Naomi House Children’s Hospice had a special visitor this week to help life-limited youngsters in the search for buried treasure. Melinda Messenger came to the Winchester charity on Wednesday, June 23 as part of a pirate-themed event.
The hospice and gardens were transformed into a tropical wonderland and Melinda, a star of stage and screen, joined in the fun. She commented: “Play is an important part of every childhood, and I can see from the smiley faces here today that the team at Naomi House put a lot of effort into making play a fun experience. It has been a delight to visit the hospice and meet everyone.”
Youngsters at Naomi House and teens at jacksplace gain a huge amount of pleasure from interactive sessions at the hospice and is a rare opportunity to take part in group activities, carers said. Lisa Hannington, a play specialist at the hospice, said: “The children had a wonderful morning while Melinda was here.We all appreciated the time she spent with us, Melinda joined in all the activities with lots of energy and made sure that all of the children had a great time.”
It costs around £5million a year to provide these services to children, young people and families, with less than 15% income coming from Government – the rest has to be raised through charity shops and various fundraising activities. For more information on Naomi House or its fundraising visit www.naomishouse.org.uk
