Children's charity to close Bookham respite home
The Rainbow Trust will be closing its Bookham respite home at the end of this year.
The charity, which provides support to families who have a child with a life-threatening illness, says that it will close Rainbow House, in Eastwick Drive, in order to focus on supporting families in the home and at hospital.
The home was opened in 1990 and helps provide breaks and family-time for those supported by the charity. The charity will also be closing another home in Northumberland.
Heather Wood, the chief executive of the charity, said: "Helping families who have children with a terminal or life-threatening illness will remain our core focus.
"The decision to close our two houses will mean we can add an additional 16 family support workers including a new team in North West London.
"By the end of 2012, the charity will be reaching an extra 300 families who currently do not have access to our support."
Bernadette Cleary, the founder of Rainbow Trust, added: “The Trustees of Rainbow Trust have made this difficult decision to ensure the charity can offer as much help to families with seriously ill children as possible in the future.
“The impact of having a child with a life threatening or terminal illness is devastating for a family, and the need for emotional and practical support provided in the family home or at hospital sadly outstrips availability.
“Our experience over the last 23 years shows that families get more benefits from support in their home.”
Proceeds from the sale of the property will go towards supporting families with seriously or terminally ill children.
Existing bookings will be honoured until the end of 2009.
1HAVE YOUR SAY: Are you a supporter of the Rainbow Trust or have you or your family used Rainbow House in the past? If so the Advertiser would like to hear your thoughts. Please ring 01306 886709 or email luke.bishop@essnmedia.co.uk.
2 Comments
by 2 Rainbow House Families, London
Thursday, September 17 2009, 9:32PM
“As parents of children who have benefited from this service we are distraught over this decision. We feel extremely disapointed that the families affected by this decision were not consulted at any level. And that this possibility has been in discussion for the last two years behind closed doors. This decision to close the house will have far reaching consequences not just for current users but future users who will never have the benefit of the high standard of respite care given to the whole family. In its present format the charity is unique but without the houses, families will not benefit from being able to stay and bond together in a safe, nuturing environment that the house currently offers. Local businesses people and families have long supported the house, and many may now feel that this was all in vain. The trust, may well suffer as a result of this ludicrous decision, as we fail to see what long term benefits can be gained from this change in direction.We are very concerned that the future service will becme over time a watered down outreach team that will struggle to meet the needs of all the families it wants to without being able to give them the level of real respite care that they would have received at Rainbow House. We would be intrigued to discover whether any of the board of directors themselves have faced the challenges brought on by living with critically ill children. The house also provides an environment where the siblings of sick children can talk about their situation and feelings to other chldren and to staff members that they know, love and trust implicity. This is a service that continues after a child has died, and is a service that is only withdrawn when the families feel it is time, not the house.Being grieving parents ourselves the Rainbow House is a place for us to take time out and remember the many fantastically happy times our families had and to share these memories with the extraordinary staff whohave witnessed them with us. So often families facing this type of situation break down or struggle to cope as a coherent unit, but Rainbow House offers a place to pull together and discover that you are not alone. WHAT IS HAPPENING IS A COMPLETE TRAVESTY AND NEEDS TO BE FOUGHT.”
by Concerned, Bookham
Saturday, September 05 2009, 8:18AM
“The Rainbow Trust offers invaluable support for families with very sick children. I sincerely hope that their decision to close the respite home in Eastwick Drive has not been swayed by the relentless pressure placed upon them by the numerous planning applications submitted for the neighbouring property.”