Zoe's Place wants YOUR school to help raise funds for buzzing new project

[dutchman]

Youngsters invited to take part in Bed and Bear Day to raise £30,000 for new building called The Hive



We all love a PJ day – and staff at Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice are no different.

In fact, they’re hoping your school or nursery will stage a special one during Children’s Hospice Week to help raise vital funds for a buzzing new project .

Schools and nurseries are being asked to stage a Bed and Bear Day for Zoe’s Place, where youngsters pay £1 to attend in their pyjamas and/or bring along a favourite teddy bear.

The bedtime theme reflects the importance of overnight stays for families who use the hospice , which provides palliative, respite and end-of-life care to youngsters with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, from birth to five years old.

Claire Mawson, a care assistant at the baby hospice, explained: “Zoe’s Place offers respite and that’s not just through the day, it’s overnight as well. It gives the children a chance to come in stay with us, have fun, and they can stay over.

“It also gives our families a chance to have a little bit of a break. We have lots of children that come to us that have siblings, older siblings and younger siblings, and it also gives them that little bit of time together.

“We’re encouraging children to dress up in pyjamas like our children who come in and stay. They also bring their own teddy bears and comforters when they come and stay with us.”

Funds raised from Bed and Bear Day will go towards the £30,000 needed to build The Hive, a new facility at the Ash Green hospice.

Claire added: “The Hive is going to be a purpose-built building in our sensory garden, and we aim to use it for counselling for families, for therapies, for play-and-stay.

“We tend to invite children who are potentially going to be coming to use our service to come along for a play-and-stay session, so that coming for the first time isn’t such a daunting experience.

“And it’s called The Hive because hopefully it’s going to be a hive of activity!”

Children’s Hospice Week runs at the end of term, from May 21 to 25.