Catherine, Princess of Wales has praised the "incredible" work of children's hospices.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, is patron of Each
The 41-year-old princess - who has Princes George and Louis, nine and five, and Princess Charlotte, eight, with husband Prince William - has thanked staff for being a "shining light" to families during their "darkest times", while still allowing "children to be children".
In a message of support to mark Children's Hospice Week, Catherine - who has been royal patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (Each) for over 10 years - said: “With 99,000 seriously ill children across the country, children’s hospices work tirelessly to provide life-changing care to families with the aim of making unbelievably difficult situations that little bit easier.
“As patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, I have been privileged to see first-hand the incredible way hospices help families and allow children to be children.
“During Children’s Hospice Week, all hospices will be doing what they do day in day out – delivering vital specialist care, and whether that is by helping to facilitate a day at the beach for children to feel the sand between their toes, engaging young people in therapeutic music activities, or having a fun painting session to create special moments and memories, the teams supporting these families regularly go above and beyond to make a difference to their lives, no matter how long or short they may be.
“On behalf of parents and carers across the country, I would like to say a huge thank you to all those working in children’s hospices. You are a shining light to so many families in their darkest times and your efforts do not go unnoticed.
“This Children’s Hospice Week, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the truly extraordinary teamwork that goes into providing this incredible care.”
Catherine herself has also been praised for her work with Each.
Phil Gormley, chief executive of Each, said: “We are so grateful for the Princess’s invaluable contribution as royal patron.
“Her work, visits and profile have projected our charity – as well as the importance of children’s hospice services generally – onto the global stage and for that we are truly thankful.”
Children's Hospice Week is organised by Together for Short Lives - a UK charity for seriously ill children and families - and is the only dedicated period to raising funds and awareness for the services across the country.
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