Toy Appeal: Oswestry hospice is a place of hope

But to the hundreds of seriously-ill children who visit this unassuming red-brick building on the Shropshire-Welsh border, it is a place of great joy.

Last year, Hope House in Morda and its sister hospice in Conwy, north Wales, provided vital care for 302 children who are not expected to reach adulthood. But despite its vital work, the charity's fundraising secretary Louise Corfield says there are still many people who do not realise it exists.

Hope House Hospice is among the good causes that will benefit from the Shropshire Star Christmas Toy Appeal.

We are asking you to donate a toy that can bring a little cheer to children facing enormous challenges.

The Star has joined forces with Storage King for the Christmas Toy Appeal.

The Shrewsbury-based warehouse has space to store hundreds of toys and its staff will be wrapping them up and distributing them to Hope House, as well as hospitals and charities around the county in the run up to the big day.

It is easy to give – toys can be dropped off at the Shropshire Star's head office in Ketley or at the Storage King warehouse on Shrewsbury's Battlefield Enterprise Park. The Star's offices at Bellstone inShrewsbury and Salop Road in Oswestry, will also accept toys during office hours.

A number of hospitals and charities will benefit from the appeal, helping to distribute presents to children under their care.

They include young patients being looked after at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The Harry Johnson Trust, which supports children receiving treatment for cancer and their families, will also benefit.

Telford-based Climbing Out, which helps young people who have had life-changing injuries, will distribute donated toys. And Telford & Wrekin Council's children's services department has also agreed to get on board to help children in its care. Toys will also be given to vulnerable children in the care of Shropshire Council.

Storage King has launched successful toy appeals in the north west in recent years and is this year joining forces with the Shropshire Star for the first time.

We are asking for new toys only, packaged but not wrapped. We also welcome gifts like books, DVDs, colouring sets and vouchers.

They can be dropped off in Telford and at Shrewsbury's Storage King from Monday to Saturday.

"Even in Shropshire, there are a lot of people who do not know where we are what we do," says Louise, who has worked at Hope House for 18 years.

And the 38-year-old says raising the profile of the Hope House is crucial, as every year it has to raise £5 million to provide its services.

"It is all about promoting the hospice and spreading the word," she says.

"We have 600 volunteers across the organisation who help us deliver our work. With fundraising you never know what you are going to get. I have just met a lovely couple who have raised over £400 by holding a plant sale for us."

We are asking readers to help us make life happier for the youngsters at Hope House, by contributing to our toy appeal.

Working with our partners Storage King, the newspaper is asking readers to donate brand new toys and games for youngsters who will be facing a difficult time this year. Hope House is one of a number of charities we are supporting with the appeal, and hospice staff say the gifts will make a huge difference to the youngsters who are having to deal with a variety of conditions.

Sara Kelly is a nurse based at Hope House, who moved to the charity five years ago, having previously worked with children at an NHS hospital.

She says the toy appeal will be very important to the children, as play forms a vital part of their day.

"The children spend a lot of time playing here, and sometimes we allow them to take a toy home with them," says Sara, who is 48.

"Toys can also play an important role in helping with the children's development."

Sara says toys were also a useful aid to helping children with their medical care.

"If you are trying to administer to them clinically, it can often help if you are able to use a brightly-coloured toy or a noisy toy to distract them," she says.

While many of the duties she performs, such as tending to the children's clinical needs and administering their medication, is similar to what she did in her old job, she says the bond with the children and their families is stronger than it was when she worked in a hospital. "It is very different to working in the NHS," says Sara.

"Here, you get to know the children and their families much more, you have the time to build a much stronger relationship, you get to spend more time with them."

George –not his real name – has been visiting the Oswestry centre for most of his 16 years, and says he has made many good friends over that time. "It's a really good place," says the teenager. "I usually go down and use the computers or play the board games. I know a lot of people here."

He says the toy appeal is an excellent idea, as the youngsters always like having something different to play with. "DVDs are particularly popular," he says.

Wendy Mates, a care assistant, says noisy toys are always popular with the children.

"I think it is a really good idea, the children always like having something different to play with," she says.

Wendy joined the Hope House team 12 months ago, and says she has loved every minute of it.

"I just wanted to do something different, it's a fantastic place, it's so rewarding working with the children," she says.

"You meet lovely people and spend time with them."

Her colleague Becky Winter, 24, is about to take four-year-old Aydan Oakes swimming. "I went to university to do midwifery, but I had a change of heart when I heard about this place," she says.

"I love the people we work with. We are making memories and we are part of them."

Many of the children, such as Ayden, have speech problems, so many of the carers teach the children a sign language called Makaton, which helps them to communicate. The hospice also regularly welcomes visits from the Pets As Therapy charity, which brings dogs in for the children to interact with.

"Ayden loves it when he is able to interact with a dog called Bill," says Becky.

Of course, there is a lot more work that goes on behind the scenes. Last year, the charity provided 3,500 hours of counselling to children and their families, and more than 10,000 hours of support were provided to youngsters in their own homes.

And there are also dozens of support workers who do vital work in ensuring that the hospice in Oswestry runs smoothly.

Over in the kitchen, Mo Oliveiro is preparing the evening meal for the youngsters. Mo, 62, who lives in Chirk, has worked as a cook and domestic helper at the hospice for 17 years. "I just love my job," she says.

"I feel so much for the children, but if I can do something for them that makes me so happy, it makes me feel like I am doing something worthwhile," she says.

Also part of the domestic team is Claire Jones, who is carrying a pile of freshly laundered towels.

She says cleanliness is crucial to the children given the conditions which many of them have, and great care has to be taken to prevent the spread of germs.

"Cleanliness has to be higher than hospital standard," says the 44-year-old from West Felton, who joined the team four years ago.

"Some of the children also require a special diet, so we ensure that they get that, we do gluten-free meals, the Atkins diet and things like that."

Sheri Beattie says it is important to remember that life can be hard for the brothers and sisters of children with serious illnesses too, and as sibling support worker it is her role to provide them with support .

"We do fun stuff with them, taking them to places like the cinema or bowling alley, or fun trips to the park," she says. "Sometimes we will take them out as a group, sometimes we will try to involve them in activities with the poorly children, it depends what we are doing."

Sheri, who is 44, says it can often be difficult for youngsters to cope with having a seriously-ill brother or sister.

"They often feel neglected, they can feel jealous because their parents' time tends to get taken up with the sick child. We offer them a social life, and we also offer bereavement support if they struggle at home."

Jim Rowlands, 59, is in charge with maintenance, and is known as the man who can fix anything.

Jim joined Hope House three years ago, saying it was something he had wanted to do for many years.

"Years ago I used to work for an electrical contractor, and I did some work here. I loved what they were doing, it seemed such a worthwhile thing to do, and when the opportunity came to work here, it was exactly what I wanted to do."