The sun was shining as Derian House unveiled its brand new £250k inclusive playground at a special event this weekend.
The new playground – named Sunshine Park – was officially opened at the charity’s Open Gardens event that took place on Sunday, 27 April.
It was paid for as part of the £100 million capital investment that the government ploughed into hospices across the UK, announced at the end of last year.
The revamped playground was designed alongside families who use the hospice to ensure that all children, regardless of ability, can experience the joy of playing together.
Focusing on sight, sound, smell, balance, touch and movement, the new playground – which cost £233,827.20 – includes a wheelchair-friendly trampoline and swings, accessible treehouse, slide, and sensory play areas.
The charity ran a competition to name the new playground, with “Sunshine Park” by Joshua Hunter, 23, who uses Derian House, being the winning suggestion to receive the most votes.
Joshua attended the official opening ceremony as a VIP guest at the weekend. Alongside Karen Edwards, Derian House Chief Executive, he pulled back a cover to unveil the brand new name plaque to rapturous applause by families, supporters, and volunteers.
“The reason why I chose ‘Sunshine’ for the name is because it has a positive energy,” said Joshua, of Kendal. “I also enjoyed the chocolate cake at the opening. It was good to see so many people at the special event.”
The Open Gardens event saw the hospice welcome families, supporters, and furry friends to visit its vibrant outdoor space as part of the National Garden Scheme (NGS). This year’s event had a circus theme – with face painting, hula hooping, aerial arts, and circus-themed arts and crafts.
Supporters enjoyed exploring the hospice grounds including the seaside garden, the sensory garden, the family woodland counselling pod, and the infinity pool water feature within the reflection garden area.
As well as being able to pot their own seeds to take home, guests could also peruse a gardening pop-up shop with plants grown by the children at the hospice for sale from Derian’s greenhouse.
Throughout the day, visitors had the chance to meet the hospice’s brand new therapy dogs – Buddy the Gun Dog, Ted the Labradoodle, and Cliff the Terrier.
And there were plenty of sweet treats on hand, with cookies, homemade cakes, and ice creams provided by Martin’s Whippy.
Karen Edwards OBE, Chief Executive of Derian House, said: “Thank you to everyone who joined us as we unveiled our brand new playground – Sunshine Park. It was lovely to see families having fun together in the gardens and supporting their local children’s hospice. The new playground has been designed with care, and will be a place where children of all abilities, and their families, can create precious memories together.
“Open Gardens is the perfect opportunity to show off the hard work of our volunteers, who work tirelessly all year round to keep the hospice grounds looking beautiful.”
This year Derian House celebrated five years of opening its gardens in support of the National Garden Scheme (NGS).
Derian House, based in Chorley, Lancashire, cares for more than 400 seriously ill babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West. The gardens at the hospice offer tranquil outdoor spaces for children and their families to spend precious time together.
