New ‘home from home’ opens at The Walton Centre

A 'home from home' for relatives of critically ill patients at Liverpool's brain hospital opens its doors this week.

The new accommodation has been built after a two-year fundraising campaign by The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

Fundraising began after Liverpool FC legend David Fairclough suggested to consultant neurosurgeon Mr Paul May that they organise a charity ball,  in memory of David's wife Jan who died from a brain aneurysm in 2011.

David and his children Tom and Sophie championed the Home from Home Appeal, which gained the support of dozens of families, past and present patients, companies and charitable trusts.

The Faircloughs were among the guests at a thank you event for major donors and supporters, held in the newly complete Home from Home in the hospital's new Sid Watkins Building.

David said: "When we started fundraising, the target of £500,000 seemed such a long way off - and here we are in the finished Home from Home. It is extremely emotional for us all."

Tom Fairclough added: "It is incredible to see the accommodation now ready for families and to think that people will benefit from what we have done; it has been great to be part of it."

His sister Sophie said: "It is a great legacy for my mum and so appropriate, because mum was so active in the local community, always volunteering and fundraising at our school and helping at our sports clubs. She would have approved that we have focussed on doing something so worthwhile." 

Huge support for the appeal also came from the family and friends of 19 year old Leah Davies from Lowton near Warrington. Leah died after a road accident in 2012 and her family launched the Love Leah Appeal, raising £60,000 for the Home from Home through numerous events and challenges.

Her father Andy Davies said: "The Home from Home project was so important to us as a family and we feel proud that Leah's legacy will carry on through the fundraising that family and friends have contributed.

“It has been such an amazing appeal bringing many people together to help create such a fabulous facility that will benefit so many other families in times of need. It's difficult to put into words the pride that we feel towards everyone who has helped this become a reality.”

The Walton Centre's Chair Ken Hoskisson and Chief Executive Chris Harrop thanked everyone who had supported the appeal in any way.

Mr Hoskisson said: "This was our Trust's first ever fundraising campaign and we have been overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of hundreds of people who have organised and attended events or made donations over the last two and a bit years.

"Thanks to this amazing support, we have been able to build high quality accommodation for families, so that we can give them somewhere to stay and take away some of the practical worry of being near loved ones when they are critically ill in our care."

Fundraising for the Home from Home will continue, so that the accommodation can be provided free of charge to families from outside the area, for the first few nights after a relative has been admitted to Critical Care.