Business centre community supports local hospice

Customers at our business centre in Hooton have shown what being part of a Bizspace community is all about, by helping to raise funds for a cause very close to home.

Companies donated prizes and bought raffle tickets to collect cash for Claire House Children’s Hospice in Wirral. The hospice did fantastic work looking after the grandson of Pauline Millington, whose company, The Chester Partnership, is a long-time customer at our office park in Hooton.

Miracle baby

Miracle baby Adam is now almost six months old, but he was not expected to survive more than a few weeks. When his mum Joanne was 28 weeks pregnant, doctors broke the news that Adam had hypoplastic right heart syndrome – a rare condition affecting the development of the heart. That is when the family first came into contact with Claire House, and the team supported them during Adam’s first two weeks in the world.

Pauline says: “Although we have lived around the corner from there for years I had never taken the time to get to know really what Claire House was all about. I knew that it was a hospice and it had a great reputation for providing quality palliative care, I didn’t know anything about the people who made Claire House such a respected place.

“Whilst going to Claire House over those two weeks and getting to know some of the staff and observing the way that they looked after the children and the parents, it showed me the true nature of people providing an environment where they were making the best use of whatever time was left for the children there.”

Giving something back

Baby Adam has beaten the odds and is now growing well. The family thought it was important to give something back to the hospice and the team at Hooton Business Centre agreed. Business Centre Administrator, Mark Faltin says.

There is a real community spirit at the centre and it was really touching to see how many people wanted to get involved to help this fantastic cause

“We started off with a basket of Easter eggs which I’d got as a prize, and ended up with about 20 raffle prizes that customers donated. People were spending £20 a time on tickets. We raised almost £250 in the end and, of course, helped to raise awareness about the amazing work of Claire House.”

Working together

Mark says there is now more emphasis than ever to encourage customers at the business centre to get to know one another and create an enjoyable work environment. Other recent events have included a Secret Santa and Macmillan coffee morning. A barbecue is planned to be held in the centre’s impressive gardens, with its lush lawns and attractive topiary.

Plus, the site has recently undergone a refurbishment, with the addition of new carpets and creation of a conference suite with meeting room space for 40 people. Mark adds

There is a really nice vibe at the centre. Both the management team and the customers really care about the centre and that shows through, to visitors and prospective customers alike. We are now at our highest ever occupancy.

To find out more about the office, mailboxes and meeting rooms available at our Hooton Business Centre, contact manager Neil Williamson on 0151 670 1553.