A home away from home

Magnolia House

The first of its kind in the UK and funded entirely by charitable donations, Magnolia House provides a safe-haven for parents and families at their time of need

magnolia house

Named after the magnolia trees in the hospital garden, Magnolia House sets a new benchmark for palliative care in the UK

magnolia house

A place of care, comfort and reflection

Magnolia House provides care for children and families living with terminal illness, as well as those with complex diagnoses who need support to understand and manage their child’s symptoms. Thoughtfully designed, it features three pastel-coloured private counselling rooms, a calming lounge, a siblings’ play area and a peaceful private garden where families can sit and reflect. Its grass-covered roof, embedded with twinkling lights, also offers in-patients overlooking the building a scenic and uplifting view from the hospital windows.

magnolia house
magnolia house
magnolia house
magnolia house
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Compassionate Conversations

Creating space for life-changing moments

Approximately 100 life-changing conversations take place with families and patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital every year.

Prior to the construction of Magnolia House, difficult conversations took place in offices, empty cubicles or playrooms, with parents often moved back out onto the ward before they properly had time to digest what they were being told.

What This Would Have Meant

A mother’s perspective

Speaking of how a support centre such as Magnolia House would have benefitted her family, mum Naomi said:

When we were first told the news about our son’s prognosis , we were unsure about where to go or who to turn to. It would have made such a huge difference to our family to be able to go to a place away from the ward, to an environment that was completely separate from the hospital itself – somewhere that was more like a home-from-home. It was hard for our family to be apart so much. I had a six month old daughter when my little boy passed away, so to have had a space and people around us that understood exactly what we were going through would have been paramount at that point in time. I think the care being offered by Magnolia House should be the benchmark for all hospitals.

Naomi

Parent

Fundraising for this £1 million appeal was spearheaded by our near-neighbour Wesleyan

The Birmingham-based financial mutual successfully raised £750,000 of the required £1 million total, thanks to more than 200 fundraising activities ranging from cake bakes to the publishing of a children’s book, ‘The Unstoppable Maggie McGee’. The final £250,000 was raised through public donations.

past appeal

Magnolia House appeal

This past appeal helped raise vital donations to create Magnolia House, providing a comforting home away from home for families and patients in our hospital.

£1m Magnolia House Appeal

The first of its kind in the UK and funded entirely by charitable donations, Magnolia House opened in February 2017, following a £1m fundraising appeal, setting a new national benchmark in paediatric palliative care.

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