CHILDREN’S Hospice South West (CHSW) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The charity, which runs the Little Harbour hospice at St Austell as well as two further hospices in Devon and Somerset, was founded by Eddie Farwell and his late wife Jill in 1991.
CHSW offers help and support not only to children who are living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions but also to their families.
Eddie and Jill’s idea to create a children’s hospice came from their own experiences of caring for their life-limited children, Katie and Tom. In 1983, both children had been diagnosed as suffering with a rare degenerative disorder. They had to travel to Oxford from the South West to benefit from hospice care.
Eddie, who is now the chief executive officer of the charity, said: ‘My hope is that in another 25 years the Children’s Hospice South West will have expanded its services and will be able to support even more children with life-limiting illnesses and that there is still an army of supporters who can help us to sustain what we do.’