Turning of the sod ceremony heralds start to construction of the Beach House
On Sunday, 26 August 2018 we celebrated the start of construction of the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation Beach House in Encounter Lakes at Victor Harbor.
In collaboration with the Hospital, families, builders and the community, the Beach House will provide purpose-built holiday accommodation for the children from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital suffering with a life-limiting illness and their families to enjoy.
Once completed this home will have all the equipment and disability support tools and resources the families will need, as well as a whole system of provisions such as meals, access to local community and tourism activities and medical assistance. The Beach House is located close to the South District Coast Hospital should an emergency arise or medical support is needed.
The home itself will feature four bedrooms to allow for siblings and additional family members or carers, wheelchair and mobility aid access and provision of medical equipment so families do not need to travel with surplus supplies.
WCH Foundation CEO Jane Scotcher said the ceremony was an exciting opportunity to bring together the families behind the project, the community members who have donated to the project, the hospital and local communities.
“The Beach House will provide the families of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital who have a child suffering a life-limiting illness with a place to get away from the hospital environment and relax.
We cannot change the journey for families but together we can make it easier and I thank everyone for their support so far.”
The turning of the sod also marks the launch of the community fundraising campaign for the project. With the generous support of our Build Partner, Bella Build & Design most of the construction has been covered with in-kind support from the building industry. We still have a target to reach to fund the remaining items needed for the house.
Donations are still needed towards purchasing items such as furniture, home décor, medical equipment, whitegoods, entertainment systems, for landscaping and so much more so that the Beach House will have everything a family staying could possibly need.
Construction and fit out of the Beach House is expected to take up to seven months to complete. We hope to welcome our first family in March 2019.
For more information about the project, including stories from some of our families, head to the WCH Foundation Beach House Project page.
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