This Friday marks the 30th anniversary of Children’s Hospice South West’s service to families of terminally ill children. The charity was originally founded by Jill and Eddie Farewell in 1991.
Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) are committed to providing palliative care to children who’s lives are shortened by incurable conditions as well as providing support to their loved ones.
Jill and Eddie first set up the charity after unfortunately experiencing the need for a hospice facility first-hand, and ever since then the charity has developed into a well-known and respected organisation. Little Bridge House, the first children's hospice in the South West, opened its doors to families from all over the area in 1995. Little Bridge House was soon full, prompting the charity to open its second hospice, Charlton Farm, just outside of Bristol, in 2007.
Since then, two more hospices have been opened: Charlton Fam in Bristol and Little Harbor in Cornwall. Over five hundred families are now being helped by the charity currently and their services are provided to every one of these families at no cost.
Ten-year-old Betsy’s experience of CHSW’s Little Harbor facility was featured on BBC and told how the hospice provided care for her brother Lucas, who has complex disabilities that require full-time care from her parents. They fell ill during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic last year which is when they contacted the hospice who looked after Lucas for a month. The hospice stepped in again after Lucas returned home to offer sibling support to Betsy, who was getting increasingly worried and scared by the pandemic and how it might affect her family. Suzanne, Betsy’s sibling support worker was able to help Betsy through the challenging time by simply lending an ear and being available to Betsy to listen to her concerns, worries and general thoughts.
Comfort and fun are two of the main offerings of the hospices, with provision of facilities such as hydrotherapy pools, games rooms, multi-sensory rooms and large outdoor areas with great access. The hospices employ Care Teams from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines such as nurses and other professional care providers. Committed to the development of their care, CHSW offer professional study days to support healthcare professionals develop their skills and knowledge in order to maximise their caregiving. They also offer a range of research reports, resources and information.
The work the charity does however would not be possible without donations and collaborations with other companies as they rely almost entirely on voluntary contributions. Building on the Saltrock and CHSW long term partnership which provides support and visibility whilst benefiting from regular funding, this year at Saltrock we are extremely proud to have been able to support CHSW celebrating 30 years with the collaborative Charity Tee, which was reported in the North Devon Gazette. As a family brand, children at the heart of everything we do and so being able to offer help to this amazing charity means a lot to us and we hope you can connect with it, too.
You can help the charity by making a regular or one-off donation of as little as £5, leaving a gift in your Will to make a lasting difference, giving in memory of someone special to you, or giving in celebration of life events such as birthdays and weddings to give them extra meaning.