About Us

“The Purple Soup team has a depth of experience and passion for working with children with special needs. They organise activities, resources and liaise with camp staff. They have also provided invaluable resources to CFV by organizing competent volunteer staffing and specialised training for volunteers”  - Nikki Berlin Support Worker; Cystic Fibrosis Victoria.

Each year over 75,000 young people and their families are effected by a chronic illness.

Whilst health professionals are often able to help with the medical facets of illness, frequently it is the psychosocial and emotional aspects, which leave lasting effects on patients and their families.

Many young people remark that it is socially isolating, they feel uncertain of the future and are fearful of not being able to achieve their life goals.

Purple soup was formed in 2002 by Tim Marchinton and Melissa Middleton to help address these and many other issues associated with having a chronic illness.

Based on Therapeutic Recreation models learnt in the US and UK Purple Soup aims to provide challenging activity based programs for people affected by serious illness.

Each program is designed to meet individual group’s needs, in order to teach life skills, rebuild confidence, self esteem, trust and courage. 

Purple Soup’s key philosophy lies within the belief that everybody has the ability to achieve; to challenge themselves, and conquer new feats. 

We offer services inclusive of all participants, allowing everybody to partake in the same adventure based activities no matter what illness or disability the individual may have.

Purple Soup understands that it is not just the person with an illness that is affected by their condition, but often the family that feel the rippling effects of illness.

In order to best address this Purple Soup has developed programs for the whole family unit, including parents and siblings.

In the past seven years Purple Soup has created moments where young people and their families can be themselves, where they can step outside their comfort zone and challenge themselves within a safe and fun environment.

Running numerous day programs, corporate training and over twenty camps a year for organisations such as Cystic Fibrosis Victoria, Haemophilia Foundation Victoria and Epikepsy Action Australia, Purple Soup continues to grow and thrive with each endeavour.

Purple Soup is actively seeking new programs that will supporting many more young people and their families in the future.