CHAS aim is to ensure families are supported

Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is celebrating 30 years of supporting babies, children and young people with lifeshortening conditions and their families.

CHAS was officially founded in February 1992 by a group of pioneering volunteers and parents who previously had to travel to England to access children’s hospice services.

Together, the group worked hard to set up the charity before securing the funds required to set up Rachel House in Kinross – the first children’s hospice in Scotland, which began supporting children and families in 1996.

This was thanks to the Macrobert Trust, which generously donated £2 million on their golden anniversary, our sister paper the Daily Record which ran a hugely successful campaign and raised £4 million over 13 months, and the thousands of loyal supporters who dug deep to make the dream of a children’s hospice a reality. Scotland’s second children’s hospice, Robin House, opened its doors in Balloch in 2005.

With a proud 30-year history, the charity remains focused on its founding vision of reaching every dying child by providing the highest quality children’s palliative care and hospice services.

Social worker Fiona Hunter felt driven to help set up Scotland’s first children’s hospice in the early‘90s after meeting Daniel Mccalman’s mum Nancy Blaik, and Lorraine Dickson, mum of Mark Dickson.

Fiona said:“nancy and Lorraine had been to Martin House in England and they became determined to build a children’s hospice in Scotland. We started planning a way forward and soon discovered there was a group trying to do the same in Glasgow. The then Scottish Office insisted on there being one focused group and this is how CHAS was born.

“The ethos is as alive now as it was when it was set up. It was always, and still is, all about the families and I’m proud to have played my part in shaping the last 30 years of such an important cause.”

Chairperson of the CHAS board, Peta Hay, added:“we are celebrating and recognising the families, staff, volunteers and supporters who have contributed over the years since the inception of CHAS and looking to the future of the organisation, redoubling our efforts on our mission to reach every dying child.

“Our work will never be done. No matter how aspirational our ambition, there will always be children with palliative care needs and at CHAS, we believe that no family should face the death of their child alone. I’m proud and privileged to be chairperson during this momentous anniversary.”

CHAS’S 30th celebrations will be ongoing throughout 2022, ending in February 2023. Throughout the year, the charity will be telling the stories of those who have helped it to reach this incredible milestone and those who will continue to help CHAS ensure that no-one has to face the death of their child alone.

If anyone has CHAS memories they’d like to share, contact the charity’s communications manager, Emma Craig, at emmacraig@chas. org.uk.

For further information, visit CHAS at www.chas.org.uk