The Sick Children's Trust

The Sick Children's Trust is a registered charity (No. 284416) and for the

last twenty-seven years has provided free accomodation for families of sick

children in the grounds of hospitals. They now have seven "homes-from-home"

around England.

The nearest is Eckersley House at St James's Hospital ("Jimmy's") in

Leeds. The tour organiser's daughter Bethany (pictured right), who is now

seven years old, spent most of the first year of her life in the Children's Liver Unit,

her condition becoming serious and unstable on more than one occasion, and

she returned in January 2009 for a life-saving liver transplant. The comfort

and privacy of Eckersley House helped to keep the family together, (and sane!)

less than two minutes from her bedside.

The house has a large kitchen and dining area (each family has their own fridge and food cupboard with a lock), a playroom and lounge and a small garden.

St James's Hospital has specialist units for children in the fields of nephrology, oncology (cancer), cystic fibrosis, gastroenterology and liver transplants. Eckersley House has fifteen family rooms, and also a self-contained flat for families whose child is recovering from a liver transplant, when infection has to be avoided.

All the money raised on the Arriva Tour will go directly to the Sick Children's Trust, to be used at Eckersley House.