North-east children’s charity Charlie House has announced a change of plans for its specialist support centre due to “doubling costs”.
The charity launched its Big Build Appeal in November 2018 to raise £8million for a state-of-the-art facility.
With the centre, it is aiming to “dramatically” change the support available to families and children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
The centre – described as a “home away from home” – was to be set in four acres of ground at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen.
However, Charlie House has now made the difficult decision to move away from these plans.
The board has said it is no longer financially viable to continue with the original build on this site due to the projected costs “almost doubling”.
Difficult decision for Charlie House
John Brebner, chief executive of Charlie House, said the charity had a duty to families and its donors to ensure the new-build is affordable and sustainable.
He said: “The pandemic followed by the cost-of-living crisis, huge increases in inflation, the energy crisis and war in Europe and the Middle East have significantly impacted construction costs across the UK and the rest of the world.
“It will come as no surprise that our proposed new build has not been immune to these cost pressures.
“It’s been devastating to see our projected costs increase month by month, year by year, despite the best endeavours of our experienced project team to find efficiencies.
“We have therefore taken the difficult, but prudent, decision to move away from the original plans for the specialist centre at Woodend and, instead, explore more financially viable and sustainable options.”
Change of plans for Charlie House specialist support centre
So far, more than £5m has been raised for the new centre through donations and pledges.
However, the cost of the build alone has now increased to an estimated £10m – with projected costs also expected to rise significantly.
The board is now focused on exploring alternative options.
Mr Brebner added: “We have managed to raise a huge amount of money thanks to the incredibly generous support from the local community.”
Among the options being considered is a centre offering an expanded set of day services to those currently supported by Charlie House and future families.
This could either be on a new site or developed within an already existing suitable building with land.
The charity said a partial build or adaptation of a building could act as a hub for all activities and help improve the services on offer.
Committed to supporting families
Charlie House is working to develop further services and is continuing to support children and families while new plans are discussed.
Mr Brebner said the charity is extremely grateful to all its supporters for their understanding and continued backing.
He added: “While there will inevitably be an element of disappointment that the original vision for Charlie House will now look a little different, we are grateful for the understanding amongst our donors.
“The families we support face a very uncertain future, with most of the children unlikely to live beyond childhood.”
“Although the changes to our plans may mean we are not able to offer overnight respite, palliative and end of life care – at least in the initial stages – everyone involved with Charlie House can be assured that we will continue to provide and further develop the core activities and support services that are essential for the wellbeing of the children and their families.”
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