Julia’s House children’s hospice celebrates its 10th birthday this spring.

It marks a decade since the charity’s first community care session for a Dorset family, ahead of the opening of the Corfe Mullen hospice in March 2006.

At that time there was nothing in the county for parents of children with life-limiting conditions, with families left to struggle on without any form of respite.

Today Julia’s House has 59 nurses and carers looking after around 100 children countywide, both at its hospice and in their own homes.

As well as respite care, the charity organises social activities for mums, dads, brothers and sisters of sick youngsters. To mark this special milestone, Julia’s House will be hosting a number of special events and encouraging residents to help buy “the gift of time” for its families.

“People think they have to raise a lot of money to make a difference – they don’t,” said community fundraiser manager Lin Hudswell. “Just £30 pays for an hour’s care for a child, an hour’s break for a mum or dad and £110 buys a home care session.”

Home care is at the heart of the invaluable help offered by the charity. Its community service began three years before the hospice building was opened, after more than 10 years of fundraising.

Back then there were just two community nurses serving a handful of families.

The original nurses, Karen Dale and Ali Acaster, are still with the charity, sharing the role of director of care.

Ali said: “When we first started at Julia’s House, all we had was a pen, a notebook and a lot of passion. It felt like an amazing opportunity but also a huge responsibility.”

Karen said: “It has been an interesting and satisfying journey.

“It was a steep learning curve for both of us and I don’t think that we expected, as nurses, to play such a strategic role.”

Future plans for the charity include working with hospital neonatal units to offer earlier support to families of newborns, improving the move to adult care at 18.

Inspiration

The guiding force behind the charity was local paediatric nurse Julia Perks, who when she became ill with cancer noticed how much care she received compared to the lack of support for children.
She got a group of family and friends together at Lytchett Minster in 1995/6 and the Julia Perks Foundation was born.
She died in 1997 at the age of 50 but her inspiration led to Julia’s House, with the help of her friend Mike Wise.