Celebrating 15 years of comfort and joy

2022 was a special milestone for Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service, as we marked 15 years since we were founded by Fiona and John Devine in 2007. Since then, we’ve given hundreds of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, and their families, the specialist care and support that they need.

Thank you to everyone we helped us celebrate, a milestone that would not have been possible without our amazing supporters.

With your help, we can continue in our journey to grow our service so we can be there for more children and their families for the next 15 years and beyond.

It all began with a very special boy – Alexander

Alexander’s bravery, strength and kindness inspired so many people across our community. It is because of Alexander that today we bring specialist care and vital support to so many children and their families that need us. Needing the support of a children’s hospice service is not something any parent wants or expects.

For John and Fiona Devine, it was something they were not prepared for when in November 2001, four year old Alexander was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Their world was consumed by hospital appointments, doctors, nurses, operations, treatments, scans and stays in hospitals. They described it as being on an “emotional rollercoaster”, which they had no control over. Without a children’s hospice in Berkshire, they would have have to travel for hours in the car with Alexander to access the specialist care and support the family needed.

These journeys were difficult and often dangerous due to his medical condition. Alexander endured four and a half years of operations, treatments and therapy, but sadly died at the age of eight. Through their experience and much research, it was clear that Berkshire needed its own children’s hospice service.

In 2007, Fiona and John established Alexander Devine Cancer Trust (later to become Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service), and so began their journey to make sure that children, like their son Alexander, and families likes theirs would be able to access the support they needed closer to home.