CHASE hospice care for children gives help and support to families with children and young people who are not expected to reach adulthood.
Mayor of Lambeth with Anna Roche from CHASE
The CHASE community care team work out on the road throughout the year supporting families in their homes and in the community, whilst the Hospice is in Guildford they do the work across South West London, Surrey and West Sussex.
Anna Roche, Community fundraising manager, showed me around the Hospice and took the time to tell me about their work and some of the amazing facilities they have available. It is quite clear that every need of the children, their families including their siblings has been thought through.
I was particularly moved by the rooms they put by for children who have passed away. These rooms are especially cooled to enable the families to visit the child and say goodbye at their own pace prior to the funeral in a setting like the child’s bedroom and if they wish items special to the child can be placed around them. I could see how helpful this could be for the families who had lost a child and even for the staff who must be so affected after working with the children and families for many years.
The work being done by the CHASE team is amazing, and it was clear that everyone there was extremely passionate and committed.
CHASE is not funded by the government and is reliant on donations to keep their valuable work going. In the current climate funding for smaller organisations is extremely tough and donations from the public are more important than ever.
