THE PAST 12 months have been an ‘incredible’ year for Acorns Children’s Hospice as celebrations were underway for its 30th anniversary.
And the charity says it won’t be resting on its laurels for the new year.
December 14 marked exactly 30 years to the day when Diana Princess of Wales officially opened the Selly Oak hospice, which was only the third dedicated children’s hospice in the world.
Now the charity has three hospices based in Selly Oak, Walsall and Worcester.
Acorns chief executive, Toby Porter, said: “2018 has been an incredible year for Acorns. When we started to plan how best to celebrate our 30th anniversary year, there was only one place we could start.
“The unique bond between parents and their children has always been the axis around which this charity revolves – so we decided to “shoot for the moon” and invite the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William) to visit the hospice opened by his mother in 1988.
“We were surprised, over-joyed and moved in equal measure when he accepted our invitation and when he visited on September 18, it felt like all our Christmases had come at once.”
Acorns provides specialist palliative care to children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions, as well as support for their families.
In the past year, Acorns has cared for more than 870 children including some from Solihull and supported over 1,140 families, including those who are bereaved.
Mr Porter said: “We are so proud to have reached such a significant milestone. Whilst we’ve seen lots of changes over the years, what is absolutely the same is our ethos of providing care, support, joy and laughter for children and families and that will remain as we look to our future.
“We wouldn’t be here without the support of our wonderful communities and the dedication of our remarkable staff and volunteers.
“They have all been instrumental in empowering Acorns over the last three decades and with their continued support we can reach even more children and families over the next 30 years and beyond.
“I can’t thank our staff, volunteers and supporters, past and present, enough for the role they play in allowing us to provide the care we do. We won’t be resting on the laurels of this special year for even one day into 2019.”
To support the work of Acorns visit www.acorns.org.uk/donate
