Francis House

This morning, the children in the Junior Department received a visit from Kate at Francis House, a charity dedicated to helping children who are terminally ill. Kate came in to talk to the children about all of the good work Francis House do and what we as a school can do to help.

Below is a summary from Kate:

Francis House is a very special hospice caring for children with a short life expectancy.  The criteria for entry into the hospice are that the child has been diagnosed as having ‘no cure’.  It is therefore unlikely that any of these children will ever become adults, and consequently we try to improve the quality of their short lives.

One of the main features of Francis House is that it supports the family as a whole and not just the child at the time of death.  Families are looked after both emotionally and physically for many months before, and are equally supported in the same manner afterwards. We offer a 24-hour lifeline to families as well as counselling, day-care and home-care, all tailored to suit the individual’s needs. Caring for someone, often for twenty four hours a day, seven days a week can put a huge strain on families.

Francis House was opened in 1991 by HRH the Princess of Wales to fill an enormous gap in the provision of care for children with a short life expectancy in the North West, and children from all over the UK have benefited from its services. In the 24 years of its operation, Francis House has provided vital care for thousands of children and their families, care that would have been impossible to provide had Francis House not existed.

Francis House is free of charge to all who stay, as financial problems are the last thing on parents mind at this sad time. We are, however, almost entirely reliant upon voluntary funding and receive only a little support from the government.  The running costs at present are over £3.6 million a year to keep the doors of Francis House open.

If you wish to find out more about Francis House our Website is www.francishouse.org.uk

As a school, we have agreed to support Francis House.  We are going to record a Christmas CD that we will produce and sell ourselves in order to raise money for this wonderful charity.

Kate would also like to extend an invitation to anyone who would wish to attend an open day at Francis House to see the excellent work that is being done there.  Please click here for more details.