I know, I know, it's almost six months since I completed the sixtyat60 challenge and yes, it's high time I let go and moved on with my life. But before I do that, I thought you might just be interested to hear about a very special visit that I made to Shooting Star House last week?
So how did this visit come about? A few weeks ago Katie Wallman from the fund-raising office at Shooting Star Chase contacted me. 'You've raised such an incredible amount of money for us' she said, 'and we're wondering if you'd like to have a tour of our hospice in Hampton, so that you can see for yourself how your fund-raising has helped.' I was very touched by the invitation, and I accepted on the spot of course. Even better, my friend Carol, grandmother of little Thea in whose memory I was raising money for Shooting Star Chase, agreed to come with me (see below one of my favourite photos of Thea with Bam-Bam Carol). Visiting Shooting Star House was to be a first-time experience for both of us, as Thea's fantastic Shooting Star care worker Sam used to visit her at home.
The fab diagram below gives you some key facts about Shooting Star Chase and its' two hospices (Shooting Star House in Hampton and St Christopher's in Guildford). The hospices provide support to 700 families who have a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. About 80% of the children have a genetic condition like Thea and 20% have a form of cancer.
Last Tuesday Carol and I rendezvoused at a cafe near Hampton Station and sat for an hour or so catching up and sharing memories of little Thea. Then we made our way down the road to Shooting Star House, a bright white building nestling in the heart of Hampton, with big windows and art deco-like curved walls.
We were lucky enough to be given an individual tour of Shooting Star House by Rachel Bowen, the lovely senior team leader. As Rachel showed us round the facilities, we were bowled over by the sensitivity and specialist skill with which the hospice has been designed. As importantly, we were struck by the atmosphere of joy, love, warmth and humour permeating throughout the building. We saw so many smiley welcoming faces during our visit.
So what are my standout memories from our afternoon at Shooting Star House? Well for starters, Carol and I both loved the beautifully equipped Sparkle Day Care room for pre-school children, who can attend once a week, giving them and their families a sense of normality and the chance to have the everyday experiences of other children. The sensory room was also amazing (see photo below) - my favourite piece of equipment was a panel built into the wall with a series of buttons that emit a range of different aromas and smells when pressed (my fingers were itching to give it a go).
Shooting Star Chase's core philosophy of caring for the whole family was evident throughout our tour. We heard about the great range of therapy services on offer to parents and siblings whilst children are under the hospices' care. And on the upper floor of the building we saw spacious bedrooms for family members of children who are staying over downstairs, with a communal sitting room and tea/coffee-making facilities, where parents can chat informally together.
Other special memories? Definitely the hydrotherapy pool (apparently it has a music and light show that's second to none). And the Chill Zone geared towards teenagers. And the super well-stocked arts and crafts room. And the bright and airy dining room area where everyone eats together. And the state of the art equipment enabling children to achieve optimal independence. And the attractive gardens that all the ground floor rooms open out onto (see photo below). Truly, I could go on and on.......
In addition to offering day care, domiciliary care and short respite breaks for families (up to 12 days a year), Shooting Star House also specialises in end of life care. The last set of rooms we visited on our tour was the Tranquil Suite, where a bereaved family can stay with their child for up to 7 days after their life has ended, giving them the time and space to grieve in the way they need to. In the small and peaceful courtyard garden of the suite stands a Memory Tree, with silver stars dangling from its branches, each twinkling star engraved with the name of a child who has journeyed through Shooting Star's care. Of the many images I've retained from my afternoon at Shooting Star House, that's an especially powerful and poignant one.
And the most special memory of all during our visit? As we were walking round the building, Carol talked very eloquently and movingly about Thea's life and about Shooting Star House's valuable role in caring for her - and for the whole afternoon, it felt as if Thea was there with us, listening to every word. This blog has been written in memory of Thea Redford, little pickle, big sister, treasured child, wonderfully determined daughter and gorgeous granddaughter, with loads of love and hugs from me.
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Thanks to the fantastic generosity of my sixtyat60 supporters, I succeeded in raising £1500 for Shooting Star Chase in the second half of my challenge. That's the cost of one night's emergency stay at one of the hospices! It costs £27,000 a day to run Shooting Star Chase - which amounts to £10 million a year. Only 10% of their income comes from government funding, so the hospices are reliant upon fund-raising to keep the service running. I do hope that in this blog I've managed to convey something of the outstanding and inspirational work carried out by Shooting Star Chase for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. If you'd like to find out more, do please pay a visit to their website at https://www.shootingstarchase.org.uk
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So how did this visit come about? A few weeks ago Katie Wallman from the fund-raising office at Shooting Star Chase contacted me. 'You've raised such an incredible amount of money for us' she said, 'and we're wondering if you'd like to have a tour of our hospice in Hampton, so that you can see for yourself how your fund-raising has helped.' I was very touched by the invitation, and I accepted on the spot of course. Even better, my friend Carol, grandmother of little Thea in whose memory I was raising money for Shooting Star Chase, agreed to come with me (see below one of my favourite photos of Thea with Bam-Bam Carol). Visiting Shooting Star House was to be a first-time experience for both of us, as Thea's fantastic Shooting Star care worker Sam used to visit her at home.
The fab diagram below gives you some key facts about Shooting Star Chase and its' two hospices (Shooting Star House in Hampton and St Christopher's in Guildford). The hospices provide support to 700 families who have a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. About 80% of the children have a genetic condition like Thea and 20% have a form of cancer.
Last Tuesday Carol and I rendezvoused at a cafe near Hampton Station and sat for an hour or so catching up and sharing memories of little Thea. Then we made our way down the road to Shooting Star House, a bright white building nestling in the heart of Hampton, with big windows and art deco-like curved walls.
We were lucky enough to be given an individual tour of Shooting Star House by Rachel Bowen, the lovely senior team leader. As Rachel showed us round the facilities, we were bowled over by the sensitivity and specialist skill with which the hospice has been designed. As importantly, we were struck by the atmosphere of joy, love, warmth and humour permeating throughout the building. We saw so many smiley welcoming faces during our visit.
So what are my standout memories from our afternoon at Shooting Star House? Well for starters, Carol and I both loved the beautifully equipped Sparkle Day Care room for pre-school children, who can attend once a week, giving them and their families a sense of normality and the chance to have the everyday experiences of other children. The sensory room was also amazing (see photo below) - my favourite piece of equipment was a panel built into the wall with a series of buttons that emit a range of different aromas and smells when pressed (my fingers were itching to give it a go).
Shooting Star Chase's core philosophy of caring for the whole family was evident throughout our tour. We heard about the great range of therapy services on offer to parents and siblings whilst children are under the hospices' care. And on the upper floor of the building we saw spacious bedrooms for family members of children who are staying over downstairs, with a communal sitting room and tea/coffee-making facilities, where parents can chat informally together.
Other special memories? Definitely the hydrotherapy pool (apparently it has a music and light show that's second to none). And the Chill Zone geared towards teenagers. And the super well-stocked arts and crafts room. And the bright and airy dining room area where everyone eats together. And the state of the art equipment enabling children to achieve optimal independence. And the attractive gardens that all the ground floor rooms open out onto (see photo below). Truly, I could go on and on.......
In addition to offering day care, domiciliary care and short respite breaks for families (up to 12 days a year), Shooting Star House also specialises in end of life care. The last set of rooms we visited on our tour was the Tranquil Suite, where a bereaved family can stay with their child for up to 7 days after their life has ended, giving them the time and space to grieve in the way they need to. In the small and peaceful courtyard garden of the suite stands a Memory Tree, with silver stars dangling from its branches, each twinkling star engraved with the name of a child who has journeyed through Shooting Star's care. Of the many images I've retained from my afternoon at Shooting Star House, that's an especially powerful and poignant one.
And the most special memory of all during our visit? As we were walking round the building, Carol talked very eloquently and movingly about Thea's life and about Shooting Star House's valuable role in caring for her - and for the whole afternoon, it felt as if Thea was there with us, listening to every word. This blog has been written in memory of Thea Redford, little pickle, big sister, treasured child, wonderfully determined daughter and gorgeous granddaughter, with loads of love and hugs from me.
___________________________________________________________________
Thanks to the fantastic generosity of my sixtyat60 supporters, I succeeded in raising £1500 for Shooting Star Chase in the second half of my challenge. That's the cost of one night's emergency stay at one of the hospices! It costs £27,000 a day to run Shooting Star Chase - which amounts to £10 million a year. Only 10% of their income comes from government funding, so the hospices are reliant upon fund-raising to keep the service running. I do hope that in this blog I've managed to convey something of the outstanding and inspirational work carried out by Shooting Star Chase for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. If you'd like to find out more, do please pay a visit to their website at https://www.shootingstarchase.org.uk
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