New Jak’s Den HQ
The team behind Jak’s Den have unveiled their new state-of-the art headquarters.
They say the new base means they can help more young cancer patients than ever.
The Team Jak foundation was set up by Mid Calder teenager Jak Trueman before he died from a rare and aggressive form of the disease.
The charity opened its first hub in Livingston in 2015 to provide support for children undergoing cancer treatment and their families.
Since then staff and volunteers have supported more than 160 families all over Scotland and pop-up dens have been established in Aberdeen and Fife.
Hundreds of guests marked the opening of the charity’s new base at Ochil House, Livingston, on Friday.
As well as indoor spaces for music and sensory play therapies, activity, media and teen zones, parent area and soft play, the new Jak’s Den will offer an outdoor activity space featuring counselling pods, a pirate ship and a reflective angel garden.
Inside they have a specially commissioned angel tree, allowing relatives to pay emotional tributes to those they have lost.
The new centre also features a new sensory play room as well as a specially designed area for teenagers with smart TV and air hockey tables.
Jak’s mum Allison Barr said the new centre would allow the charity to welcome more families into the den.
She said: “Th i s is everything Jak wanted and more.
“The whole project has been a long time coming and at times it has been a bit of a rollercoaster but, looking at what we have here now, it is all absolutely worth it.
“This new facility is going to allow us to reach even more families who need support at a critical time and with our new spaces for parents, including our pampering area, we will be able to offer further practical and emotional help when they need it most.
“An absolutely incredible amount of money has been raised for us to create this space and everyone who has volunteered their time and effort to help us get to this point deserves the biggest thank you.
“For this to be Jak’s legacy is just absolutely incredible. For us it is everything to see his vision realised.”
This is everything Jak wanted and more