£5m must be raised in order to allow the children’s hospice Zoe’s Place to stay open
People from Liverpool and beyond are doing incredible things in an attempt to save the vital children’s hospice Zoe’s Place. The centre in Yew Tree Lane, West Derby, provides respite, palliative and end-of-life care for babies and children up to the age of five.
It has supported countless local families in their most difficult moments. However, staff and families of children being cared for at Zoe’s Place were told on Monday that the centre would close before the end of the year and that staff would lose their jobs in 30 days.
This week, the Liverpool ECHO joined the city-wide campaign to try to raise the required £5m to keep the organisation going. People from across Liverpool and beyond have been pulling out all the stops to try and raise the money that Zoe’s Place needs to remain in the city. The charity says it needs £5 million more to build a new facility that will mean the hospice stays in the city, but with plans to close the site already underway, there are just weeks to save it.
READ MORE: Robbie Fowler urges Scousers to ‘do what we can’ in ECHO-backed campaign to save Zoe’s PlaceREAD MORE: Zoe’s Place helped woman ‘find who she was other than a mum and carer’
Scousers and people from further afield have stepped up to the plate in order to raise the money. Liverpool clothing brand Montirex has raised more than £100,000 at the time of writing, while countless individuals, groups and businesses are doing their bit.
Ged Finnegan’s daughter Kate died at the age of 13 at Alder Hey in 1998. In 2018, to mark the 20th anniversary of her passing, he began ‘Kate’s Coastal Walk’, which has raised £80,000 for Zoe’s Place in the years since. Though Kate had not been at Zoe’s Place, he wanted to help parents going through what he had experienced.
Ged, 69, from Woolton, told the ECHO: “I saw parents in despair about their children. The idea came together that we could do something for Zoe’s Place. Since 2018 we’ve walked every year other than covid. It’s gone to over 100 people talking part in the walks, which go along the Merseyside coast.
With a matter of weeks to save Zoe’s Place, Ged decided he had to do something now. He explained: “When the news of closure came out, Zoe’s rang me – they were devastated. So I went there on Friday morning, getting buckets and more t-shirts so we could do something.
“I thought what could we do in the next 30 days? So on October 19, we’re going to walk from the Pier Head with a banner, a drum, get a lot of people, walk up Castle Street, into town, walk down to Primark. We’ll have people out with charity buckets, then we’ll go on.
“Get them all back and then we’re walking to Zoe’s Place. We’re just going to try to meander our way through Liverpool – it’s about a two hour walk.
“Once we get to Zoe’s Place, we’ll hand over the money we’ve collected. The idea is to raise money and raise awareness, hopefully it contributes.
“We want to mobilise people. It’s been amazing to see how the city has reacted. All I have wanted to do is keep Kate’s memory alive and do something positive. Hopefully this can help.”
Coffee and sandwich shop Derek’s, owned by Scousers Ethan Woodroofe and Adam Taylor, are offering people a chance to win a year’s worth of coffee and sandwiches if they enter a raffle in aid of Zoe’s Place. A £5 donation through their JustGiving page enters you into the draw.
The shop can be found on Allerton Road and on College Road in Crosby. About the raffle, Ethan, 28, told the ECHO: “We needed to use our community. Derek’s has a great community – people rave about the sandwiches and they are fantastic, but the best thing about the Derek’s community is they are so loyal and every time we do something like this, people love it and they get involved and they always try to help others.
“Everyone has come together, thrown a fiver in. Everyone we’ve spoken to has thrown a fiver in, everyone is looking at how they can help. I thought this was a cool way to do it, to give back a nice reward as well. It’s a chance to win something.”
He added: “Zoe’s Place has always been a charity especially close to my family. The shop is named after my grandad and Zoe’s Place was always my grandad’s charity of choice. We always felt closely aligned to Zoe’s Place so we felt like we needed to do something.
“It’s the age-old thing that every Scouser says – but it’s true. We do all get behind a cause worth fighting for – the whole city turns up in force. We’ve seen it again now. It’s amazing.
“A lot of people are doing stuff now, it’s unbelievable. Independent businesses are giving stuff away and leveraging their own communities that they’ve grown over the past few years and offering free stuff. People are giving away coffee and a year supply of things. I think people are just looking at what they’ve got and the pull they’ve got and leveraging it in the right way. We’re saying, let’s all get together and doing what we can.
“It’s boss to see everyone together doing stuff, it’s such a nice thing to see. It’s the city at its best.”
Additionally, a dog park in Halewood is planning to give all its income for the next week to Zoe’s Place. Zoomies Zone Liverpool opened last year, providing a safe and secure place for dogs to run off lead and enjoy themselves.
Zoomies Zone owner Anne McKenna told the ECHO: “I got really emotional reading about the closure of Zoe’s Place. I hadn’t appreciated before how important it is to the city and how many families they look after. The stories are so moving.”
Anne is a strong supporter of the ECHO’s campaign to save Zoe’s Place and she wanted to contribute to the fundraising efforts with a big donation. She said: “For any bookings on our calendar from this Saturday, October 12 to Friday October 18, we will donate the income directly to Zoe’s Place.”
Anne added: “Our income would typically be around £1,500 for the week. We are currently operating at around 50 to 60% of capacity, so if we could fill our calendar for the week we could give a big donation to Zoe’s Place.”
On October 27, there will be a charity motorcycle ride in aid of Zoe’s Place. It will start at The Hub in Widnes at 9.30am and end up at Zoe’s Place in West Derby.
Michael Old is helping to organise the event with his friend Barry Rooke. Michael told the ECHO: “Zoe’s Place is very close to my heart as my son Joshua went there when he was a baby. Sadly he passed away in 2015. Joshua had brain damage from birth and was born 11 weeks early. He spent three years in Alder Hey supported by Zoe’s Place.”
He added: “As a parent and a biker myself who used Zoe’s Place for my son Joshua, I know how much this service is needed. The specialist equipment and specialist trained staff and the hospice at home service that they offer is amazing.”
Lister Steps Childcare in Tuebrook is also stepping up to raise funds for Zoe’s Place by holding a pyjama day event on October 18. They are also raising funds through their café on Lister Drive, where you can buy Zoe’s Place cupcakes, with all proceeds going to the baby hospice.
In a statement on social media, Lister Steps said: “Our city has really been shocked and saddened to hear about plans to close Zoe’s Place – we just simply cannot let this happen! We need to ensure children and families still have a safe, warm and loving environment where they can receive specialist support.
“As a charity-run business ourselves we know how important and impactful all donations are no matter how big or how small. We will be holding a Pyjama Day on Friday, 18th October and are asking if families could make a donation to our fundraiser.”
A group of children living close to Zoe’s Place hospice have been rallying around to raise vital funds. The group, aged between six and 12-years-old, live on the Grange Avenue estate, next door to Zoe’s Place.
Leanne Robinson’s son Harrison is one of the children raising money. Leanne said it was all Harrison’s idea and he wanted to help the hospice as the little brother of his best friend, Lucas, is being supported by Zoe’s Place.
The children have been knocking on neighbours’ doors with fundraising t-shirts and a Zoe’s Place tin which they filled within three hours. Leanne, 42, said: “They filled the tub to the brim within three hours. They’re back out again today with a tin covered in masking tape with a slot on the top.
“They all live on the Grange Estate and have grown up together. Zoe’s Place is right on our doorstep. I went up to football with them with another tin and they’re all back out on the estate now.”
She added: “We’re so proud. The amount of neighbours who have come and knocked on my house and said ‘can’t believe what your son is doing’. I have had messaged from people who I went to school with saying they want to drop some money off, so it’s not just people on the estate, but people dropping money off from all over.”
On October 26, Ronin MMA Liverpool is hosting a sponsored spar to raise money for the hospice. Based above Amaisleys play centre on Townsend Ln, Clubmoor, Gavin Richardson and his son will be hosting a spar session from noon that anyone can come along and join in.
For a suggested donation of £20, they’ll get a certificate, make some new friends and more importantly raise money for Zoe’s Place. The event is open to all ages.
PLEASE DONATE TO THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE ZOE’S PLACE HERE
The ECHO wants to hear from everyone who wants to join this campaign and everyone who is fundraising for Zoe’s Place. We are open to all ideas. Please contact [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].
