Tŷ Hafan
DURING her retirement, Suzanne Goodall felt driven to open the first children’s hospice in Wales and offer care to life-limited children and young people.
After 11 years of fundraising and hard work, Tŷ Hafan opened in 1999 and immediately began to bring much-needed comfort and support to families in Wales.
Since then the hard work has continued, as we’ve aimed to develop our services to meet all of the needs of the children, young people and families we support.
Princess Diana, Tŷ Hafan’s first patron, persuaded opera singer Luciano Pavarotti to give a concert in 1995 to raise money so we could open our hospice.
This has involved the construction of a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool to provide a valuable sensory experience to children and their families.
In 2013, we also built a new Care Service facility at the hospice to provide training facilities for care staff and bring all of Tŷ Hafan’s head office staff to our Sully site.
But Tŷ Hafan is much more than bricks and mortar. We have become a whole philosophy of care that reaches right into the heart of homes to learn about the lives of families so we can tailor our support to their needs.
Over the past 20-plus years, this has led to more than 850 children and their families benefiting from the care and support we provide at the hospice and in their homes.
In the future, we expect this number to rise significantly. Our mission is to identify and make contact with every child in Wales who is expected to die in childhood and offer them Tŷ Hafan’s unique care and support.
Tŷ Hafan is one of the UK’s leading paediatric palliative care charities and offers care to children and support for their families, throughout Wales.
If you think this means we simply provide a place where children can come to die, you couldn’t be further from the truth.
We offer comfort, care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families in the hospice, in the community and in their home so they can make the most of the time they have left together.
We allow parents and carers to relax and recharge their batteries. And we make sure the needs of brothers and sisters are never forgotten.
We use the term ‘life-limited’ to describe a child not expected to live beyond 18 years of age.
We are there for families in Wales for however long they need us – at home, in hospital, at school and in our hospice.
Importantly, we’re also a family’s safe haven when their child is close to the end of life, providing expert comfort and support in their darkest hours and beyond.
Every year, Tŷ Hafan has to raise £4.5 million to provide its free services to families in Wales.
Tŷ Hafan aims to meet all of the needs of life-limited children, young people and their families, at every step of their difficult journeys.
To do this, we provide a wide range of care and support at our hospice in the Vale of Glamorgan, in the homes of families and their communities.
Our Vision
A Wales where all children who may die in childhood live a fulfilling family life.
Our Mission
To offer a high standard of free care to children in Wales who may die in childhood in order to enrich their quality of life and support their families during life, at end-of-life and through bereavement.
Vital to providing this free care and support are:
- the nurses and therapists who care for children and young people around the clock to keep them pain free;
- members of our specialist team who provide emotional and practical support to ease worries and give families more precious time together;
- the advisers who tell families about the financial support they’re entitled to and how they can access other support services;
- the advocates who work on the behalf of families, making sure their voices and opinions are heard by health and social care services;
- the volunteers who support Tŷ Hafan’s services and raise awareness of them locally and nationally;
- the fundraisers who give their time and energy to raise the money that makes all of our work possible.
Together, we are a very special team that creates a lifetime of memories for life-limited children, young people and their families to cherish.
Our Hospice
Tŷ Hafan’s hospice is located in the village of Sully, in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Inside the building and within its beautiful gardens, you’ll often hear squeals of laughter, as children play together and enjoy time with their families and staff.
Our expertly-designed hospice also offers families lots of private areas, so children, parents and siblings can relax and enjoy some peace and quiet together or on their own.
Visit the Tŷ Hafan website