West Derby 'could have world's best children's hospice'
£3.5million needs to be raised to build Zoe's Place's new home
Last updated 26th Apr 2024
We're told West Derby could potentially have the best children's hospice in the world - if people come together to raise the £3.5million needed to build it.
Zoe's Place is fundraising to move to the former bowling green at Hayman's Green.
So far, around £1.2million has been raised, but another £2.3million is still needed.
It's also needed by the time that the lease on Zoe's Place's current home expires next year.
The charity provides respite, end of life and palliative care for babies, infants and children across Merseyside and the North West with life-limiting and complex needs.
West Derby MP Ian Byrne said:
"It's such a special place. When we go in there and we see what they do and the commitment of the nurses and the staff.
"Potentially we're going to have the world's best children's hospice"
"It genuinely is a unique place - the children that it deals with, the respite that it gives, the care, the love, the devotion and potentially we're going to have the world's best children's hospice right in the heart of West Derby servicing West Derby, Liverpool and the region so it's something we should be extremely proud of and this is a fundraiser we should all get behind it.
"The consultation, the commitment from the local community that they want Zoe's Place at the heart of it and then the beautiful link then with Clare's House, Alder Hey - that link continues.
"I can't speak enough of this place, but also how proud I am to have two children's hospices in the heart of West Derby and Alder Hey, so for me, it's a win-win situation."
The charity is still waiting for full planning permission - the aim is to raise the money so the new home can be ready to use and fully functioning from the summer of 2025.
Nearby residents have been invited to see the plans in more detail - the event was also attended at the site of the potential new home by families who already use Zoe's Place.
That includes Claire and Graham Withington's daughter, who has complex medical needs.
Claire said:
"There's many families that don't even know that Zoe's (Place) exists. We didn't know it existed or it was ready for us. It was palliative care that introduced it to us and we declined it at first and said 'no, we don't need it!' but then we went to have a look and we're so glad that we did.
"Zoe's (Place) is a lifeline to us. Evie's got complex medical needs so knowing that she is safe and well cared for and all her needs and medicines and so on are met, is very important to us so we can have a night off, have a day off and she can have fun most importantly.
"She's so complex and we can switch off.
"It seems like there's lots of things for the children to access (in the new Zoe’s Place if it gets built), there's lots of things for us as parents to access and she can have access with more children that what they can currently so she should benefit from it and she should love it.
"It's something that West Derby needs and we need as a family."
They're doing their best to help raise the money needed - that includes Evie driving her little electric car and doing laps around their caravan park!
Aimee Clare, Capital Appeal Lead at Zoe's Place Baby Hospice, said:
"We look after babies 0-5. We provide respite care and the babies come to our hospice and stay for two nights a month, have a brilliant time and families can go home and relax, spend time with family, take time for themselves.
"Within our hospice we have, as well as bedrooms of course, we have sensory rooms, soft play, (a) hydrotherapy pool, incredible gardens, creative spaces and that what makes us so special and that's what we intend to have in our new hospice.
"Whilst it's really scary that we need to raise such a significant amount of money in such a short space of time, it's really exciting because we do really need a new hospice.
"We need a new home, we need a new facility for our babies and our families and they really deserve it.
"The plans and the drawings are incredible. We're going to have state-of-the-art facilities - it's going to be amazing and it's all really exciting.
"We just need to raise £3.5million!"