Local children’s charity Charlie House is celebrating after energy firm TAQA, one if its 2019 corporate fundraising partners, announced it will be funding the reflection courtyard as part of the charity’s Big Build Appeal.
The TAQA team in Aberdeen have raised over £70,000 during their support of Charlie House in 2019 and have selected to fund the £50,000 reflection courtyard space, with the additional funds going to the general Big Build Appeal.
Charlie House launched its public Big Build Appeal in November 2018 to engage and call on people in the North-east of Scotland to support its three-year fundraising campaign to raise £8m for the Charlie House specialist support centre. Within the outdoor space the reflection courtyard will have a direct link with a dedicated private space for families to spend precious time with their child after they have passed. It will feature a water wall with splash zone, different types of seating including benches, and trees and herbaceous planting which will provide texture, colour and scent and will provide a tranquil space for individuals and families.
The specialist support centre, which will support babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions, will be built in the grounds of Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen. It will be an eight bedroom centre, with additional family accommodation, set in four acres of ground. The state-of-the-art building will feature a sensory room, library, spa pool, craft room, teen den, soft play area, therapy room, star room, for end-of-life care and bereavement, outdoor play area and sensory gardens as well as adaptable meeting space and office space for the Charlie House team and medical staff.
Tracy Johnstone, chair of Charlie House, said: “The reflection courtyard will provide a quiet space for the families accessing the facilities away from the hustle and bustle of the centre and the main garden grounds. It will be a private space for people to spend time alone or with family members, to process their thoughts and feelings at difficult times, take time out from caring for their child while in respite, receive support from Charlie House staff or to simply sit and read a book or enjoy some time alone in a peaceful outdoor space.
“Thoughtfully chosen colours, materials, textures and features will be used to create the reflection courtyard. It will be accessible from the rest of the outdoor space as well as having a direct link between the star room bereavement suite, which will enable bereaved parents to use it discreetly without having to walk through other areas of the centre.”
Susan Crighton, director of fundraising at Charlie House said: “We are so grateful to TAQA for their amazing fundraising efforts throughout 2019 and making the decision to put their money raised to this very special area in our specialist support centre.”
“The TAQA team have been so engaged and enthusiastic and have done everything from auctioning a ‘golden car park space’ to selling pay day sweeties, hosting a golf day and music concert, as well as one of the staff joining the CHAMP team and trekking to Machu Picchu. We have thoroughly enjoyed supporting this amazing team as they have supported us and would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every member of staff. In recognition of the support given by TAQA to achieve the Charlie House dream, we will feature a bespoke plaque within the reflection courtyard which will be visible to all those accessing and benefitting from this very special place.”
Donald Taylor, managing director of TAQA’s European business, said: “I’m really proud of the efforts of all the individuals and teams at TAQA who came together and helped raise this fantastic amount money for Charlie House over the last year. Each year our staff choose a charity they would like to support, and this means that they really get behind the cause, which is evident this year by the number of people who got involved and the amount of money raised. It has been a pleasure working with the great team at Charlie House and our staff are absolutely delighted that their hard work and enthusiasm will make a significant contribution and fund such an important space in the much-needed new specialist support centre.”
For further information on the Charlie House Big Build Appeal and how you can support, please visit https://www.charliehouse.org.uk/big-build-appeal/ or call 01224 313333.
TAQA gets ready for the Big Build