The campaign to provide a children’s hospice to serve North and Mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire began in 1990. At that time parents with a life-limited child living in this largely rural area had to travel to Oxford to secure periods of respite care for their children. Subsequently the Acorns Children's Hospice opened in Birmingham.

 The campaign was initiated by the mother of a severely disabled child named Hope Peachy. Hope unfortunately died in Acorns before reaching her first birthday and her mother decided that a hospice was needed to serve Shropshire and surrounding areas, including Wales..

Research at that time indicated the total population of the area needing the service was over 2 million and that up to 250 families in the area could be expected to have a child with a life-limiting condition. After three years the initial Appeal - which was vigorously supported by a wide variety of people living in the catchment area had generated sufficient funds to build the hospice.
   
 
  The Council of Management felt a rural location was needed to provide tranquil, restful surroundings for families under stress. The village of Morda, near Oswestry was selected; this location is on the crossroads between England and Wales and geographically near the centre of the catchment area.
The design of the facilities was the subject of lengthy study by a project committee set up by the Council of Management with the objective of learning from the experience of existing children’s hospices. Once decisions about the facilities to be provided had been taken, Architects were commissioned to lay out a building making best use of the topographical features of the site and maximizing on splendid views across the Shropshire countryside.
   

Construction began in October 1993 and was completed in May 1995. Commissioning the interior of the building and installing specialist equipment took five months, then Nurses and other Care support staff were recruited and trained. Hope House opened for the care of children on October 23rd 1995.

Since opening, over 350 families have been cared for by the hospice. The needs of each family alters as their terminally ill child enters different phases of their condition. In response to the obvious need of some families for support in the home, the service was expanded in 1998 to include home care, where appropriate.

Recent Developments - Ty Gobaith, a new children's hospice for North Wales.

In September 2001 the Hope House Organisation announced its intention to build a new children's hospice specifically to serve children living in North Wales. This new facility, to be called "Ty Gobaith yng Nghymru" (Hope House in Wales) is scheduled to open in Summer 2004.


click here to find out more about Ty Gobaith!