Meet A Wishgranter - Tom

Hello! My name is Tom, I am 26, originally from Surrey and I’m a Wishgranter! I've been a Wishgranter since April 2019.

I would say that a Wishgranter is someone who deals with the parameters and limitations of each individual wish child’s ideas and does their best to make them a reality.

If I was to have a wish I think it would be to either have a skydive, or stay overnight in a castle with my family. But when I was little, I wanted to be a film director.

The best piece of feedback I’ve had so far was in the form of a thank you card from one of my wish kids – it was the first one I received and has pride of place on my wall!

I can’t help but be proud of my job – it's amazing being allowed into a family’s life at such a precarious time. It is a privilege to be able to help in any way we can and you learn a profound sense of perspective from some extraordinarily brave people.

My biggest achievement so far is having the opportunity to represent Make-A-Wish UK on national television, and only a few months into learning the job!

My favourite wish memory so far has been organising a wish for a kid to celebrate Christmas at Center Parcs is the middle of summer, and seeing photos of their lodge filled with decorations (including an animatronic polar bear) – especially his face in the photo where he got to meet Father Christmas!

A lot of people assume that being a Wishgranter is quite a heavy and sad job – I think lots of people would be surprised by how fun and silly it is most of the time.

When I'm not granting wishes, I love watching (and writing!) theatre!