Haven House Children’s Hospice has called off many of its fundraising activities for the foreseeable future. Chief Executive Mike Palfreman warns this could have a devastating impact and appeals for support
Nationwide, strict restrictions are now in place to stop the spread of coronavirus. Public gatherings, events and ceremonies have been cancelled and shops and businesses have closed their doors.
Our hospice has now launched an Emergency Fund to help us keep supporting local children and their families who need specialist care.
These are challenging times where no one is immune from the effects of coronavirus. Haven House now faces the possibility that hundreds of seriously ill children and families who depend on the care given by our front-line nurses will stop – threatening our very existence. Every day, children and families need our help, but now more so than ever.
Families tell us we are their lifeline and we cannot let them face this alone. The impact that coronavirus will have on our vulnerable children and families could be devastating. Haven House faces a serious crisis and we need the help of our community.
We welcome the government’s announcement to pledge up to £200m to the UK’s hospice sector.
Haven House is on the front line in providing care for some of the most vulnerable children in our local community. I would like to thank the Chancellor for recognising the vital role we play in supporting the NHS in its fight against COVID-19. Whilst we await details of precisely what this funding will mean to Haven House, we can say that these emergency funds will be essential to keep us going in the short term and enable us to continue providing a lifeline and specialist care to our children and families.
We are determined to play our part and support the NHS at this critical moment, and are doing so through offering both beds and expertise, working closely every day with our NHS colleagues to ensure children at end-of-life and in non-emergency situations but without COVID-19 can be swiftly transferred out of hospital to free up those beds.
The funding is very welcome but does not mean we can become complacent in our appeal for funds. We are projecting a loss in income of around £500,000 in the next three months and the situation beyond then is hugely uncertain for everyone. We are keen to highlight our continued need for support from the community, from whom around 80% of our income traditionally comes through fundraising and our shops.
I would like to thank our supporters who have responded to our call for help over the past weeks. Thank you for holding us in your hearts. This support is so essential and we will continue to need it now and into the future.
