Every opportunity we get at Major, we will jump onto a charity fundraiser. Whether that be annually with Children in Need or Comic Relief, a one-off project for local charities, or helping our staff with their own personal charity projects – we love to get involved. With this in mind, we thought it was about time we chose our own charity. A charity that we can work with throughout the year on projects and events to help raise funds. We asked everybody in the company for their suggestions, and then held a vote. We had a clear winner, and that was Zoë’s Place!
A little background of Zoë’s Place
Zoë’s Place is a baby hospice, founded in 1995. Professor Jack Scarisbrick (founder of Zoë’s Place) saw that there was a large number of families with children suffering from life threatening or life limiting conditions, which were desperately in need of specialist facilities. A place where children could receive respite or palliative care. Most importantly, it was recognised that the biggest requirement was that these families needed this facility during the early years of their child’s life.
Therefore, Zoë’s Place was born! Zoë was chosen for the name as it is a Greek word, meaning ‘Gift of Life’. After a lot of challenging work; developing the idea, raising funds, and finding premises suitable for their needs. In February 1995, Zoë’s Place opened its first hospice in Liverpool, this signified the beginning of a unique and much needed service. In 2004, the second hospice was opened in Middlesbrough and the third opened in Coventry in 2011. Since then, fundraising has been critical in ensuring each hospice has the nurses and the specialist equipment needed to care for the babies and their families.
The care they provide
Zoë’s Place provide respite, palliative, and end of life care to babies and infants aged 0-5 who have life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses. Having spent a little time there and meeting many of their amazing staff, it’s a completely different place than the word ‘hospice’ evokes. It is not a sad or depressing place, it’s quite the opposite. It’s filled with children’s laughter, fun and glitter! The team create a home-away-from-home so that the children feel comfortable and enjoy their stays. Matt from the Liverpool centre put it best:
“Zoë’s Place does not focus on the rainclouds, it’s more about the rainbows!”
Respite care is the main service Zoë’s Place provides. Respite care is the provision of 24-hour care, allowing parents the opportunity to take a short rest to recharge their batteries (whether that’s catching up on sleep, taking a bath or even just watching TV), or spending a little time focusing on their other children (if they have them). Many families couldn’t cope without this help and support, it can’t be underestimated.
Along with the care offered to the children, the hospices offer support to the whole family via their parent support network and sibling groups. They also support surrounding maternity units with use of their bereavement suites – a place where parents can stay during a time that can only be perceived as unimaginable!
After visiting their centres, you can see why the kids love it. They really have created a home from home – yes it has all the professional medical equipment it needs to look after the children; however, the team have done it in a way where it feels homely. In addition, they have light sensory rooms, soft play areas, therapy bath spas, gardens and playgrounds – the children can’t wait for their days at Zoë’s Place!
Let’s meet the children
We could talk all day about the amazing work Zoë’s Place does, trust us we’re trying not to! However, nothing hits home as much as actually hearing from the families that use Zoë’s Place’s incredible facilities. Say hello to Mason and Sophie, two Zoë’s Place regulars, take a moment to listen to their amazing stories.
Major Recruitment and Zoë’s Place
Zoë’s Place does not receive any Government funding, nor are they under the umbrella of the NHS. They do receive a small grant from the NHS and some of the CCG groups in each of their areas however, over 70% of their income is via donations from individuals and businesses – so they need all the help they can get.
So as of today, Zoë’s Place is Major Recruitment’s first official charity of the year! We will be raising money throughout the year in whatever ways we can think of (if you have some ideas, please let us know!) We’ll also be taking part in official Zoë’s Place events throughout the year. The first being GO YELLOW for Zoë’s Place through Mon 20th-Fri 24th June – Major will be turning yellow for that week. We are entering several teams into Zoë’s Place’s IT’S A KNOCKOUT 2022 which we cannot wait for! We also have a few entrants into the GREAT NORTH RUN! This is going to be a busy and fun year – and hopefully we will raise a lot of money for this fantastic charity along the way.
We are so proud to be partnering with Zoe’s Place, we knew the work they did was amazing but when we got the chance to meet the people and see their culture, we absolutely knew they were the charity we wanted to support! Please click here to visit their website and learn more about the amazing work they do.