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To
mark this major milestone in the charity's Β£4m new hospice
appeal, popular Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ television character, Bob the Builder will join
children and families from each of the Three Counties at the site
in Worcester on Tuesday October 28th.
The
state-of-the-art hospice on the southern boundary of the city will
provide palliative care and support for more than 200 children and
their families in the Three Counties.
It
will have 10 bedrooms, a multi-sensory room, a specially designed
playroom, hydrotherapy pool, family accommodation, a dedicated unit
for teenagers and an acre of landscaped gardens designed to be as
interactive and accessible as possible for the children who visit.
The
grounds also include new stables and paddock for resident donkeys,
Dotty and Sally.
It
is expected that the building programme will take around 13 months
and Malvern-based contractors, Speller-Metcalfe, plan to hand over
the hospice to Acorns at the end of 2004 for the finishing touches.
"It's
hard to believe that 18 months since launching our fundraising appeal
to the general public we are now building the new hospice. It's
a fantastic moment," said Acorns' Chief Executive, John Overton.
"However,
we still need to raise the final Β£1m in our appeal to complete
the hospice and would urge people to dig deep as we dig the foundations
for this exciting project."
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| Artists
impression of new site |
Local
Acorns families
Many
local Acorns families have been following the progress of the new
hospice with huge anticipation, including the Davisons from Worcestershire,
whose 10-year-old son Robert has travelled to the Acorns hospice
in Selly Oak, Birmingham, for respite care since he was two.
Robert
is a quadriplegic who also has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and,
as his father Bill Davison, explains:
"The
new hospice in Worcester just can't happen soon enough for us. Robert
often goes to Acorns Selly Oak when he is poorly or when he has
just come out of hospital and we couldn't cope at home.
"But
he hates the hour-long journey and the trauma of it makes him very
agitated and upset and could trigger a fit. It will be so much easier
for us when the new hospice is built as it will take us just five
minutes to get there in the car."
Mum
Sally, who describes Acorns as a 'third hand', adds that the new
hospice will make a huge difference to them as a family.
"Because
we live so far away from Selly Oak, our other son Peter misses out
on the many activities Acorns organises for brothers and sisters.
"It
will be great when Acorns Worcester is open as he will then be able
to join in. There will be much more normality in our life and Peter's.
Many more families like ours will be able reap the benefits of the
new hospice."
As
well as respite and emergency care, the new Worcester hospice will
offer terminal care and bereavement support.
For
families like the Lewis's, also from Worcestershire, who lost their
five-and-a-half month little boy Fraser from brain damage and severe
epilepsy just before Christmas in 1999, Acorns has been a lifeline.
"Thanks
to Acorns the last few hours of Fraser's life were very special.
The medical staff at Selly Oak ensured he was no longer in any pain.
For the first time in his life he stopped hurting.
"The
staff cared for his twin brother Hayden, and sister Corah, so we
could spend our last precious moments with Fraser.
"Acorns
has been so important in our life and still is. It's been a real
lifeline and the support we've had from our community worker since
Fraser's death has helped us all immensely.
"Night
or day I can pick up the phone and talk to someone who understands.
Although you never get over losing a child, Acorns means that you
don't have to face that loss alone."
The
start of building work is also a moving time for 79-year-old June
Sayce, who together with her late husband, Willie, donated the land
for the new hospice.
"It
was my husband's dying wish that his land be donated to help life-limited
children and their families and now his dream is about to be set
in stone. I've had such pleasure watching this project grow and
have put everything into it.
"Now
I want to see the hospice built and up-and-running. There aren't
many children's hospices in this country which is very sad, but
Acorns is helping to put that right. It will be a very special place
for very special children."
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