Haven House celebrates first birthday of its Holistic Care Centre this month.

Since opening in September 2014 the new Holistic Care Centre (HCC), which was part-funded by an NHS England grant, has delivered a range of therapeutic and consultative services to children and young people with complex health needs.

Music therapy moved from a cramped sensory room into a new music room, funded by the Amy Winehouse Foundation, overlooking the sensory garden which has enabled more one-to-one and group sessions. These sessions provide a safe space for children to express themselves through music as well as helping to develop communication skills such as turn-taking and responding through sound.

For Haven House mum Vira, having music therapy in a dedicated space has helped her son, Dominic, to become more sociable and less anxious when meeting new people. “Every session has opened new abilities,” explains Vira. “Music therapy has had a positive impact on Dominic’s physical development and emotional wellbeing – as well as mine.”

The centre also offers new consultation facilities for Palliative Care Consultants from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to see children and families, bringing care much closer to their homes. In a bright, modern building, it is a more tranquil and familiar environment for local families to discuss their child’s long-term care needs.

For parents of sick children, the GOSH clinics ensure that families do not have to disrupt their already complex lives to travel to appointments in the centre of London. Vicky, mum to 11-year-old Spike, explains: "We find the Holistic Care Centre a more private and professional space and we like having the opportunity to discuss Spike’s needs in a familiar place, close to where we live with people that we know."

The HCC also offers physiotherapy and therapeutic yoga as well as an opportunity for families new to Haven House to meet nurses before coming to stay with us for the first time.

Our services receive limited government funding, so our support to children and families is reliant on the generosity of our local community.

This year it will cost £3.6m to fully resource the hospice, to help, please join us at one of our upcoming events or donate on our Just Giving page.