Derian House Children's Hospice

About Derian House Children's Hospice

Derian House Children’s Hospice has been helping seriously ill children and their families since 1993, offering a home from home to children with life-limiting illnesses.
The Smile Park is an inclusive adventure playground, allowing children using wheelchairs to play alongside their siblings and make precious memories. This area plays host to activities all year round, including the annual sports day event.

The Memorial Garden offers a quiet space for reflection. At the centre of this traditional garden is a water feature surrounded by flower beds which burst into bloom in the spring with perennials including rhododendrons and phlox alongside forget-me-notes and roses.

The Seaside Garden is a natural space festooned with ornamental grass and features a large wooden ship, HMS Danni, which provides many hours of fun for the children.

The children’s bedrooms open out into a courtyard which houses the Sensory Garden which is full of the sights, sounds and textures of nature.

The gardens at Derian House are much-loved not only by the families using the hospice, but also by staff and volunteers who use them during break times, as alternative meeting rooms on sunny days, or just somewhere to find a moment of peace during emotionally difficult days.

Recent additions to the gardens at Derian House include an impressive greenhouse and also two outdoor counselling pods.

The care provided at Derian House is free for families, but services cost £6 million to run every year. With only 29 percent of funding coming from the government, the charity relies heavily on its supporters.

At the open garden events, Derian House offer’s a plant sale raising money for the hospice, homemade cakes to enjoy and activities for families to take part in together.

Family activities. Home-made cakes and plant sale.