CANCER charity CLIC Sargent urgently needs to raise £700,000 for a vital service helping families of children with cancer.

 

Today CATRIONA STEWART takes a look around the Cruachan House, a Home from Home.

THE first thing that hits you about Cruachan House is the feeling that it really is a home.

A welcoming entranceway opens up into a bright living room, full of toys and plush sofas where families and children can relax.

Upstairs are bedrooms, with the sounds of chatter drifting down, and a washing machine hums in the background.

But Cruachan House is no ordinary home - it is a Home from Home where families come to stay during times of crisis.

The CLIC Sargent building sits just a "slipper walk" away from Yorkhill Hospital and houses parents of children being treated for cancer.

Overseeing the house is Tracy Rodger, who has been with the charity for 10 years, and has been house manager at Cruachan House for the past eight months.

Her job is to ensure the smooth running of the house, liasing with staff over at the children's hospital to make sure parents who need the service can be accommodated.

Tracy said: "The house is just like a normal home with the same sort of everyday comings and goings.

"We are here to support the families on a very practical level. They have CLIC Sargent nurses and the CLIS Sargent social worker and we very much let them get on with the supports that they need to be putting in place.

"For us in Cruachan House it's about making sure the house is clean - we have very high standards of cleanliness - and that families have everything they need in the way or linen and that sort of thing.

"And we'll help out with anything they need in the house too."

Staff at Yorkhill will flag up families to Tracy who need somewhere to stay while their child is treated.

Often siblings will come to stay too while extended family members, such as grandparents, visit at weekends.

The two housekeeping staff, Christine Stewart and Fred Osarunamen, keep the house as close to hospital levels of cleanliness as they can.

Tracy added: "Sometimes children will come over from the hospital to stay with their family and they can have compromised immune systems due to their treatment.

"So we're very careful about the standards in the home.

"But one of the things that gives me pleasure is coming in after the weekend and seeing a bit of untidiness or some footprints on an armchair.

"We want families to be able to relax here and truly feel at home - so a bit of untidiness means they're settling and that means we're doing our job properly."

Cruachan House works with a small team of four - including deputy manager Evelyn Haig - and is not staffed at weekends, although there is always someone on call.

Over three levels there are seven bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms and living spaces.

Last year the average stay for a family in the home was 41 days but sometimes families stay much longer, over a year sometimes, depending on what treatment their child needs.

One of the most important things for the small team of four is knowing when to offer support - and when to give privacy.

Tracy said: "One of the things we're proud of in feedback is that families say we know when to leave them alone to get on with things.

"You come home to have privacy and so we don't make anyone talk if they don't want or need to.

"You learn to pick up clues from people - you can tell when some are desperate to talk about what they're going through and when they just want to shut the door behind them and be on their own."

CLIC Sargent is trying to raise another £700,000 for a new, £1.4million, Cruachan House at the Southern General Hospital Campus.

It is scheduled to open on its new site in July when Yorkhill Hospital moves from its current home south of the river.

The new Home from Home will be larger than the current building and have a garden space, something Tracy is really excited about.

And it will have en suite bathrooms for families and extra bedrooms.

Tracy said: "I am so excited about the garden. That's something we don't have at the moment and you really need a garden for children. Especially boys - they need that space to run around.

"I have a great vision for our new home of families being able to take a little bit of time for themselves, sitting outside in the fresh air with their children.

"We already provide a great service but the new Home from Home is going to be just fabulous.

"I can't wait."

CLIC Sargent is the UK's leading cancer charity for children.

To get involved in raising money or to donate to the Home from Home Appeal call 0141 572 5700 or see www.clicsargent.org.uk

To donate or get involved in fundraising call 0141 572 5700 or see www.clicsargent.org.uk