How it all began: Let’s build a children’s hospice!

I am Eddie Farwell, co-founder and chief executive of Children’s Hospice South West and I wanted to share with you a little about the charity’s humble beginnings and thank all of our supporters who have helped us along the way.

During the last three decades, Children’s Hospice South West has provided a safe haven of care, support and friendship for thousands of local families with a seriously ill child here in the South West through our three children’s hospices in North Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.

In 1991 my late wife Jill and I, along with a team of volunteers, launched a £1million fundraising appeal to build the South West’s first children’s hospice after we  experienced first-hand the urgent need for hospice care for local children.

Our two eldest children, Katie and Tom, had life-limiting illnesses and we had to travel more than four hours, from our home in North Devon, to Helen House in Oxford, then the country’s only children’s hospice.”

The idea to build a children’s hospice came to me during the middle of a restless night and despite being told to ‘stop being so silly and go back to sleep’ by my wife Jill, the idea began to take shape.

From that bonkers statement, an idea grew.

We knew that there were many hundreds of families in the West Country who should also have the opportunity to experience the benefits which we were receiving at Helen House.

So, we started fundraising in the laundry room of our home and spent days, evenings and weekends on the road with printed leaflets talking to anyone who would listen about the project!

In 1995, we were delighted that Little Bridge House opened its doors in Fremington.

Huge demand for its services led to the opening of our second hospice, Charlton Farm, near Bristol, in 2007 and in 2011, Little Harbour opened in St Austell, meaning that no matter where families live in the South West, children’s hospice care is available within an hour-and-a-half drive.

Our two eldest children, Katie and Tom, inspired the creation of Children's Hospice South West and today we are proud to say that CHSW supports more than 500 families across the South West every year. 

Katie and Tom, who had so little that this world values, not only inspired us, their parents, but also many thousands of people to create CHSW, which has helped and will continue to help, many hundreds of families across the South West.

It has been a tremendous journey and so many children and families have been helped along the way at each of our three hospices.

That work would not have been possible without the continued faithfulness and generosity of people all over the South West.

There are lots of ways people can support CHSW and every penny raised will help CHSW continue to care for very poorly children, young people and their families.

Get involved at www.chsw.org.uk