My Story

We are taking part in the 2024 Great North Run to raise money for Zoë's Place Baby Hospice, in memory of Debbie’s son Jack 💙.

 *** Help towards raising the £15,000 required to replace the hospice’s adapted bath 🛁 ***

At present the hospice’s bath is condemned and they can no longer bath or shower the children in the hospice.  They are currently only able to give the children bed baths meaning the children are missing out on a vital therapeutic experience provided by a specially adapted bath.

One of Jack’s great sources of pleasure at Zoë’s Place was the sensory bath.  Bath time at Zoë’s Place  was a fabulous experience for him.  The warm water helped to relax his muscles and the bubbles, lights and music provided sensory stimulation.  It was also an opportunity for the nurses to pamper him with a head massage!  Sadly, the sensory bath at Zoë’s Place has recently been condemned and so they have launched an appeal to raise the £15,000 required to replace it.  So far the appeal has raised £5000 so they are still a long way off being able to replace this vital piece of equipment.  We are hoping to raise £2500 to help get Zoë’s Place halfway to their target.  For children with life-limiting conditions, every special moment counts.  Every donation towards this bath will help provide the children with comfort and relaxation and improve their quality of life.

We were extremely fortunate to have an amazing baby hospice like Zoë’s Place nearby to help care for Jack.  The value of this respite care to families cannot be underestimated.  We simply would not have been able to cope without the help and support of Zoë’s Place and will be forever grateful to the wonderful staff who looked after Jack so well.  The nurses and care staff not only provided the specialist medical care that Jack needed but also the things that he loved like sensory play, music therapy and lots of cuddles.  The hospice was a very special place for our family and continues to support us, as its funding also goes towards providing essential bereavement support for parents and siblings.

Zoë’s Place provides care for babies and children aged from 0-5 years, living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.  The majority of the support given is respite care but Zoë’s Place also provides a short break service, palliative and end-of-life care.  All of the children at the Hospice require differing levels of 24-hour support on a one-to-one basis so Zoë’s Place offers parents and carers a chance to recharge their batteries or to spend time with their other children.  The services are provided for free to all families who access its facilities.

To support this fantastic charity, we are taking on the challenge of the Great North Run.  So on Sunday 8^th September we’ll be heading to Newcastle to run the half marathon course.

We are hoping to raise at least £2500 toward their amazing work. If you can sponsor us it would be very much appreciated.  No matter how big or small the donation, every penny really does count!

Thank you very much for your support!

Team Jack – Debbie, Alison, Bev, Susie and Sami - xxx