NI Children's Hospice announced as charity partner by Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Oliver McMullan has announced his support for local charity NI Children’s Hospice during his term in office.

The charity cares for children of all ages, from babies to teenagers, who have life-limiting conditions or who require support at the end of their lives. Located at Horizon House in Newtownabbey, the Children’s Hospice is key, as it is the only service of its kind in the North of Ireland.

Through their multi-disciplinary team, they provide services including specialist nursing care at home, supported breaks in their In-Patient Unit, end-of life care and family and bereavement support. They also work in partnership with the NHS to support parents with their antenatal care service, Tiny Horizons.

Speaking about the partnership Councillor Oliver McMullan said: “I have chosen to support NI Children’s Hospice as a charity that is very personal to me that I feels will benefit from additional support.

“For this charity, only a small proportion of the annual running costs are funded by Government, and the hospice relies on the goodwill and generosity of voluntary donations and other fundraising activities to remain operating.”

“I have experienced loss and found myself in a position where my family and I were supported by the Children’s Hospice, and I cannot thank the staff enough for how much their help meant to my family. It brought us comfort during very hard times, and I am in awe of the work they do.”

While working with the Children’s Hospice to raise much needed funds, Councillor McMullan hopes to highlight the wide range of services the charity offer.

He added: “No one ever knows when they or a family member, may need the support and services of the Children’s Hospice.

“I would encourage everyone to assist with our fundraising efforts over the coming year, as each donation, no matter how small will help to secure these vital services for our community.”

David Dixon, NI Hospice’s Community Relationship Manager for the area, said: “A huge and heartfelt thank you to the new Mayor of the Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Oliver McMullan, for choosing NI Children’s Hospice as his charity of the year.

“The Mayor’s fantastic fundraising assistance will really help us continue making a difference for local patients and their families whom we support with our specialist palliative care.

“In the past year alone, Hospice provided care to 22 local children from the Causeway Coast and Glens area and their families, who spent a total of 115 nights at Horizon House, the Children’s Hospice In-Patient Unit.

“The majority of NI Hospice funding comes from the kindness of the local community, and we simply could not continue providing our Hospice services without such generosity. Thanks again to the Mayor for choosing us, and thank you in advance to everyone who supports the Mayor’s fundraising during the coming year.”

More information on Mayor’s charity NI Children’s Hospice can be found by visiting: https://www.nihospice.org/our-services/children-s-services/ and donations can be made by visiting https://causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/council/mayor/the-mayors-charity.