Haven House Children’s Hospice is seeking to strengthen its links with the Sikh community in the London Borough of Redbridge and support more Sikh children and families.

Staff from Haven House attended the Sikh Women’s Alliance’s International Women’s Day event on Sunday 6 March at Masala 910 Restaurant in Ilford and gave a talk about hospice care.

The Mayor of Redbridge, Cllr Barbara White, and more than 100 women took part in the event which was a platform to raise relevant and pertinent issues for Sikh and Asian communities.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the London Borough of Redbridge has a Sikh population of 17,377, but the size of this community is not reflected in the number of Sikh families who use Haven House.

Across its catchment area of North and North East London, West Essex and East Hertfordshire, approximately one-third of children who use Haven House come from Muslim backgrounds. The charity wants to ensure that other faith groups can also benefit from hospice care.

Mike Palfreman, Chief Executive of Haven House, said: “For parents looking after a seriously ill child, the support provided by a hospice can make an immeasurable difference.

“Many our children and families live in the London Borough of Redbridge, which is also home to one of the largest Sikh populations in the capital. The size of this population is not reflected in the number of Sikh families who use Haven House.

“We need to do a lot more work if we are to reach more Sikh children, which is why it was so useful for our staff to attend the Sikh Women’s Alliance’s International Women’s Day event.”

Balvinder Kaur Saund, JP Chair of Sikh Women’s Alliance, said: “Sikh Women's Alliance at its IWD were happy to engage with Haven House and learn about its facilities. We hope to work in partnership in future on projects. Haven House's work with young children is invaluable to the community.”

If you are a community group who would to get involved with Haven House, please visit our community page by clicking this link.