Skip to content
Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Tiktok Linkedin
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • Registration
  • Login
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • Registration
  • Login
  • WHAT’S ON
    • Across Liverpool
    • M&S Bank Arena
    • Exhibition Centre
    • Everyman & Playhouse
    • FunnyBoyz Liverpool
    • The Bentley Liverpool
    • St George’s Hall
  • THINGS TO DO
    • In Liverpool
    • Liverpool Watersports Centre
    • Strawberry Field
    • Relish Liverpool
    • Best Liverpool Restaurants
  • OFFERS
  • STAY
    • ALL HOTELS
    • Boudoir Hotel Liverpool
    • Malmaison Liverpool
  • JOBS
  • LATEST
    • News
    • Food & Drink
    • Events Latest
    • People
    • Things To Do
    • Music
    • Business
    • Matt Jacobson
    • Sport
    • Interviews
    • Blogs
    • Reviews
    • Competitions
    • A Tale of the Liver Birds
  • TRAVEL
    • Liverpool Airport
  • DIRECTORY
  • LIVE
Menu
  • WHAT’S ON
    • Across Liverpool
    • M&S Bank Arena
    • Exhibition Centre
    • Everyman & Playhouse
    • FunnyBoyz Liverpool
    • The Bentley Liverpool
    • St George’s Hall
  • THINGS TO DO
    • In Liverpool
    • Liverpool Watersports Centre
    • Strawberry Field
    • Relish Liverpool
    • Best Liverpool Restaurants
  • OFFERS
  • STAY
    • ALL HOTELS
    • Boudoir Hotel Liverpool
    • Malmaison Liverpool
  • JOBS
  • LATEST
    • News
    • Food & Drink
    • Events Latest
    • People
    • Things To Do
    • Music
    • Business
    • Matt Jacobson
    • Sport
    • Interviews
    • Blogs
    • Reviews
    • Competitions
    • A Tale of the Liver Birds
  • TRAVEL
    • Liverpool Airport
  • DIRECTORY
  • LIVE
Search
Close

The UK’s first and only purpose-built dedicated child bereavement centre has opened in Liverpool

September 10, 2021
|
by Editor
The UK’s first and only purpose-built dedicated child bereavement centre has opened in Liverpool

The UK’s first and only purpose-built dedicated child bereavement centre; the Alder Centre has been officially opened at Alder Hey, Liverpool UK.

The Alder Centre is unique and the only one of its kind in the country. It is a national centre of excellence providing outstanding bereavement and grief counselling with care and education for anyone affected by the death of a child.

The UK’s first and only purpose-built dedicated child bereavement centre has opened in Liverpool
New Alder Centre. Picture by Gareth Jones

The Centre Team work closely with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to provide bereavement support services and counselling for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age, under any circumstances, no matter how recent or long ago. 

The £2.1m new building has been fully funded by Alder Hey Children’s Charity including £1m from Libor funding.

The new Alder Centre building, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, will be officially opened on Friday 10thSeptember 2021 by Emma Weaver and her family and Antoinette Sandbach.

Emma Weaver, from Neston, Merseyside used the Alder Centre services after she lost her daughter Georgie in May 2014.  Georgie was born earlier than expected with Tracheal Agenesis, a rare condition in which the windpipe fails to develop and passed away at just five days old.

Emma’s eldest daughter Jess, 13 has gone on to raise just over £25,000 for Alder Hey in memory of Georgina.

Emma said:

“The Alder Centre played a huge part in helping us come to terms with our grief and heartache in the early days after Georgie died. We sought help when we were struggling and Jess in particular found strength and courage from seeing her counsellor and attending events where she could spend time with other bereaved siblings. She has since accessed the service again as a teen which was a great succour.

“Being asked to open the new Alder Centre has been such an unexpected honour and privilege. It means so very much to our family to be asked to attend and be part of the event. We are very proud of Jess for all she does to keep Georgie’s memory alive.”

Antoinette Sandbach, who was a MP for Eddisbury used the Alder Centre’s services after she lost her son Sam in 2009 from sudden infant death syndrome. Antoinette was Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss and has campaigned for more specialist bereavement centres like the Alder Centre throughout the UK and was instrumental in helping to secure Libor funding for the new building.

The UK’s first and only purpose-built dedicated child bereavement centre has opened in Liverpool
Picture by Gareth Jones
Antoinette Sandbach, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesman for Eddisbury said:

“As a mother who benefited from the counselling support given by the Alder Centre I know what this new counselling centre will mean for the families who will use it.  I am so proud to have been able to help give back to the Centre and secure £1 million in Libor funding.  Child loss affects so many families and the Alder Centre provides free specialist counselling and support to families in the North West – it is wonderful to see the beautiful space which will deliver these services in a setting which will provide the tranquil and supportive environment families like mine need.  I am really grateful to those who have supported the charity and the donations they have given to make this happen.”

Louise Shepherd, CBE, Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said:

“The Alder Centre is part of the ongoing delivery of Alder Hey’s world class Campus for children and young people and their families. The new Centre has been designed around the outstanding expertise and real experience of families themselves and the dedicated staff and volunteers who help run it.  It will have a positive impact on the lives of families right across the UK and become a centre of excellence from which others can learn.”

  • Picture by Gareth Jones
  • New Alder Centre. Picture by Gareth Jones
The £2.1m funding for the new building was secured by Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Fiona Ashcroft, CEO of Alder Hey Children’s Charity said:

“The new Alder Centre looks absolutely fantastic and will continue to provide an essential service to those who need it. It is thanks to charitable donations from our incredible supporters that have allowed us to make this happen. We couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you.”

Last year the Centre supported 174 new families through their bereavement team and provided counselling to 200 referrals bereaved through child loss.

The UK’s first and only purpose-built dedicated child bereavement centre has opened in Liverpool
New Alder Centre. Picture by Gareth Jones

The new facility includes counselling rooms, flexible recreational space and a holistic therapy rooms with every room having a view and access to the communal gardens. In addition, a large central ‘Heart Space’ easily accessible on entry will support the service by offering an open access approach to bereaved families to drop-in for support.  It sits within Alder Hey’s evolving health campus and creates the perfect facility to provide a whole host of new and varied therapeutic services for bereaved families and hospital staff.

Fiona Berry, The Alder Centre Service Manager said:

“I speak on behalf of all staff when I say what an honour it is to work for The Alder Centre. We often get asked how we do what we do and our answer is always that it’s a privilege. We look forward to continuing to support people bereaved by child loss in our beautiful new building.”

You can watch the officially opening at 5pm via www.aldercentre.org.uk

READ MORE: RLB360 and Alder Hey Children’s Charity team up for a sweet fundraising initiative

Gaucho has arrived in Liverpool!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email
Print

THE LATEST

BTR Liverpool Half 2018 _DSC0613 - Credit Paul Francis Cooper BTR Liverpool
Merseyside-based BTR Liverpool gears up for a memorable 2023
Vardy V Rooney-The Wagatha Christie Trial-Wyndhams-821
Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial head to Liverpool Empire
pexels-pixabay-326612
15 Valentine’s Day date ideas in Liverpool 
Coleman and Onana EtC 41 Goodison Road event at Finch Farm
Everton Players help celebrate 35 years of Everton in the Community
Maritime Museum
Half Term at St George's Quarter Liverpool
Return of the Gods exhibiton at World Museum
Return of the Gods heads to the World Museum this April
TheHousethatKittBuilt
Royal Albert Dock Liverpool lights up 2023 with free family-friendly entertainment 'Fiesta of Fire'
2022 Recruitment Day
Liverpool John Lennon Airport to host Recruitment Day for almost 200 airport vacancies
EUROVOL004
Eurovision host city wants YOU to get involved!
428b0c14f22ce4177a1e00a02bde4980cbea0afa
Temporary changes to Merseyrail Northern Line services in February

WhatsAppenin LIVERPOOL!

Receive WhatsApp notifications about the latest big news, events, offers, competitions and much more!

SIGN UP NOW

Stay in the loop

Stay up to date with all the latest news, articles, events, and offers from across Liverpool!

We never share your information with anyone.

OTHER LINKS

  • Liverpool Maps
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy

SUB LINKS

  • About Us
  • Services
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Services
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

DIRECTORY LINKS

  • Business Login
  • Register
  • View Directory

SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube Tiktok Linkedin

At Explore Liverpool we are all about bringing you everything the Liverpool City Region has to offer and more!

© 2022 Explore Liverpool

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
SettingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Explore Liverpool With Us!

Don't miss a thing. Sign up for our weekly roundup straight to your inbox! 🙌

Change Location
Find awesome listings near you!