New home from home wins a large cash injection

A hospital "home from home" for the families of sick children has received a major financial boost from a new donation.

The Children's Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF) has given a 250,000 donation to the project to move Eckersley House, The Sick Children's Trust (SCT) accommodation, to Leeds General Infirmary. The donation will fund the completion and interiors of the large communal lounge which forms the heart of the new Eckersley House.

Sharon Cheng, charity director of the CHSF, said: "Every year, 10,000 children pass through our paediatric heart unit at the Leeds General Infirmary and approximately 330 of these undergo open heart surgery. Over 40 per cent will need long-term care. Our patients are from all over Yorkshire, Humberside and the North Midlands, so parent accommodation is vital to cut down travelling time and enable families to be with their sick children as much as possible.

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"We're delighted to donate 250,000 to the appeal, because without Eckersley House, thousands of children will have to undergo treatment without having their parents nearby to offer the support and love they need."

The SCT is working to raise the final 500,000 in their 1.72m campaign to move Eckersley House from St James's Hospital to its new site at the Leeds General Infirmary.

This ensures that the most basic of all medicines – family love and support – has a chance to work. For 16 years, Eckersley House has supported the recovery of seriously-ill children across Yorkshire by providing high quality accommodation and caring staff for families, just minutes away from the hospital wards.

The family of little Toby Lancaster is just one of those likely to benefit from Eckersley House. Toby, aged three, has a serious heart defect. He has spent many weeks on the heart wards at the LGI, has already had two major operations and will have further surgery as he gets older.

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Toby, from Wakefield, was on hand to present the CHSF's cheque to the SCT and his mum Joanne said: "When your child is fighting for his life you want to be there alongside him rather than travelling up and down the motorway. Having parent accommodation at the hospital means you can concentrate on your child without having to worry too much about taking care of yourself. It makes a very difficult situation a bit less stressful."

St James's Hospital is moving its children's wards to the LGI to create a paediatric Centre of Excellence. By May 2010, the majority of children's wards will be moved to the new centre.

This development means that Eckersley House will no longer be needed in its present location at St James's Hospital, but will be in great demand at the LGI.

The move of Eckersley House to the LGI will also mean more bedrooms – from 16 to 22 – to help more families in their time of need.

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"The paediatric cardiology services supported by the Children's Heart Surgery Fund are already based at

the LGI, but have limited access to parent accommodation and the new Eckersley House facility is badly needed," explains Sharon Cheng.

Jane McHale, house manager at Eckersley House, said: "We often have waiting lists of families with very sick children desperate to find somewhere to stay. It's a tremendous peace of mind to have somewhere comfortable and welcoming to stay when your child is seriously ill, and the Children's Heart Surgery Fund donation is another giant step towards the successful relocation of Eckersley House.

"This appeal means we can help more families in their time of need – and we're delighted that we'll now be able to help the families of children with heart problems."

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The Sick Children's Trust is hosting the Tower Power Challenge – "30 storeys, 600 steps and one great cause". It is a tower run up the tallest building in Yorkshire, Bridgewater Place in Leeds, on May 22. You can download a sponsorship form and sign up for the 2010 Tower Power Challenge. at www. sickchildrenstrust.org