe of the efforts our runners go to with their training, their fundraising and championing our work. If you'd like to be a part of #TeamChickenshed, then please register your interest and click below.
Ruby's Story
Ruby was born in 2004 with severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Although she faced extreme physical limitations, she had a fierce passion for life and tackled every challenge with dignity and determination.
From a young age, Ruby had a deep passion for all things creative, making Shed feel like a second home for all of us. Despite her non-verbal communication, her eyes and expressions could convey a thousand words. Her communication evolved from homemade written signs she would gaze at, to an incredible Eye-Gaze computer that finally gave her a voice.
"- in Chickenshed Ruby found somewhere she felt heard, included and acknowledged."
Ruby’s Chickenshed Journey
After taking part in numerous shows, Ruby’s Chickenshed journey culminated with (L)able, a deeply thought-provoking and important piece of work which tackled the issue of placing people in boxes and the damaging effects that can have on society.
This production gave Ruby the opportunity to speak her mind and portray her own experience of growing up with a severe physical disability. Watching her on stage and hearing her voice was a magical moment for us and enabled others to feel the impact she had on everyone who met her.
London Marathon
Ruby was the beating heart of our family and her sudden and untimely death left a gaping hole in our lives. What better way than running the London Marathon and raising money for Chickenshed?
Together with 2 friends, we formed a ‘Run for Ruby’ Team and managed to raise over £30,000 for Shed. It was a mammoth and sometimes daunting task but knowing that we were doing something to help the place that holds such meaning to us gave us the momentum to cross the finish line.
"Running became a way of dealing with our loss and gave us time to contemplate ways of continuing Ruby’s legacy."
