Families, patients and staff are going the extra mile this year to support our charity Christmas appeal.

You can too. Make a donation in tribute, in celebration or in memory of a loved one; or why not follow the example of some and give in lieu of presents or cards?

Whatever the reason, whatever the amount - your gift will make a real difference during this special time of year as all monies raised will go to support our Home from Home – on-site relatives’ accommodation.

The Home from Home provides a place for relatives to stay while their loved ones are undergoing urgent or emergency treatment, rather than having to travel back and forth to their homes, sometimes at a moment’s notice and distressing and emotional times in their lives. 

It costs approximately £20 per room per night to run this 8 bedded unit, and this is covered by the charity to ensure our families can use the facilities for free.

Maria's Story

Maria Hawksworth was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015 while 33 weeks pregnant and delivered Noah three weeks later as the tumour was dangerously close to her carotid artery. Her husband Lee and baby son Noah stayed on site in the brand-new Home from Home accommodation while Maria recovered from surgery.

Maria said: “Sometimes in the morning when I was a bit down I’d say to the nurse ‘can I ring my husband to come over a bit sooner’ and she’d say ‘yes, no problem’ and he could just run over with Noah and I could have a few minutes with them.

“Without Home from Home it would have meant that Lee was travelling three hours each day to see me. The Home from Home gave Noah and Lee somewhere to rest and just knowing they were on site made me feel tonnes better.  

Lee added: “We had Noah with us and Maria’s mum and we had the opportunity to sit in the Home from Home lounge and have a cup of tea, watch the television, just take our minds off things, being near was really important - but we didn’t have to wander the corridors for 15 hours.

“I can’t imagine how we’d have coped without Home from Home. For me and Noah to be literally 200 yards away from Maria was fantastic. It should be standard practice across the NHS!”

“We thank The Walton Centre from the bottom of our hearts.”

Be part of this year’s campaign

Please make a donation and leave a message for staff and patients, or in memory of a loved one. Messages will be displayed on our tree in the hospital over the festive period.

Remember to leave a message in the comment box along with your donation, and we will include your message on our tree.

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