Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has sent a personal message of support for Children’s Hospice Week, asking everyone to join her in thanking the UK’s 54 children’s hospices for the life-changing care they provide to seriously ill children and families facing the unimaginable.
The Duchess’ message shines a light on the extraordinary support that children’s hospices have continued to provide to children and families throughout the pandemic, when they needed it most.
Children’s Hospice Week (21-27 June) is organised by Together for Short Lives and is the only week in the year dedicated to raising funds and awareness for children’s hospice services across the UK, and the thousands of children and families they support.
The theme for Children’s Hospice Week is “Pushed to the limits”, highlighting how hard the last year has been for families with a seriously ill child. Caring for a child with a life-limiting condition can be exhausting – and often the challenges families face are little understood. And this year, more than most, has been a frightening time, with many families shielding long before others, worrying about the pandemic and their child’s health. Families have felt alone and isolated and have relied on their local children’s hospice for lifeline support.
Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge’s message of support
The last year has been a difficult one for everyone, and especially tough and frightening for families with seriously ill children. Many started shielding long before others, worrying about the pandemic and what it might mean for their child.
The theme for this year’s Children’s Hospice Week is ‘Pushed to the Limits’, recognising the tremendous strain these families face, and why the care and support of their local children’s hospices is needed now more than ever.
Children’s hospices are a lifeline, and I have been privileged to see first-hand the remarkable work they do. They give families the care and time they need to make treasured lifelong memories – the chance to be parents, not carers. Vitally, they are also there when it is time to say goodbye, making sure a family has privacy and dignity so they can grieve together, and are able to receive support for as long as they need it.
I hope you will join me this Children’s Hospice Week in thanking the UK’s 54 children’s hospices and their incredible staff for the life-changing care they provide to children and families facing the unimaginable – helping them to make the most of every precious moment together.
Children’s hospices are a lifeline, and I have been privileged to see first-hand the remarkable work they do.
Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge
Andy Fletcher CEO for Together for Short Lives said:
“The Duchess of Cambridge, as Royal Patron for EACH, is a fantastic ambassador for seriously ill children and their families and the children’s hospices that they rely on. We join The Duchess in thanking children’s hospices for their much-needed lifeline support, especially throughout the pandemic, when families have felt exhausted and pushed to their limits.”
“More than ever, families need their children’s hospice to provide the care and time they need make the most of every moment, whether that’s for years, months or only days. The Duchess’s support for Children’s Hospice Week over many years has helped to raise awareness of the needs of seriously children and to show the life-changing care children’s hospice and palliative care services provide to families throughout their child’s life, and vitally at the end of their life, in bereavement and beyond.”
Phil Gormley CEO for EACH said:
“I am extremely grateful to The Duchess for her active support and advocacy, which is deeply appreciated and valued by both our families and staff.”
“We are currently doing everything we can to ensure delivery of our frontline service. The care we deliver is critically important to some of the most vulnerable children in society, and is dependent on the continued support from the people of East Anglia.”
“The pandemic has created some significant challenges, including maintaining our voluntary income, but these aren’t insurmountable and we’re genuinely confident of being able to innovate, expand and develop our service in future.”