Children using Hope House Hospice to benefit from new specialist transport

Children using Hope House Children’s Hospice are to benefit from a new wheelchair adapted vehicle thanks to a £25,000 grant from the DM Thomas Foundation For Young People.

The new specially adapted vehicle will enable the hospice to make sure those children and families without transport when at Hope House will be able to access special outings.

One of those is 10-year-old Poppy Rimmer from Shrewsbury and her dad Jim.

Poppy has a condition called Tracheomalacia, which means that she has a tracheostomy to aid her breathing, requiring 24-hour care and management by Jim.

For much of this year, Poppy and Jim have been shielding at home, meaning that Poppy has missed attending her local school – and for Jim, it has been a worrying and exhausting time.

Poppy is able to access care at Hope House, with special time for play, therapies and activities, while Jim catches up on some much-needed rest.

“Having Hope House, where I know Poppy is happy and so well cared for, means the world to me – even just a couple of days here and there – to do the shopping, see family or friends and do housework,” he said.

Jim says having access to the vehicle will be invaluable for Poppy.

“As we don’t have our own adapted vehicle, it would just not be logistically or financially viable for Poppy to go on special days out in the future without the transport support while she is at Hope House.”

Spacious enough for Poppy’s precious belongings and all the equipment she needs to keep her safe, the new vehicle will be used in future to enable the care team to support families.

Accompanied by a nurse to provide the ongoing care she needs during her journeys, Poppy will be able to experience special outings from the hospice and take part in her favourite activities such as having her hair and nails done, hand massages, foot rubs and other sensory treatments such as a bubble bath in the hospice’s specialist Arjo bath system.

The new adapted vehicle means Hope House will help many other young people and their families, on educational trips and special days out from the hospice, enabling young people to live life to the full once again, despite their serious conditions.