St George's Ladies Group

St George's Ladies Group recommenced in September and our first speaker came to talk about Naomi House, our charity for this year.

Naomi House is a children's Hospice which was built on land which was donated in Sutton Scotney. It was purpose built in the shape of a horseshoe with landscaped grounds and provides respite care for any child up to the age of 19 who has a terminal illness. It has ten bedrooms, two of which are for emergencies. There are five family rooms where parents with their other children can live as a family when the sick child is there. Naomi House provides respite care so a family can take a break and recharge their batteries. A child is allowed a fortnight's respite care in a year and some families take several short breaks. The hospice is always busy as it provides care for children in seven counties.

There is a wide range of facilities with play rooms with toys of all kinds for small children and computers for the older ones, also a music room, a multi-sensory room and a small swimming pool. The children are supervised by trained staff and at 12.30.pm each day all the staff and the children go to the dining room to have their lunch together. This is the one time each day they all meet up together and even those children who are bedridden are wheeled into the dining room.

Naomi House offers bereavement support and counselling and there is a multi faith chapel where funerals can be held and a suite of rooms available for the bereaved families' use. After the death of a child many parents become volunteers helping to raise much needed money as it costs two million pounds a year to run the hospice and it receives no help from the Government. It has charity shops and it relies on volunteers to help in the kitchens and garden and also with administration. There is a 99 year lease and the rent is 12 red roses to be given on midsummer day. To help to raise money the hospice are grateful for people to collect plastic milk bottle tops, any colour, apparently these are made into wellington boots. Money can also be raised on printer cartridges, used stamps, foreign currency and old mobile phones with the charger, if possible.

Margaret Deal