Helping a hospice be more than a home from home

Helen & Douglas House in Oxfordshire was the first children’s hospice in the world when it opened its doors 40 years ago. A trail blazer for in-house and at-home care for terminally ill children, it now offers a full spectrum of services including supportive stays, end-of-life care, bereavement support and siblings services for more than 150 children, and their families, each year. It’s not just a home- from-home for young people and their families, it’s a fantastic facility which offers families the chance to make happy memories together through art, music, play and other activities.

Accessible Places

A £5000 grant from the B&Q Foundation provided new slings for the hoist system that runs throughout the hospice to cater for all the various mobility issues of the children. Not only does this make it easy for the children to get into and out of bed or the bath, but it means they can access the garden, the art room, the therapeutic pool, the sensory room and the music room too. They can even go into the kitchen for baking activities. It enables them to have fun with their families and their siblings during their precious time together.

“Helen & Douglas House is phenomenal,” said Jeannie Pitt, B&Q Foundation Manager, “and to think our grant gives every child access to all areas of this fantastic facility is worth every penny.”

Teenage Spaces

The grant also redecorated the space used by teenagers at the hospice. It created a funky space with music room and DJ decks, age appropriate furniture and décor, a space of their own that they could really be themselves in.

“We’re massively thankful to the B&Q Foundation for this grant,” said Andrea Lambert, Director of Clinical Services. “Some of our children are with us for many years, some only for a short time, but whatever the length of care, this grant has given us a boost to provide the best home-from-home the children could hope for.”