'Zoe's Place staff are like angels, we have to fight to save it'

The mum of a little girl who goes to Zoe’s Place says it’s a lifesaver for families and must be saved.

Steph Perry’s three-year-old daughter Robyn has spina bifida, hydrocephalus and is paralysed from the waist down.

Steph, from Kirkby, says the care Robyn has had at Zoe’s Place for the past 18 months has been amazing and given them the chance to make so many special memories.

“I think you’ve got to be a really special person to do that job and all of the team at Zoe’s are. They treat the kids like their own, they’re just like angels.

“They go above and beyond for us so now it’s our time to go above and beyond for them and everything they do for the families.”

Steph and her husband John were shocked when they had a call from Zoe’s Place earlier this week to tell them that the hospice in West Derby was facing closure at the end of the year.

Steph and John at Zoe's Place with Robyn and their sons Ellis and Josh — Steph and John at Zoe’s Place with Robyn and their sons Ellis and Josh

“I was crying all day,” says Steph. “They are such a lifeline for families and until you’re in that position you don’t understand how much having people you can trust helps.”

Robyn, who celebrated her third birthday in September, was diagnosed with complex needs at a 16-week scan.

At first Steph didn’t feel ready to reach out for support, but when their little girl was coming up to her first birthday she contacted Zoe’s Place.

“I filled in an application and they go back in touch and we started in March 2023,” says Steph.

“As soon as we went in it felt like being with family straight away, I just felt that connection. We sat in the living room and it was like being at home, Robyn was sitting on the floor playing with the toys and she just seemed so happy right from the start.

Robyn in a fundraising campaign for Zoe's Place — Robyn in a fundraising campaign for Zoe’s Place

“I was nervous about leaving her at first because it’s a big thing, needs cathetering every three hours, but because they’re all nurses I knew she’d be in safe hands.

“She started with days and on the first one I stayed in the room all day, but after a few visits Kelly one of the nurses said, ‘why don’t you put her in for a night?’. I told her I was scared but we’re only 20 minutes away and you can ring any time so we did it.

“Now she goes twice a month for two nights and I ring at night to check she’s settled and first thing in the morning to see how she’s slept but it’s always the same, she’s been absolutely fine.

“They send me pictures and I can see how happy she is, painting or in the sensory room. They went to Gulliver’s World and she was made up, going on the rides. She just loves the environment at Zoe’s Place, the girls are amazing, and she’s smiling all the time even when she’s ill.

“She’s been so strong through everything, she’s been a little warrior.”

The couple, who also have two sons Ellis, 12 and Josh, who’s 22, say it’s unthinkable that the hospice might have to close.

“It’s not fair that it’s getting taken away from our babies, they don’t deserve it, and I don’t want to have to tell Robyn that she can’t go to the place she loves anymore.

“It’s such a special place and in the last 18 months we’ve made so many memories we probably wouldn’t have made.

“We need it to stay in Liverpool, it’s an essential part of the community and so important for all the families. If that gets taken away it’s like a piece of your heart going because they do become like your own family.

“Robyn’s due to go on the week when they’ve said they’ll have to close and I can’t even think about it. I’m trying to be positive, that we’ll go and have a party and be able to look forward. That’s what I’m praying for.”