'We're massively optimistic': nearly £3m raised as 'Zoe's Place 2.0' unveiled
The new Zoe's Place 'will be built by the city, for the city'
There was an air of cautious optimism and excitement today as business leaders and politicians gathered to unveil plans to create 'Zoe's Place 2.0'. With efforts to save the baby hospice gathering pace, the charity also provided an update on fundraising for Zoe's Place, confirming that £2.8 million has been raised over the past few weeks. This is more than half of the reported £5 million sum needed to save the hospice.
Ian Byrne MP, who has been spearheading the campaign to save Zoe's Place, said he is "massively optimistic" about saving the hospice, but urged the people of Merseyside to "keep their feet on the pedal" with fundraising. He added: "We've got to harness what the city has demanded of us all, which is to keep Zoe's Place open, and build that new institution and make sure it looks after generations of kids – not just in Liverpool, but across the north for generations to come."
READ MORE: Zoe's Place questions answered as fight to save baby hospice continuesREAD MORE: Heartwarming photos show inside Zoe's Place and vital work its staff do
In a meeting at ACC Liverpool this afternoon, October 24, a group of volunteers from the region's business community announced that a new Liverpool-based charity called 'Zoe's Place Liverpool' is being created to replace the current one. As it stands, the running of the hospice is overseen by the Leamington Spa-based 'Zoe's Place Trust'.
According to organisers, the new charity will be "operated by and funded by an organisation based in Liverpool and run by people from Liverpool". Any money that is raised locally or nationally for the project will reportedly be paid into the new Liverpool-based charity.
New Liverpool-based trustees have already been appointed, and the group are in the process of registering the organisation with the Charity Commission and Companies House. They expect it to be established within a week and hope to be fully independent by February.
The organisers confirmed that current Zoe's Place staff would be transferred to the new organisation. Charity lawyer Graeme Hughes, who has been brought on board to provide advice on the new charity's legal structure, said: "The new charity we're creating over the course of the next week ultimately will take a transfer of those staff, and the staff will bring their expertise with them of operating Zoe's Place into the new entity. That expertise will be retained in the long term."
Michael Cunningham, one of the new trustees, said: "As soon as we've got funding clarity, we can then establish contracts with the site purchase and builders. And we can make a site start as soon as we possibly can. We will not have the building built by June. That will be impossible now – but we'll be a long way advanced with it."
At the event, Zoe's Place provided an update on fundraising efforts, describing the donations which have flooded in as "unprecedented". According to the hospice, they have received the following sums:
⦁ £1.2 million of pledges from trustee foundations
⦁ £1.4 million of donations through the Cycle India campaign, Just Giving and offline donations
⦁ £250,000 in other pledges
This brings the total pledged so far to £2.85 million – more than half of the reported £5 million sum needed to save the hospice.
Responding to concerns about what will happen to Zoe's Place in the interim period before the proposed new hospice is built, Ian Byrne said he is "pretty confident" that the Sisters of Mercy – the nuns who own the facility where the baby hospice is based – will grant an extension to the charity. This will allow Zoe's Place to remain on the current site while the new facility is being built. He added: "I think that's something that's really important – then we wouldn't have all the upheaval and it'll give everyone reassurance. I must say the Sisters of Mercy have been very merciful."
The West Derby MP feels it is important that the city feels ownership of the new hospice when it is built. He said: "It's really important that forever, this city realises, understands and recognises that this place will be built by the city, for the city and be quite unique.
"This is going to be one of the finest facilities in the world. It's going to be built in Liverpool by Liverpool people. I want every person's name [who contributed] in the building – from £1 to £1 million."
