Julia’s House has two causes for celebration following an IT equipment donation from Lifelites and an honorary doctorate from Bournemouth University.

The charity, which supports families caring for children with life-limiting conditions across Dorset and Wiltshire, was gifted specialist IT equipment at its hospice in Corfe Mullen, including an Eyegaze, which allows children to paint a picture, play games and communicate by tracking the child’s eye movements with a special sensor, and a PODS sensory tent, which takes children into the magical world of space, the North Pole or a forest with remote controlled internal lighting, complementing sound effects and a matching audiobook.

Lifelites, which is also a charity, enables children with life-limiting conditions to play, create and communicate through assistive technology.

Along with the equipment donation, Lifelites’ also provided Julia’s House care staff, play workers and lead nurses with two full days of training on the equipment, enabling them to make the most of it.

Rob Lightfoot, CEO of Lifelites demonstrates some of the donated equipment to Julia’s House Lead Nurse Natalie Sheehy and Julia’s House CEO Martin Edwards

Natalie Sheehy, Lead Nurse for Julia’s House says, “It’s so exciting to be able to offer this equipment to the children and young people in our care. We are blown away by the potential of its use.

It isn’t just about play, but communication, accessibility and the feeling of inclusiveness it gives the children. The POD is portable, so can be used anywhere, and it provides a very useful distraction if children are having procedures completed which could be upsetting to them.

“The team from Lifelites who trained us were so passionate about the equipment and seeing the benefit and inclusiveness it brings. Julia’s House is incredibly grateful to Lifelites for this generous donation, which is going to make a huge difference to the children we care for.”

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Julia’s House,” says Lifelites CEO, Rob Lightfoot.

“As the needs of the children and families using their services change and become more complex, Lifelites has responded by providing an extensive package of the latest assistive technology.

“With almost 25 years’ experience, we know that these technologies will empower children and young people with life-limiting conditions to engage and interact with the people they love and enjoy the world they live in. We hope that this support helps them to create many joyful memories.”

Martin Edwards, Chief Executive of Julia’s House

Meanwhile, Julia’s House Chief Executive Martin Edwards has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Bournemouth University.

Since joining in 2005, Martin has led a significant expansion and attracted national awards both for the quality of the charity’s care and its support for staff.

He was first inspired to forge a career in the charity sector after the 1985 Live Aid campaign, with his first charity role coming at Save the Children, where he led a project to mark the 10^th anniversary of Live Aid and travelled to Ethiopia to see the impact of its work.

He then served as Director of Funding at two national charities before joining Highland Hospice and later Julia’s House, where as a leader he saw major growth.

Under his watch, the organization opened two brand new hospice facilities and increased their annual turnover from £500,000 to a remarkable £10 million.

Beyond fundraising, he also helped shape national policy. Drawing on research done in partnership with Bournemouth University, he demonstrated the positive impact respite breaks can have in reducing parental stress and preventing family break-ups for those caring for a seriously ill child.

Speaking about his award, Martin said, “It’s an incredible team of people at Julia’s House and I think this doctorate is in recognition of them because, for me, leadership is about empowering and supporting our people so that they can give their best to the children and families in our care.

“We love what we do and it’s amazing to be honoured for it.”

While Julia’s House hospices provide an uplifting environment for the children and families who depend on them for care, Martin recognises the emotional impact of regular bereavement on the staff delivering essential services.

This has prompted a focus on staff wellbeing that has led to the charity being regularly listed as one of The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For.

Martin regularly shares his insights on leadership through talks and in publications.

As a natural introvert, he promotes the value of diverse leadership styles and encourages organisations to challenge recruitment practices that overstate the importance of extrovert character traits.

Martin Edwards on stage at the Bournemouth University graduation ceremony.

When asked what advice he would give to those graduating with him, Martin said, “Make good choices lives. Do a job that you love doing because it’s the job you will be best at you will feel that you are flying in your work. And above all, try to lead a useful life – the lesson from working in the charity sector for me is what you give to others will be incredibly fulfilling.”

Martin received his Honorary Graduate in Business Administration during the university’s graduation ceremony at the Bournemouth International Centre on Tuesday 7th November.

• https://www.juliashouse.org/

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