Introducing Martin House Children’s Hospice: Our Charity Partner

Introducing Martin House Children’s Hospice: Our Charity Partner

Martin House, in Wetherby , England, provide family-led hospice care free of charge for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses across West, North and East Yorkshire and we plan to try and help raise funds to help them with their incredible work and we hope you will help.

Martin House is a place to live, have fun, relax, and make memories – and makes a real difference to people’s lives when they need it most.

For more than 35 years, Martin House has been providing family-led care and support for babies, children, and young people with life-limiting conditions from across West, North and East Yorkshire.

From having fun in its specially adapted play areas or getting creative with its artists and music therapists, to chilling in its sensory room, Martin House ensures children with complex conditions can enjoy a wide range of activities while receiving specialist care.

For families, a stay at Martin House can be the chance to enjoy home-cooked meals together, to get a good night’s sleep. It’s where parents can just be ‘mum and dad’ instead of full-time carers, where brothers and sisters can have some ‘me’ time.

Martin House’s believes every child or young person should receive palliative care when and where they need it and supports more than 420 children each year, along with a further 150 bereaved families.

A centre of excellence in children’s palliative care, Martin House is led by specialist doctors, including consultants in paediatric palliative medicine. The multidisciplinary care team includes nurses, physiotherapist, social worker, healthcare workers, psychologists, bereavement counsellors and art and music therapists.

Martin House offers 24/7 care, 365 days a week, with families able to contact the hospice at any time for help and support, and the team can also visit families to provide support at home or in hospital. Its care includes:

·      Planned respite stays, giving families time to relax and make precious memories together.

·      Symptom control stays, when families are struggling to manage distressing symptoms or pain, Martin House’s doctors can review and help to manage their condition.

·      Emergency stays, when something unexpected happens, meaning families know their child is being looked after.

·      End of life care, when a child or young person reaches the end of their live, they can come to Martin House to receive specialist care, allowing their families precious time together.

·      Care after death, where a child or young person can stay in a specially cooled bedroom, giving their family more time to say goodbye.

·      Bereavement support, offering counselling to families following the death of their child.

·      Family support, offering groups to parents, siblings and grandparents, to support them both during their child’s life, and in bereavement.

Martin House relies on the support of its community for most of its income, through donations and fundraising, ensuring it is there for families when they need it most.

If you would like to donate to Martin House, you can do so at here: www.martinhouse.org.uk/donate