David Gower Hits a Six for jacksplace

David Gower

David Gower bowled everyone over at Naomi House today when he took part in the Topping Out Ceremony for jacksplace, the new hospice for young people at Sutton Scotney near Winchester.

The ex-England cricketer joined the young people, staff, supporters and dignitaries to celebrate the progress that has been made in the construction of the new unit. All the guests assembled on a specially constructed viewing platform next to the construction site. David made a short speech explaining why jacksplace is so important to the teenagers of the South, “The needs for jacksplace will be obvious to any of us who have teenage children and know that they need their own space and an opportunity to let off steam and start to lead independent lives. The young people who are looking forward to visiting jacksplace have asked for a centre that gives them the facilities to have independence, privacy and dignity; a place that they can relax and enjoy meeting friends.”

David has been involved with Naomi House for nearly ten years and he is delighted to be a part the most recent development to build the new teenage unit. He said, “I have been involved here for many years, and it brings me great pleasure to see this new unit taking shape. Youngsters need a different environment to the children and it is fantastic that Naomi House is striving to give them exactly what they need.”

“Topping Out is a significant milestone in the construction programme and one that represents a major achievement for the team at the hospice..."

David was accompanied by Professor Khalid Aziz, when he placed the tile on the apex of the roof. After the ceremony he said, “Topping Out is a significant milestone in the construction programme and one that represents a major achievement for the team at the hospice and our supporters across the community. Our loyal and energetic supporters have excelled themselves and I would like to thank everyone who has made a contribution to our appeal. Your effort and generosity is very warmly received by everyone here at Naomi House, and we applaud all your hard work in helping us reach this point. But I would ask that you do not stop here – we still have a fair way to go before we reach our final target of £12million. Every penny will count over the next few months if we are to reach our goal and provide the young people with the facility they so very much deserve.”

jacksplace is a building that has been designed with a great deal of input from the young people themselves. Their ideas have been used to design a facility that will provide them with privacy, dignity and independence; exactly what all teenagers crave. Tom Smeethe, one of the youngsters who watched the ceremony today is looking forward to staying at the new unit when it opens. He said, “We really need a place where we can meet friends of our own age and enjoy each other’s company. jackplace will be great when it is finished – with stuff in the building to help us do things for ourselves – like automatic doors, special controls for windows and curtains and extra large spaces so that we can get together and enjoy ourselves. It will also give our families a break too as they will not have to keep taking care of us all the time.”

jacksplace will provide palliative care and support to young people who have outgrown the facilities at Naomi House. The hospice will provide an environment that gives the teenagers a place where they can have privacy, dignity and independence. Many of the youngsters have helped with the design of the building and have also had an input about the support that will be provided. jacksplace will be unique in the central south, and will provide young people with support that is not currently available in the area.

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