The Family Support Team offer pastoral care and holistic support to babies, children, young people and their families that receive care from Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice.

The team are available for practical support, help, guidance and signposting to other services within the hospice as well as external agencies and organisations.

There is always something happening in the hospice and our activities, events and workshops are run by our Family Support Team with fun, engagement and accessibility in mind!

Our activity days - fun for the whole family!

Being together as a family, creating magical memories is an important aspect of family life and something we love to provide here at the hospice.

Throughout the year, we organise a range of activity days at the hospice that you and your family might enjoy.

In the past these have included:

• Summer Carnival day
• Eid and Diwali Celebrations
• Superhero day
• Spring time on the farm

We also host an annual Christmas party for families whose children are currently supported at the hospice. This is a huge event full of all things magical and festive where families can enjoy spending time together being entertained by elves, princesses, face painters and even take a visit to our extraordinary grotto to find Santa himself!

Parent/Carer/Grandparent Wellbeing Workshops

Our Family Support Team facilitate monthly workshops to promote peer support, wellbeing and relaxation. Previous workshops have included candle making, yoga, felt craft and skin care sessions that are often supported by local business owners. We are grateful to have also been offered cookery workshops with Mowgli and Wagamama which have been enjoyed by all who attended.

Sibling support

Looking after a child with complex needs can be a lot for family members to handle, and there’s no way of knowing how your children might react when their brother or sister is poorly.

Our sibling support service supports children aged seven and over on both a 1:1 and a group basis for those that need it, either at Bluebell Wood or at school. These sessions offer a safe space to explore thoughts and feelings around being a young carer or experiencing anticipatory grief or bereavement. Our sibling support team use toys, books and resources to help them understand emotions such as fear, anger and sadness.

Siblings aged five and above are invited to join our regular activities, events and workshops. These take place one Saturday per month and during school holidays and some evenings. Past activities have included bowling, crazy golf, bath bomb making and trips to Yorkshire Wildlife Park!

We understand that every child and young person is unique and our experienced sibling support team will work with your child or young person to support them in the way they need.

Activity Coordinators

Our Activity Coordinators provide an array of fun, engaging and inclusive activities for the babies, children and young people along with their families! From Sing and Sign sessions to sensory play and themed activities to trips out to a local farm, no two days are the same for our Activity Coordinators.

For babies, children and young people who are in hospital and unable to attend hospice activities or are having to miss school, our Activity Coordinators will visit them to provide sensory play-based activities to raise their spirits and provide some much-needed fun and distraction.

To find out more about our Family Support Services, email [email protected]