A Liverpool baby hospice has been saved after the city helped raise vital funds for a new home.
Zoe’s Place, a charity that cares for children with life-limiting conditions from birth to the age of five, was founded in Liverpool in 1995 by Prof Jack Scarisbrick. The name was chosen because Zoe means “gift of life” in Greek. The charity needed to raise £5m in a matter of weeks to find a new building to call home, while an extra £1.4m was needed to help the hospice stay open in the meantime.
Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, announced the good news on Friday. Byrne and the hospice’s trustees had launched the Save Zoe’s Place campaign in an attempt to prevent its closure and secure its new building.
Byrne said: “Ever since that initial call to arms, the response from across the city and beyond has been incredible.” He added that he “knew right from the start, with the backing of our fantastic local community, we could reach this target for the hospice, the wonderful staff, children and families”.
“It was clearly a huge ask to raise £5m in just a few weeks, but as I said at the time, if any city can do it, Liverpool can. And I am delighted that Liverpool has indeed delivered,” he said.
Zoe’s Place is an essential lifeline for Merseyside and surrounding boroughs. It is one of three baby hospices in the UK which support children with life-limiting conditions, in some cases offering end-of-life care. The Liverpool service helps about 50 families each year.
Supporters took part in sponsored walks and runs to raise money to save the charity. Local celebrities, including the former Liverpool FC footballers Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher and the actor Claire Sweeney, made pledges to the campaign.
Fans of Liverpool football club unfurled a “Save Zoe’s Place” banner at Anfield before the team’s Premier League game against Chelsea in October, after raising £150,000 for the hospice.
The Liverpool-based retailer TJ Morris Ltd, which trades as Home Bargains, donated £2.5m of the £6.4m target, and local businesses also raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the cause.
Michelle Wright, the head of care at Zoe’s Place, said: “Words cannot express how I feel. The fact that we can continue to support our children and families means everything and is all every member of the team has wanted to do.”
Wright added that the charity was proud to be from Liverpool and would face the challenge of running a new hospice “with the spirit and teamwork we have shown in the last few weeks. We look forward to supporting many more future families in our new home.”
