Unusual donation makes dreams come true for children being helped by Lancaster hospice

Keen crafters Val Hall and Freda Simpson have donated a bespoke dolls’ house to the Forget Me Not Centre at St John’s Hospice, in memory of their neighbour Joan Howorth.

Joan had always wanted a doll’s house and when her son made one for her, she did not get the chance to decorate it. She gave it to Val and Freda to ‘do-it-up’ and then donate to charity, and they’ve done a beautiful job in shades of the Forget Me Not Centre’s yellow and blue.

Dolls’ houses help children to play imaginatively, develop social skills and make sense of the world – all things that can be especially difficult for children who have experienced a bereavement of someone close to them at a young age.

Rachael Horay, Family Support Practitioner at the Forget Me Not Centre, said: “We are so grateful to Val, Freda and Joan for this beautiful dolls’ house. We’ve only had it a few days and already children are just drawn to it.

"There are so many beautiful little details for the them to keep discovering. I really enjoyed visiting Val’s incredible studio full of dolls’ houses and other crafts, and getting to know more about the lovely ladies behind this stunning gift.”

Val and Freda said it has been their pleasure to create a dolls’ house for the new Forget Me Not Centre, which helps bereaved children, adults and families.

The pair are members of the long establised Lunesdale Doll and Doll’s House group and would welcome anyone interested in making everything from dolls’ homes and dolls, to furniture and miniature gardens, to call 01524 66205 or 07936 193525.

St John’s Hospice provides free palliative care to patients with life shortening conditions. Their services cover a population area of 250,000 people in north Lancashire, south Lakes and parts of north Yorkshire. They have been caring for the community every minute of every day since they opened in 1986.

The hospice and its supporters are constantly organising a range of events and opportunities to suit everybody.

You can find out more about the work of St John’s Hospice by visiting www.sjhospice.org.uk