The Sick Children's Trust
The Sick Children's Trust is a registered charity (No. 284416) and for the last twenty-six years has provided free accomodation for families of sick children in the grounds of hospitals. They now have seven "homes-from-home" around England.
The nearest is ECKERSLEY HOUSE at ST JAMES' HOSPITAL (JIMMY'S) in Leeds. Our daughter Bethany (who is now 6 years old) spent most of the first year of her life in the Children's Liver Unit, her condition becoming serious and unstable on more than one occasion, and she returned in January 2009 for a liver transplant. The comfort and privacy of Eckersley House helped to keep us together, (and sane!) less than two minutes from her bedside.
The house has a large kitchen and dining area (each family has their own fridge and cupboard with a lock), a playroom and lounge and a small garden.
Sadly, many children will spend Christmas in hospital and places such as Eckersley House will make it possible for them to be with their families over the festive season.
St James' Hospital has specialist units for children in the fields of nephrology, oncology, cystic fibrosis, gastroenterology and liver transplants. Eckersley House has fifteen family rooms, and also a self-contained flat for families whose child is recovering from a liver transplant, when infection has to be avoided.
Jane McHale is the Manager at Eckersley House, and was our special guest to switch on the lights in December 2006.
All the money raised by our Christmas
lights will go directly to the Sick Children's
Trust, to be used at Eckersley House.
Sick Children's Trust Head Office:
80 Ashfield Street
London
E1 2BJ
Tel: 020 7791 2266
Fax: 020 7709 8358
Website:
This year is even more crucial for The Sick Children's Trust. Due to NHS reorganisation they have to move one of their homes across Leeds and need to raise £1.8 million. (See the bottom of this page).
Let's see how much we can help them!
Jane McHale
Eckersley House has provided accommodation for the families of
seriously ill children receiving treatment at St James Hospital in Leeds
for the past 16 years – but that is about to change. St James’s Hospital
is moving its children’s wards to the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) to
create a paediatric Centre of Excellence. By July 2010 the majority of
children’s wards will be moved to the new centre.
Sadly this means by July of next year Eckersley House will no longer be needed in its present location. So we have decided to move Eckersley House to a new site just two minutes walk from the new children’s wards at the LGI. Plus, we are increasing the facility from 16 to 22 bedrooms to help even more families in their time of need.
The Sick Children’s Trust will be the sole provider of family accommodation at the LGI; so if we don’t move Eckersley House, every year hundreds of sick children will have to undergo prolonged medical treatment without their families being close by.
‘The Big Move’ to our new site at the LGI will cost £1.8million and we still have £850,000 to go – with only 8 months until the move, we really need your help to raise those vital funds!
CHRISTMAS IN THORNHILL
Stop/Play
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