We recently spoke with Sophie Bragg, who is the Events Fundraising Coordinator at Haven House Children's Hospice.
Sophie is our main contact at Haven House.
Her role involves heading up all the challenge events and assisting on Haven House staff led events.
Can you tell us about the history of Haven House?
Haven House Children's Hospice was first conceived in the early 1990s, as the brainchild of Sue Irwin, a registered nurse and health visitor, who with friends and colleagues founded the charity to provide care to life-limited children and their families at no cost to them.
The first service for children, our toy home loan service, began in 2001, while the committee continued to fundraise to enable the building to be transformed into premises suitable for children with complex health needs. Our first child stayed with us in 2003.
What kind of support does Haven House offer to children and families?
Haven House has supported over 900 families, looking after children and young people aged from birth to 19 years old who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Our residential and community services extend across North and North East London, West Essex and East Hertfordshire, including respite and end-of-life care.
In the hospice, children benefit from play activities, as well as day and overnight stays. Through the Holistic Care Centre that opened in September 2014, children can access a range of therapies, including music therapy, physiotherapy and therapeutic yoga. Families can also take advantage of support groups for mums and dads and siblings (Buddies) as well as complementary therapies designed to reduce stress and anxiety.
In our grounds there is a fully accessible specialist play area and tranquil sensory garden surrounded by many acres of beautiful woodland.
How is Haven House funded?
We rely heavily on the generosity of our supporters and partners to fund the services we offer to our children and young people and their families.
There are an estimated 2,000 children and young people in our local area living with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition that may require palliative care services. We believe that no family should have to face alone the difficulties of looking after a child with a life-limiting condition.
Our founder’s vision was to provide our services at no cost to the individual and this means we must secure £4.4 million each year to honor our commitment to our families. Of this only around 19% is funded by the NHS or local authorities. 19% is from statutory income (eg contracts and grants), 64% is from fundraising activities and 17% is from our charity shops.
When did Haven House start working with SV?
The relationship between Haven House and SV Sports Therapy began in 2013, through their support with our London Marathon runners.
Since then, therapists from SV have attended numerous information evenings for our runners, providing them with the additional support they need.
The SV Sports Therapy events team also attends a lot of our events, such as our annual Summer Fair.
What events have you got coming up?
Thursday 11 October 2018: Big Birthday Ball
Sunday 28 October 2018: Pumpkin Fest Saturday 1 December 2018: Christmas Wonderland plus loads of Challenge Events!
How can someone get involved with the hospice?
There are various ways in which supporters can get involved with the hospice:
Volunteering at one of our charity shops
Volunteering at one of our many events throughout the year
Taking part in a challenge event and raising sponsorship
Holding a fundraising event
Attending bucket collections
Volunteering as a gardener to help us maintain our beautiful grounds
Becoming a red house box ambassador
Where can people find and follow you?
Website: www.havenhouse.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/HavenHouseChildrensHospice Twitter: twitter.com/HavenHouseCH Instagram: www.instagram.com/havenhousech
