Michael Crawford opens the new Eckersley House
Michael Crawford OBE has been President of The Sick Children’s Trust since 1987 and on Thursday 1 July he made a special visit to Leeds to open our new Eckersley House.
“I’ve been a supporter of The Sick Children’s Trust for over 20 years and I’m still touched by the stories of the families that use a ‘Home from Home’ such as Bethany and her family (pictured right). The Sick Children’s Trust ensures that the very basic of all medicines has a chance to work - family love and support. Looking after a very sick child is a full time job, and we’re here to help families to stay close by to their sick child at all times, making a real difference to their recovery.
“Eckersley House still needs public support as although we have raised nearly £1.3m for 'The Big Move' appeal, we still need to raise £200,000 for the final fixtures and fittings which will ensure that the house provides a comfortable 'Home from Home'.” says Crawford.
See the project unfold
We couldn't fit all our photos on our website so if you'd like to see the project from start to finish then make sure you check out our Facebook page.
'The Big Move' appeal
Eckersley House has provided accommodation for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at St James Hospital in Leeds for the past 16 years – but in 2010 this changed.
St James’s Hospital moved its children’s wards to the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) to create a paediatric Centre of Excellence, and Eckersley House followed.
In July 2010, we moved our house from its old location at St James's Hospital to a brand new site just two minutes walk from the new children’s wards at the LGI. With this move came an increase in bedrooms from 16 to 22 bedrooms which means we can now help even more families in their time of need.
The Sick Children’s Trust is the sole provider of family accommodation at the LGI; so if we didn’t move Eckersley House, every year hundreds of sick children would have to undergo prolonged medical treatment without their families being close by.
With all your support and fundraising we have managed to raise enough funds to undertake this huge project, but your help is needed still. Although we have raised £1.3m for 'The Big Move' appeal, we now need to raise £200,000 for the final fixtures and fittings which will ensure that the house provides a comfortable house for families when they need it most.
With your help, we can make Eckersley House a real 'Home from Home'.
To make a donation online simply by clicking on the 'Make a Donation' button on the right hand menu.
If you would like to get involved in ‘The Big Move’ fundraising campaign or would like to talk about ways in which your company, school or club could get involved, please contact:
Vicki Smith - Regional Fundraiser
07525 424406
