Head of Community David Busst and CCFC first team players, Kyle McFadzean and Captain Liam Kelly took a trip to Zoë’s Place Coventry last week to visit the staff and children who make the hospice such a heart-warming `home away from home’ experience.
Zoë’s Place Trust is a registered Charity providing palliative, respite and end of life care to babies and infants aged from birth to five years suffering from life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. The staff at Zoë’s Place provide care and support 24hrs a day for both the child and family.
Zoë’s Place offers parents and carers a chance to recharge their batteries or to spend time with their other children. The value of this respite care cannot be underestimated, and many families say that they simply would not be able to cope without the help and support of the Zoe’s Place team.
The Hospice is designed to be a `home away from home’ in which the children feel comfortable and are able to get the most out of the very special facilities. Alongside the care that is offered to the children they also support the whole family through their parent support network and the sibling groups.
CCFC Captain Liam Kelly said: “It’s a fantastic place and it was good to meet the staff who do a fantastic job. They effect so many lives with the support they give to children there and the families and their work is tremendous.
“Also, the amount of hard work that goes into raising funds for a place like this is incredible and it’s something that really touched me.
“It shows how brave the people are that work there and the emotional bond they have with the children and you can’t take that away.”
On behalf of Sky Blues in the Community, David Busst organised a ‘Sky Blues in the Community Christmas Auction’ last November via Facebook to help raise vital funds for the two chosen charities, alongside his appearance in the Strictly Christmas Dancing Show. The auction proved to be a great success, raising a staggering £4000 which was split between both charities (Zoë’s Place and Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund). Dave and his team have just launched their second Christmas Auction, running up until 12 midday on Saturday 30th November.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR AUCTION PAGE
Last week’s visit to Zoë’s Place has given Dave, Liam and Kyle more motivation than ever to push through and beat last year’s fundraising target!
Head of Community, David Busst said: “The visit to Zoës Place has completely blown me away. I was in awe of the passion and enthusiasm the staff have towards the care that the children receive. The hospice is a wonderful place and defied all my expectations. I was apprehensive about the visit and prepared myself for an emotional experience – however, the atmosphere was far from dull. The children and staff were enjoying some sound therapy play time, singing and signing to spooky Halloween jingles. Thank you to everyone at Zoës Place for giving me the opportunity to see first-hand the incredible work that our donations make possible!”
Jane McGaffney Community Fundraiser for Zoë’s Place commented “It was an absolute pleasure to show the players around our wonderful Hospice. You could see that they were totally charmed by the children and immersed themselves with learning to sign language to the songs. I would like to thank them for taking the time out to come and visit us and hopefully we will have their continued support in the future”.
Mark Hornby, Head of Marketing and Communications at Coventry City, said: “I would like to thank everyone at Zoë’s Place for inviting us. It was an afternoon which I approached with some trepidation, due to the word ‘hospice’ and what emotions may be brought up – but what the brilliant staff there have created is a building full of joy and inspiration, where they do absolutely incredible work caring for the children and their families. We look forward to continuing to support their fundraising efforts.”
If you would like to support Dave and his team with their Christmas Auction, whilst also helping raise funds for Zoës Place Baby Hospice – Click Here
For more information on Zoë’s Place visit https://www.zoes-place.org.uk