'It is like a wave of grief' parent describes how it would feel if Zoe's Place were to close

Granada
End of Life Care
Hospices
children
Monday 14 October 2024 at 6:12pm

Four-year-old Jude has a rare genetic condition and attends classes at Zoe's place, his needs are so complex he wouldn’t be able to attend any other kind of school but his classroom is about to close for good.

Zoe's Place is one of only three hospices in the UK specialising in babies and children under five. It offers respite and end-of-life care and supports the whole family.

It was announced that the hospice would have to shut its doors by the end of the year after plans to move to a new purpose-built building fell through.

Now Zoe's Place has until the end of October to raise the £5 million to build a new facility.

Four-year-old Jude has a rare genetic condition and attends classes at Zoe's place.

Jude's mum Eberley Pines is his carer, she was shocked by the announcement of closure "When we got that call on Monday I felt like someone had just told me that someone had lost their life because it is like a wave of grief, If Zoe’s wasn't here I don't know what the future would hold for his care.

"They don't just care for Jude they care for us as a whole family. We just pray that the service stays here because it is needed for the now and it is needed for the future children as well."

The announcement also means 41 staff now face losing their jobs but they say their main concern is for the families and patients.

Credit: Zoe's Place

There are just 17 days left to raise 5 million pounds to save the specialist baby hospice Zoe's Place.

Celebrities, businesses and people from across the UK have already raised more than £1.5m to save the baby hospice on the brink of closure in Liverpool but they are still way of their £6.4m goal.

Companies like the Liverpool sportswear clothing brand Montirex who donated just over £106,000 to the cause.

They said, "As a Liverpool-born business we will always give back to our community and we hope this contribution helps keep the doors open."

Zoe's Place has until the end of October to raise the £5 million to build a new facility.

The hospice say the current situation is caused by the cost of living crisis.

Matt Meaney- head of fundraising at Zoe's Place said: "As an organisation, our expertise is looking after sick kids. Its not building buildings or developing buildings and I think everything took a lot longer than we expected and the economy has not helped us either.

"Everybody knows the cost of living has gone through the roof, inflation has gone through the roof and the cost of our project went up and the cost of running a hospice is continuing to rise so everything has taken longer and cost more than we expected."