Rainbow Trail

A journey no family expects… and one no child or young adult should walk alone.

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When cancer treatment begins, life changes instantly. Days become filled with appointments, procedures, scans, waiting rooms and difficult conversations. Children and young adults can become quiet or withdrawn, and families often struggle to find the right words for fear, bravery and everything in between.

 

The Rainbow Trail was created to bring clarity, comfort and connection into this overwhelming time — and it has become a cherished part of the support offered at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH).

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A bead for every moment — the hard ones, the brave ones, and the hopeful ones.

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Each bead on the Rainbow Trail marks something significant:

a treatment, a procedure, a milestone, or a moment that mattered.

 

Slowly, bead by bead, a story begins to form — not just of illness, but of courage, resilience and the incredible strength families find within themselves.

 

Every Trail is completely unique.

No two journeys look the same, and no two Trails ever will.

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Why the Rainbow Trail means so much

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The Trail becomes a way for children and young adults to understand what’s happening and take ownership of their story.

Families tell us it helps them:

 

• talk openly about difficult days

• reflect on how far they’ve come

• explain the journey to brothers, sisters, friends and relatives

• find small moments of positivity during long months of treatment

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The beads are bright, tactile and grounding — something real to hold when everything else feels uncertain.

 

For staff at RACH, the Trail also offers a gentle way to check how families are coping and to guide conversations or explain upcoming treatments.

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Your support makes this possible

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Every child’s treatment path is different, but on average a full Rainbow Trail costs around £250 to complete.

 

By supporting CALICO, you help us provide this meaningful keepsake to children and young adults when they need it most — a reminder of how strong they are, how far they’ve travelled, and how much hope lies ahead.