Zoe’s Place to move with plans to take the Liverpool baby hospice into an exciting new chapter

Zoe’s Place is a baby hospice based in West Derby, Liverpool

Much-loved baby hospice Zoe’s Place is on the lookout for a new home.

And the charity says it means the chance to spread its wings and take it ‘forward into the next chapter’.

Matt Meaney, head of fundraising, says: “This is not a panic thing, we are coming to the end of a long lease, and it’s an opportunity to reflect on the changes in the organisation and acquire premises that are going to take us through the next 30 years.”

The specialist hospice has been in its current home in Yew Tree Lane, West Derby, since it was founded 28 years ago in 1995.

But the end of its current lease in mid-2025, means the organisation needs to find somewhere new, and preparations are already underway to make sure that everything is in place for a smooth and successful transition, and that the new building enables it to offer all of its current services and more, and continues to offer the invaluable support for which it’s renowned.

Zoë’s Place provides a short break service, as well as palliative and end-of-life care to babies and infants aged from birth to five years, living with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

Matt continues: “We are looking for something in the same sort of area and which delivers the same level of services, and allows us to spread our wings and do a little more in the future, as the opportunities arise.

“There’s not some great big master plan, this is not a reaction to a crisis or problem, it is about taking the next long-term measures for the organisation, so it feels that the real story’s going to come at the other end of the process when we’ve got people cutting ribbons!”

Zoe’s Place says it will be looking at all options from a new building to an older one: “To be honest, nothing is off the table,” says Matt. “We are exploring all sorts of options and it will be somewhat dictated by what’s available, but we have some things that are high on our shopping list that we would like, and we appreciate that some things will have to flex as we look.

“We are not in a particular rush. We have to find the right building.

“We want more space to be able to spread our wings, as I said, and do more services; and we are keen to be able to provide services as and when the need arises, we don’t want to be restricted in the future by a building.”

That’s not that the charity has been hampered in the past: “We have the team that finds a way if there’s a need, or we have so far, but we will come to the point where we are running out of options in this building to be able to do that.

“With reputation and need, comes the need for more facilities, and enhancing the level of service we provide to the families we already work with.

“Any well-run charity will reflect periodically on their premises and all it provides, and this happens to coincide with the end of our lease.

“It’s something we see as a positive move.”

And Matt adds: “We have been keen to release news of the move early on because we are acutely aware that the success of Zoe’s Place has been built on the generosity of local communities for very nearly 30 years and we genuinely wouldn’t be here without them behind us. So if we are going to make big changes like where we are based, it’s only appropriate that we are up front and that they hear it from us.”

Joan Stainsby, executive trustee, says: “We are confident that we will identify a new home this year. We will then undertake any building or refurbishment works necessary to ensure we can continue to provide the high-quality services to children that our families value.

“For now, it is very much business as usual.”