The Princess of Wales feels very strongly about the difference children’s hospices make.
Princess Catherine has released a statement (Image: Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
The Princess of Wales has released a heartfelt statement today after her Garter Day appearance. Princess Catherine, 44, has highlighted how important children’s hospices are at helping children learn and play while offering families the care and support they need.
As patron of two children’s hospices – East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice in South Wales – hospice care for children is a subject the future Queen is extremely passionate about. This has resulted in her inviting members of the public to join her in celebrating their life-changing work for Children’s Hospice Week. Children’s Hospice Week, which is led across the UK by Together for Short Lives,is the only week of the year dedicated to raising awareness of children’s hospice services.
In her heartfelt statement, the Princess wrote: “Every childhood deserves to be rich in joy, love, and shared memories. As Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice, I have been privileged to see first‑hand how children’s hospices make this possible for babies, children and young people living with serious illness.
“Children’s hospices are joyful and nurturing environments where children can simply be children; to play, explore, express themselves and connect with others.
“For families, hospices offer a compassionate and restorative space to breathe, be together, and find strength in a community that understands their journey. This expert, holistic care is delivered by dedicated professionals who walk alongside families at every stage, often over many years, throughout a young person’s life and, when needed, into death and bereavement.
“Children’s hospices are places that protect connection; between children and their families, between families and their communities, between hospice staff and the people they support, and within each child’s own sense of self.”
Princess Catherine is patron of some children’s hospices (Image: RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
She continued: “When we shine a light on the remarkable, yet often unseen, work the hospices do to help children and their families live as fully as possible, we can break down one of the greatest barriers families often face: the fear that reaching out means giving up hope, or that care only begins at the very end.
“Even in the most challenging circumstances, when children are surrounded by attuned care, opportunities for expression, and environments that nurture their whole selves, they can experience joy, belonging and the freedom to be who they are.
“These extraordinary places remind us that even in the face of serious illness, childhood remains a time of creativity, connection and possibility.
“This Children’s Hospice Week, I hope you will join me in celebrating the countless ways children’s hospices make every moment count for the children and families they support, and in recognising the profound, life-changing impact of the culture of care they are working to create.”
