Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service provides free specialist care and support to children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families. We support over 200 children and their families across Berkshire and surrounding counties. This project will bring together the families we support to have new experiences, build relationships with other families, make memories and be supported in their emotional and social wellbeing.

The children we support have complex illnesses that can affect movement, key functions and learning abilities, requiring constant medical attention from their parents or carers. The parents of the children we support are carers 24/7 which is physically and emotionally exhausting and makes it difficult for them to take part in social and wellbeing activities together. The children, and their siblings, are unable to experience normal family activities. We support 50 siblings who often miss out on play activities, stimulation and the positive engagement that other children take for granted. This project will give the children we support and their whole family access to experiences they would otherwise miss out on. Families will receive much-needed respite and the opportunity to make precious memories together, which will have a positive benefit on their mental and physical wellbeing.

Every year we will run a family fun day in Spring and Summer, and a Christmas Party, at our children’s hospice in Maidenhead, Berkshire so the whole family can create precious memories together while they can. Children can play and express themselves, engage with other children and have fun through activities such as arts and crafts, face painting, games, a mobile petting farm and balloon modelling. For the siblings we support they can develop their peer support network and gain new experiences that others take for granted. This will improve the emotional, mental and social wellbeing of the whole family.

Funding will go towards the cost of the catering, entertainment and arts and crafts activities we provide at these three events for children and their families. Funding will also include preparing the hospice grounds for the Spring and Summer, for example cleaning the play equipment and setting up the marquee in our hospice grounds.