Eckersley House receives £30,000 to help keep families with sick children together

A £30,000 grant has been awarded to Eckersley House, a free 'Home from Home' which provides emotional and practical support for families with sick children being treated in hospital in Leeds. The grant, which has been awarded by The Children's Heart Surgery Fund, will contribute to the running costs enabling families to stay free of charge.

Eckersley House, which is provided by The Sick Children's Trust, helps approximately 530 families each year, 100 of which are children who undergo open heart surgery.

Jane McHale, Eckersley House Manager, says: “When a family receives the devastating news their child requires lifesaving treatment at a specialist hospital, where they'll stay is the last thing on their mind. Eckersley House provides that much-needed peace of mind – the house keeps the whole family together and enables them to stay just minutes away from their sick child's bedside. We rely entirely on voluntary donations to, so The Children's Heart Surgery Fund grant will go directly towards supporting families at the most difficult of times imaginable.”

The Children's Heart Surgery Fund, who support the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, initially helped with cost the build, and have contributed £330,000 to Eckersley House over the past 5 years.

April Spink, a parent, says “We stayed in Eckersley House while our daughter Olivia had her third open heart surgery. We were so grateful to be staying there as it made life a little bit easier to know we were close to our daughter at such a worrying and stressful time.”