This content requires the Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Get Flash
1. Why does Naomi House need to build an additional hospice?
Thanks to medical advances many of the children who use Naomi House are living longer than originally expected sometimes into early adulthood. For example life expectancy for a youngster with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy was only 14 to 15 years old in the 1960s, by 2002 it was 25.
As the children mature, their need for care changes as their conditions become more complex - they need intensive nursing and more sophisticated, larger equipment such as oxygen.
Naomi House is a purpose-built children's hospice; its rooms and facilities are child-sized and child-orientated. For example adult size wheelchairs do not fit in the bedrooms alongside oxygen and ventilators.
The new building will offer the privacy, dignity and independence that is so important to teenagers.
Our registration with the Healthcare Commission means that we can only provide care for children up to the age of 18 at Naomi House. At the moment we can't care for them after that.
2. What age group will jacksplace@naomihouse serve?
jacksplace@naomihouse will be for young people from their teens to twenties.
3. Will admission only take into account the physical age of a teenager?
Not necessarily, as always we will take the individual needs and mental and emotional maturity of each teenager into account in deciding whether they would be better served at jacksplace@naomihouse or at Naomi House itself.
4. Will jacksplace@naomihouse also be run by the Wessex Children's Hospice Trust?
Yes, like Naomi House it will be run by the Wessex Children's Hospice Trust - the charity's official name.
5. How many teenagers currently use Naomi House?
Around 50 young people from the age of 14 currently use Naomi House.
6. What sorts of conditions do the children who use Naomi House have?
Duchenne's muscular dystrophy Cancer Cystic fibrosis Cerebral palsy Metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders
7. How many young people will be able to use the new building?
Six young people will be able to stay in the new building at any one time. In addition, there are three rooms for families and a bereavement suite.
8. Can parents stay in the new building?
Yes there will be two bedrooms for parents to use and a special bed-sit room for them to be close to a young person who is ill.
9. Will you receive any Government funding towards the building?
We will be approaching health authorities to pay some of the costs once the building is open, but they will not pay for the building itself.
10. How was the design agreed?
Young people and their families have been heavily involved in the new building, from the concept through to the final design. We have talked to them about what they need and how they will use the building. One important example was the need for wide corridors, so that wheelchair users can go along side by side.
11. Who is designing jacksplace@naomihouse?
Architecture plb, a Winchester and London based practice with an extensive portfolio of major projects in the housing, educational and private sectors. Previous projects include: Redwood Park Special Educational Needs School in Cosham, Portsmouth; Winchester Cathedral Visitor Centre and the Aston Martin Museum in Drayton St Leonards Oxfordshire. Architecture plb were selected after a full tender process.
12. Has planning permission been granted for the building?
Planning permission was granted in December 2007.
13. When will work start on the hospice?
We hope that we will start building early in 2008, and open in 2009.
14. Will jacksplace@naomihouse create any new jobs?
Yes, we will need some new staff but it is too early to say exactly how many.
15. Where is the nearest hospice for young people at the moment?
The nearest hospice catering for young people is Douglas House about 50 miles away in Oxford.
1. How long is the appeal going to last?
We plan to run the appeal for three years.
2. Why do you need to raise £12 million?
In the 10 years since Naomi House opened, inflation means that building costs have substantially increased so this is partly why we need to raise so much.
We also want to ensure we have enough money to run the building for three years.
3. Where is the funding going to come from?
The appeal has got off to a flying start thanks to a very generous £6 million legacy from Southampton businessman, Jack Witham.
We are proud of our place in the community and Naomi House was originally built by local people for local families. We hope that every town and village will want to be part of this exciting phase in our future, and that this new project will also appeal to new supporters of all ages.
We will also be applying to various trusts and foundations for financial help. Companies throughout the region will be asked to join in our campaign.
4. What other fundraising initiatives do you have planned?
There will be lots of exciting ways to get involved throughout the three year appeal.
We promise there will be something for everyone, no matter what their age so please watch this space! Our first campaign encouraged people to buy a brick, tile, a patch of pitch or open a window for jacksplace@naomihouse. We asked people to give these instead of Christmas presents.
5. How much did it the original appeal for Naomi House raise?
The target was £5 million over two years, this was exceeded thanks to tremendous support from the local community.
6. How can people get involved?
We are the community's local children's hospice and we want as many people as possible to be part of this appeal.
Contact our fundraisers on 01962 843513 or e-mail the team at fundraising@naomihouse.org.uk.