THERE are many adjectives that could be used to describe Children's Hospice South West . . . Wonderful. Amazing. Incredible. Inspirational. But for a place which bears witness to some of the most tragic experiences, sad is a word that certainly doesn't spring to mind. The first image you see on arrival at Little Bridge House, the hospice base at Fremington in North Devon, are bronze statues of children happily playing around a fountain. They are carefree — and that is one of the opportunities this incredible place offers — freedom for kids to be kids and the opportunity for parents to be, literally, carefree. One of Little Bridge House's most important functions is to give children with life-limiting illnesses and their families a break from home life. It provides a true home from home where poorly children can receive the best care, mums and dads, grannies and grandparents and carers can enjoy a well earned break and siblings can savour fun with other youngsters in a similar situation to themselves and real quality time with their family. Adele, from Bristol, has been coming to Little Bridge House with her husband and daughter Shannon, who is nearly ten, six year old Amber and two year old Taylor for five years. Adele said: 'We get 14 nights a year here. It's just absolutely brilliant. As soon as we walk in through the door they take Shannon off our hands, they take over all her care and my other two girls absolutely love it here too. 'They tend to spend a lot of time with the sibling workers, who give them so much time, and I can completely relax.' Shannon has cerebral palsy and Retts Syndrome. She has epilepsy, visual and audio problems and developmental delays and has had many operations and hospital stays during her young life. 'Coming here, it makes things so much easier,' said Adele. 'We can recharge our batteries and when it's time to go home, I'm ready to get on with things again. 'And it's not just me and my two other girls and my husband, it's good for Shannon too. It's all different. When we are at home it's done by routine, certain times for drugs, etc, and here its totally relaxed. She gets one-to-one contact here and when she's well, she gets quite a lot from it.' Shannon has had two more operations in the last year — Adele is hoping as a result, Shannon's epileptic attacks may ease. 'We don't know; it can take up to a year to have any real effect. At the moment she could be having anything from eight or nine seizures a day, sometimes it's all day. She gets very tired — she's been poorly a lot lately so I've been really looking forward to coming down here this week, it's been one thing after another,' said Adele. Eileen, Adele's mum, who is staying with her daughter on this occasion, said: 'Adele knows the two little ones are safe here — they can go off, they know exactly where we are. All the staff are so friendly and helpful — and the food is lovely!' Judy Pride is the hospice's community fundraiser for the West Devon area. Judy said: 'What I do is support the friends' groups and individuals — in fact, anybody who is staging fundraising events, providing help, ideas etc — and also to get out there and tell everybody about the hospice, so as many people as possible understand what it's about.' Little Bridge House first opened its doors in 1995 — the brainchild of its founder and guiding light Jill Farwell. Since then, it has touched thousands of people's lives. Judy said: 'Some of the people I have met here are just amazing. 'The first care shift I ever did I sat and chatted to a mum and dad who were just delightful. They wanted so much to give something back, despite what they were coping with at the time.' Until very recently, the hospice was kept running solely through the generosity of its incredibly hard-working network of supporters, and through legacies. But in the last few months, the hand of help was extended from the Government in the form of £327,000 for the coming year, with more promised in the coming two years. There are eight rooms for sick children at Little Bridge House and they are always full. Six of them are kept for holiday respite care and two beds are kept for emergencies — not necessarily when the children themselves are in need, but perhaps if mum has broken an arm or a sibling needs special care. Judy said: 'There are around 1,000 to 1,200 children in the South West with life-limiting illnesses. Not all of them are going to want to come to the hospice but at the moment, we are providing care for about 200 families. 'When Charlton Farm opens, our new hospice near Bristol, we will obviously double that to 400, but there is still a huge need for that support.' The support required by families is also evolving. Some have been coming to Little Bridge House for many years — they are part of its own, extended family, and although the sick child may grow to young adulthood, they are still welcomed back with open arms. Teenagers at Little Bridge House have their own particular needs and these are catered for as far as possible. No-one who is not a teenager is allowed in their own special room with its own separate barbecue and patio area — a rule which is strictly adhered to. The parents' accommodation at the hospice is on the first floor. Judy said this was planned intentionally. 'It can be difficult sometimes to let go, if you have been looking after your child yourself for months and months, so we sort of wean them away a little, but some parents love the fact they have some distance, as it could be the first night they have had a decent sleep for six months.' In the heart of the building is a homely kitchen, complete with Aga, and comfy sitting room with squashy sofas and an enormous fireplace. Staff at the hospice provide everyone with lunch and an evening meal — breakfast tends to be a help-yourself affair but bread, cereals and an inexhaustible supply of chocolate biscuits are on hand 24/7. Throughout the building there is evidence of the famous names who have been involved with the hospice over the years — a signed picture by Rolf Harris, or a photo of TV stars Ant and Dec. Just as important, if not more so, are the beautiful wall hangings stitched by hospice supporters throughout the South West, or the paintings carefully created by children. The attention to detail at Little Bridge House is incredible. Everything has been thought of, from the messy play area where siblings can create fantastic pictures and collages using all sorts of paint, glue and materials, to the wonderful jacuzzi room, which in summer is open to the courtyard. It's great for the kids — and takes on a different role when parents can unwind in the evening with a glass of wine! The youngsters' activity room is full of computers, a pool table, TV, table football, books and videos. The sensory room is full of lights and bubbles — stimulating for the children, relaxing and with an almost womb-like atmosphere that also attracts the adults in the evening. In the children's bedrooms, every possible effort is made to make sure the room looks like home. Each one is kitted out so the children, for their days at the hospice, feel like it's their room. If they are into Winnie the Pooh, Winnie and Eeyore will be there in spades. Their own toys will be there, their name is on the wall. All the rooms open out onto the garden. There is a quiet room, with a TV where dad can watch football or mum can read. On the wall is a huge collage of pictures of children. Some just toddlers, some are teenagers. Their photos immortalise them — there is not a single face pictured that is not smiling. Judy said: 'Families often still want to come back here, because they have made friends here. At least on this wall they can see their child, they are not lost.' One of the rooms which many visitors find most touching and the hardest to deal with, is the Starborn room. Cool and air conditioned, with a special 'cold mattress', the room can be decorated in anyway a parent chooses, as they say their goodbyes to their children. Judy said: 'If a child chooses to die here they can come here straight away. They can go into a bed that looks like a normal bed. The children can stay here for four or even five days afterwards, which gives everyone the time they need. Here, they are still your children and there is time for you to be together.' The chapel, situated close to the Starborn room, is circular, with a high ceiling and soft furnishings in purple hues, chosen by Jill Farwell as a healing colour. Outside the hospice there are beautifully maintained gardens with toys for the children, including special swings adapted for wheelchairs. The Narnia garden is a delight — a winding path takes explorers past the iconic lamp-post, passing images of the fantasy land of Narnia, including a wooden Aslan the lion. Full of sensory detail, the garden also includes surprise water sprays and sounds and is planted with beautiful and quite unusual shrubs. And Little Bridge House doesn't just provide vital care and support. It is a multi-million pound organisation that provides reasonably paid and flexible jobs for local people, and boosts the economy of North Devon. For more information about the Children's Hospice South West, go to http://www.chsw.org.uk">www.chsw.org.uk
