Belstone and Area Friends of the Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW)

Since the opening of Little Bridge House, near Barnstaple, in 1995, CHSW has been providing expert holistic and family-centred care for life-limited children and their families across the South West of England, to ‘make the most of short and precious lives’. Subsequently, two more hospices have opened – Charlton Farm, near Bristol and Little Harbour in St Austell, ensuring that no family should need to travel more than 90 minutes to receive respite care. CHSW relies on the generosity of the people of the South West to help raise the £9.8 million needed annually to run the hospices and this is where friends’ groups play a large part.

The Belstone Friends’ Group consists of four enthusiastic friends – supported by their long-suffering husbands. As parents fortunate enough to have healthy children and being inspired by visits to the hospice, we wanted to offer help and support to such an amazing place and found that joining forces to bully, badger, beguile, beg and bribe our friends and neighbours was an effective way of raising money and so, ten years ago, the friends’ group was born.

Keeping CHSW in the public eye and promoting the fantastic work they do is always at the forefront of our minds, so we have made countless cakes, scones, ploughman’s lunches, gallons of soup, knick-knacks and boxes to package lucky dip prizes; we give presentations to local social and fundraising groups and regularly take visitors around Little Bridge House on open days. Through this, the word has spread into the much wider community, with people from neighbouring villages and towns attending our events or having their own and forwarding the takings to us –  you may see our collection boxes in many of the local shops! Thus, we are credited with being responsible for raising over £150,000 so far.

The care offered in each of the hospices is wide-ranging; respite and short breaks, emergency, palliative and end of life care. It is not simply about medical and nursing care for sick children but about enriching the lives of the children and their whole family. One of the best ways to see for yourself the extraordinary work of the CHSW is to visit one of the hospices on their open days, where you can experience for yourself the wonderful atmosphere and all that takes place.

In the words of the CHSW’s patron the Duchess of Cornwall: ‘Before I visited I always thought they might be sad places, but it is completely the opposite. They are uplifting and very, very special and I think that this is one of the most exceptional places I have ever seen.’

If you wish to know more about the local Friends’ Group, or to visit the hospice, please contact Angela Hammond 01837 840234 or go to www.chsw.org.uk Alternatively, why not join us at our next event –  ‘Snowdrop Sunday’ on February 18 at Andrew’s Corner, Belstone, when we serve homemade soup with bread, cheese scones and cakes from 11am to 4pm – with plenty of snowdrops to see, plus plenty to buy!

Edwina and Robin Hill