Firm cancels £150k debt to give hospice plan hope
STRUGGLING charity bosses who have been trying to open a children’s hospice for three years finally have hope of taking in sick youngsters after a building firm wrote off debts of £150,000.
Grace’s Place in Bury was refurbished at a cost of £1.2m in 2014, but has stood empty ever since.
Backed by Radio 2 DJ Sarah Cox, the facility, on Dumers Lane in Radcliffe, is meant to serve families with sick children in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and north Manchester.
But with no cash for staff and debts of more than £350,000, it has never opened.
One option is for an organisation with existing experience of operating a children’s hospice to the facility. Bosses are still weighing up that strategy.
Seddon Construction carried out the refurbishment of the old Bury Hospice site so it could open as a children’s hospice.
The work was paid for with a £507,000 grant from the Department of Health, with hospice bosses finding the rest.
Seddon chiefs have now agreed to donate the outstanding balance owed to them - £150,000.
The charity was set up in 2013 as part of a partnership between Bury Hospice and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. It is managed independently by three trustees – Coun Joan Grimshaw, Christine Joyce and John Schofield.
A spokesperson said: “Establishing a charity from scratch is incredibly difficult, especially during these troubled financial times.
“We have worked tirelessly to resolve the issues and reduced the debt through a number of means including VAT recovery. Public donations have been completely protected.
“Now that Seddon Construction has kindly donated the outstanding balance owed for the building works, we can finally move forward.
“There are many children with a life-limiting illness who live nearby, but are having to travel far and wide to receive the treatment and care they need. This was the reason for starting Grace’s Place in the first place.
“We would like to thank our supporters, partners, and especially Seddon, for working with us during this difficult time and continuing to believe in what we are trying to do.”
Seddon director Keith Waddington said: “Providing children with life- limiting illnesses in Bury and the surrounding areas with this vital care facility was the most important thing for us.
“We’re pleased to have achieved a resolution so that Grace’s Place can begin to provide the region’s young people with a high quality, comfortable environment.”
Business consultants Grant Thornton has been commissioned to produce a revised business plan for the children’s hospice and a number of options are being considered.