NI Children's Hospice Invest In New Specialist Mobility Equipment

The NI Children's Hospice has invested in new specialist mobility equipment with the recent granting of funds from the Energy for Children Charitable Trust.

The Northern Ireland Children's Hospice, based at Horizon House, provides specialist care for children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions, supporting over 300 children and their wider families each year. The Hospice takes a holistic approach to the care it provides, going beyond meeting clinical and medical needs to include wider social, psychological and spiritual care for children and their families.

With the support of the Energy for Children Charitable Trust, the NI Children's Hospice has been able to purchase a new specialist trike and walker that can be used to help children at the Hospice with their physiotherapy needs while also giving them greater independence and freedom to explore the Hospice with their family.

Detailing the benefits of the new equipment for children coming to the Hospice, Suzanne Gordon, Physiotherapist at Children's Hospice, explained: "Learning to ride a bike is one of the most memorable milestones of childhood, giving children an amazing sense of independence and achievement. With the specialist trike we can help give the children here that same sense of independence and achievement, providing new experiences while providing physical benefits such as improved hand and eye co-ordination, spatial awareness and lower limb mobility.

"The specialist walker is also of significant benefit as it assists children who struggle to walk, helping them build their strength and confidence in a safe way and ensures that children who have access to this type of therapy at home don't miss out when they need to stay with us at the Hospice.

"We are so grateful to the Energy for Children Charitable Trust for their support to fund these two important pieces of specialist equipment, which will bring so much joy to many children that come to Horizon House each year."

Charity Liaison Officer, Gillian Orr said: "NI Children's Hospice provides such important care and support to families in the most difficult of circumstances and we are delighted to help play a small part in ensuring it can provide the best possible experiences for the children and families that it supports.

"Making a positive difference and helping local children in need is exactly why the Energy for Children Charitable Trust exists and we are pleased to help provide facilities and equipment to make things better for the families and organisations that are working to improve young lives", added Gillian.

Energy for Children is an initiative of Phoenix Natural Gas and the wider natural gas industry. The Charity was established in 2005 to provide financial support to groups and individuals that may slip through the net of the wider charity network.

Founded on the principle that 'all monies raised go directly to local children and young people', the Trust aims to reach deeper into the heart of local communities throughout Greater Belfast and beyond in order to really make a difference to disadvantaged children's lives.

Since its formation, the trust has helped over 8,000 local children and continues to help those who need it most.