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Prince & Princess of Wales

The Duchess of Cambridge to open new children’s hospice for EACH

The Duchess of Cambridge, patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), will attend the charity’s celebration of its new Norfolk hospice, The Nook, on Friday, 15 November.

The Duchess attended the launch of EACH’s fundraising appeal for the project in November 2014 and after five years of fundraising to reach £10 million and almost two years of building, EACH welcomed the first child to receive care at The Nook on 30 September 2019. Her visit will be exactly two years since the first turf-cutting at the site.

EACH was one of the Duchess of Cambridge’s first patronages, announced in January 2012, and the organisation provides support for children and young people with life-threatening conditions in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Whilst at The Nook, the Duchess of Cambridge will tour the facilities including a hydrotherapy pool, state-of-the-art sensory room and music studio. She’ll also meet with young people receiving care and their families as they take part in arts and crafts activities.

The Duchess will make a short speech before unveiling a plaque to formally open the purpose-built hospice in Framingham Earl, around five miles south of Norwich.

“We’re obviously very much looking forward to welcoming Her Royal Highness and are grateful for her support as our Royal Patron. Having helped to launch the appeal five years ago to the month, which is without a doubt the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken, this is a very fitting time for her to visit,” Tracy Rennie, EACH Acting Chief Executive, said.

“I was fortunate enough to witness the joy and excitement of the first child through the doors here for care as they explored the soft play room, tried out the furniture and found their bedroom, with personalised tray of favourite toys and activities, and it was incredibly moving.I’ve no doubt the way we deliver care in future will take great steps forward and give us an opportunity to try out doing things differently.”

EACH Norfolk was previously been based on the site of the Carmelite Monastery in Quidenham, where they provided care for 25 years. The new building, The Nook, “is a 21st-century building to provide 21st-century care, spread across a single floor, with more areas for clinical care, larger and better equipped en-suite bedrooms, dedicated therapy rooms and much more,” EACH said in a press release.

“It will allow EACH to fully cater for an increased demand for its service and the ever-changing and more complex needs of those it cares for. Set on a five-acre woodland site, closer to the centre of the county, hospitals and road networks, it also means the majority of families and staff will travel shorter distances to receive and deliver care.”

About author

Kristin was Chief Reporter for Royal Central until 2022 and has been following the British royal family for more than 30 years. Kristin has appeared in UK and U.S. media outlets discussing the British royals including BBC Breakfast, BBC World News, Sky News, the Associated Press, TIME, The Washington Post, and many others.