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Around Town meets...
Mandy Barwick & the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust
 In the coming weeks Mandy Barwick and her fundraising team will be keeping their fingers tightly crossed.
Hopefully next month, in July, Kirklees Planners will decide whether or not to give the go-ahead to build a children’s hospice and respite centre on land at Brackenhall, a couple of miles from the centre of Huddersfield.
If the news is positive, this will give Mandy and her team a fantastic boost as they continue to raise the millions of pounds needed by the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust to build and maintain the hospice.
Although it will be based in Huddersfield, the hospice will be for children across West Yorkshire who currently only have the option of travelling to either Manchester or Wetherby for their essential treatments.
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Mandy said: “This would be wonderful news. It would be the culmination of everything we have worked towards for several years. Obviously we knew one day that we would find suitable land and get the go-ahead but once a definite decision has been made, we can really surge ahead with our fundraising.
“We have already received a welcome boost - the news that the new Mayor of Kirklees Cllr Jean Calvert has selected our charity, the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust to be her chosen charity during her year of office.’’
Mandy explained that the proposed hospice will hopefully be built in Cllr Calvert’s own council ward so is the ideal charity for her to support.
The proposed new building will help to boost and regenerate this area of Huddersfield.
“We need to build the hospice in a central location, near to motorway links to make life as easy as possible for patients and their parents travelling to the hospice from across West Yorkshire.
Obviously the new building and grounds will be fully landscaped and be sympathetic to the local area,’’ said Mandy.
Mandy and her team, who have an office base within the Heritage Exchange complex in the former Wellington Mills at Lindley, are currently putting their all into the countdown to the planning
decision day.
She said: “A start on any building work would come down to funding. When we have enough money in the pot, we will start. As a team we are determined that the doors of this children’s hospice will open within the next three years. Of course, even when the hospice is built, our work will continue as the annual running costs are estimated to be £1.5 million per year.’’
In recent times the Government has ‘gifted’ £27 million to UK hospices for children. Another new hospice opening soon will be Bluebell Wood in Doncaster which aims to open this November.
Although £27 million may sound a lot, you have to consider that with 40 children’s hospices up and down the country, this amount is divided by 40.
The aim of the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust is to build, equip and maintain a hospice for children with life threatening and life limiting illnesses. The hospice will try to meet the needs of the whole family for which the strain of constant care and support is immense.
The hospice will provide specialist respite, emergency, palliative and terminal care in a child friendly family centred environment. There will be care for the child and much-needed support for parents and siblings.
Mandy, who started out as a volunteer, said: "Although we are excited at the prospect of raising £1m including pledges, we are only one third of the way there"
Before fundraising had hardly begun, the charity commissioned a report from the University of Huddersfield to evaluate the current health and social care provision for children with serious and life-limiting illnesses.
The needs of such children and their families are very complex and a local provision is certain to ease current burdens of care. Because a poorly child is dependent on his or her parents for everything, this can place an enormous strain on the whole family.
A hospice facility which also offers respite care means that a child can be fully cared for in a loving and safe environment, while the family has a well-earned rest. Health professionals have long recognised the need to care for the child and the whole
family network.
Mandy said: “After starting out as a volunteer I am now the fundraising manager in charge of a team of great people who are all as committed as myself. I must stress this is a team effort and we all pull together. We are currently searching for premises for our first Forget Me Not Trust charity shop and already have two support groups in the local area.
“Local businesses and individuals have already been very supportive of our charity but now that we are hopeful for a planning hearing next month, although this is not yet guaranteed, we need to pull together and really get some funds raised to make this dream become reality.’’
Mandy and the team are always out and about in the local community collecting cheques, speaking to business people and holding fundraising events. Here’s a taste of what’s coming up in the next few months: A fabulous fashion show is being planned for October 4 in Huddersfield Town Hall and will follow on from the success of a previous show held at the Galphram Stadium. Hopefully major fashion names will pledge their support along with local sports personalities etc.
On July 15 Ron and Emily Walker of Lindley are holding an ‘open garden’ in support of the charity. This is the third year the couple have pledged their support by opening their acre of stunning gardens.
Mandy said: “People, particularly in Huddersfield have been so generous. We need to keep the money coming in.
“Once the building is up and running, the real hard work will start and we will need to keep fundraising to maintain the hospice. Some grants are available but the bulk of the running costs will have to be raised by charitable contribution.’’
She added: “I get stopped all the time by people asking me how the appeal is going. At the moment there are 280 families in West Yorkshire who would benefit from a respite centre and hospice facility. The sooner we get the building up and running, the better.’’
Although the plans for a hospice in the Brackenhall area have been welcomed by many, there are some who have reservations and their views will of course be taken into account by planning officials.
Mandy said: “We know that a hospice building will be beneficial to this particular area of Huddersfield and would help to raise the area’s profile.
It would be ideal to be situated here because of the central location and closeness to the motorway network.’’
To find out more about the work of the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust, take a look at the website www.forgetmenottrust.co.uk
The charity always welcomes donations and needs more volunteers to help with fundraising. To make a donation, ring 01484 489789.
As one other children’s hospice, elsewhere in the UK, says on its website: a hospice provides ‘care for good days, difficult days and last days’.
Published Summer 2007. All information correct at time of print
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