In 2004 the new £1.6 million Lighthouse centre opened, thanks to the £500,000 raised by the Foundation’s Building Blocks Appeal.

The centre is for children with disabilities where all medical services are under one roof. It provides a stimulating and exciting place for children to visit, with facilities including a play boat, sensory room, nursery and garden. Children look forward to their visits and parents no longer have the difficulty of visiting different departments around the hospital for their children’s appointments.

The Appeal also provided £90,000 for a GP Referral Suite to be built within the children’s Neptune Unit. When a doctor refers a child to the hospital, the child can be seen on the ward in a designated unit. This not only reduces waiting times but helps to alleviate the fear of hospital that some children experience.