RDAS Charity

RDAS supports a nominated charity with a housing connection. So far ten amount donated to charities is £78,000 The charity selected for 2009-2012 is Naomi House.

Naomi House is a purpose-built children's hospice that provides a homely environment for children and young people with life-limiting conditions that mean that they will not live to become adults.

Situated just north of Winchester in Hampshire, Naomi House offers one-to-one palliative care that includes respite, terminal and bereavement care and support to children and their families in central southern England. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and it costs around £2.5 million every year to keep this service running.

With just 10% of their income coming from government, Naomi House relies on the generosity of people in the community to continue its work. Their help and time allows the charity to provide these crucial care services, free of charge, to children and their families.

jacksplace@naomihouse

Building a new hospice for young people with life-limiting illnesses
Medical advances mean that many children with life-limiting illnesses, who have grown up visiting Naomi House, are now living to become young adults. The environment at Naomi House is principally designed to suit children; the needs of young people are very different to theirs. Naomi House has recognised this and has consulted extensively with young people to design a facility that caters for their medical and social needs.

In 2007 Naomi House launched a major appeal to raise £12million to build, equip and run a new hospice for young people with life-limiting illnesses. The new hospice will enable Naomi House to provide care for young people over the age of 18 years old. The new hospice will be named jacksplace@naomihouse, after Jack Witham, whose generous bequest made the dream of a hospice for young people possible. The appeal aims to raise the remaining £6million that is required to build, equip and run jacksplace@naomihouse over the next three years.

jacksplace@naomihouse will be completed in the summer of 2009. The design of the new facility includes six specially designed bedrooms with en-suite facilities that give the youngsters privacy and dignity. There will be two bedrooms where families can stay and be close to their young person, and a butterfly suite for end-of-life care. Other facilities will include a wheelchair accessible kitchen, social areas, a sports field and gardens.

For more information visit their website www.naomihouse.org.uk or call the fundraising team on 01962 843513

Wessex Children’s Hospice Trust Charity Registration No. 1002832

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