HRH The Duchess of Cambridge’s message of support for Children’s Hospice Week

Chestnut Tree House welcomes Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge’s personal message of support to mark Children’s Hospice Week 2021.

Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge has shared a personal message of support to mark Children’s Hospice Week, asking everyone to join her in thanking the UK’s 54 children’s hospices for the life-changing care they provide to seriously ill children and families.

Children’s Hospice Week (21-27 June) is organised by Together for Short Lives, the UK charity for seriously ill children and families.

Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge, as Royal Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices has seen first-hand the remarkable care children’s hospices provide and her message shines a light on the extraordinary support that they have continued to provide to children and families throughout the pandemic, when they needed it most.

Chestnut Tree House is one of the charities joining The Duchess in marking Children’s Hospice Week. We are delighted that The Duchess has sent a special message showing how children’s hospices like ours help seriously ill children and families. We join The Duchess in thanking our children’s hospice staff, and those working in children’s hospices across the UK, for their continued and much-needed lifeline support, especially throughout the pandemic.

The Duchess, as Royal Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), has kindly given her support to Children’s Hospice Week since 2013. The impact over many years has been transformational, helping to raise awareness of the needs of seriously ill children and families and to show why they need the care and support of children’s hospices.

Chestnut Tree House CEO, Ben Merrett is thrilled that HRH, The Duchess of Cambridge is helping to raise awareness of services like Chestnut Tree House by marking Children’s Hospice Week.

“It is a real honour to receive a message of support from Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge, to help raise awareness of the vital work of children’s hospices across the UK,” says Ben Merrett. “Our care teams have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic, adapting services and ensuring they continue to support families, but it’s important to understand just how much of an impact the last year has had on the children and families Chestnut Tree House support and care for. Some families have felt pushed to their limits.

“We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the local community since the COVID-19 crisis began, and that community support is now more important than ever to ensure that children and young people who need hospice care continue to receive it. On behalf of everyone at Chestnut Tree House, I would like to thank everyone for their support – children’s hospice care simply wouldn’t be possible without the generosity and support of the local community.”

Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge’s message of support for Children’s Hospice Week can be viewed here: www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk/royalmessage

In an excerpt from the message, The Duchess says:

I hope you will join me this Children’s Hospice Week in thanking the UK’s 54 children’s hospices and their incredible staff for the life-changing care they provide to children and families facing the unimaginable – helping them to make the most of every precious moment together.