Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2017 | Page 32

Interview
A haven of care
The charity employs 180 staff, mostly
in nursing and care roles, to ensure that
youngsters and their families across the
southern counties receive expert support
when they need it most.
In fact when a child or young person is
diagnosed with a life-limiting condition, it’s
fair to say that Naomi House & Jacksplace
becomes their ‘home from home’.
Staff take the time to really get to know
each family and understand their wishes,
and then can offer individualised support
– whether that’s play, respite support for
parents, or ultimately, end-of-life care.
The charity has certainly come on in
leaps and bounds since it was launched in
1992 with a £5m appeal fund.
The original target amount was raised
within five years and the original Naomi
House hospice opened in 1997 on land
donated by Mrs Mary Cornelius Reid,
owner of the Sutton Manor Estate near
Winchester who died in 2014.
The hospice was named after Mrs
Cornelius-Reid’s daughter Naomi, and
the only ‘rent’ that the charity pays to
this day is in the form of 12 red roses on
Midsummer’s Day every year – given to
Naomi, who is now in her 30s and married
with her own children.
Jacksplace was added after a number of
years when it became clear that, thanks
to medical advances, some children were
surviving for much longer with life-
threatening conditions, and needed extra
support into young adulthood.
The concept was developed in 2007-
2008 after the charity was approached by
Southampton businessman Jack Witham,
who had become seriously ill and was
looking for a project to which he could
leave a legacy.
“We are very appreciative
of all the help and
support we get, and we
will never take that for
granted.”
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