Pauls House

CLIC Sargent Patron and Formula One pundit, Eddie Jordan took time out from preparing for the new season of Formula One World Championship when he visited the site of a new cancer project in London. Paul’s House will be a new £4.6 million London Home from Home for children and young people being treated for cancer in the capital, and their families.

Eddie, with his wife Marie, was instrumental in setting up and chairing a major fundraising appeal to raise the money needed to build the house.

Eddie joined young cancer patient, Charlie from Essex in contributing a personal story, photograph, picture or artefact to be placed in a time capsule to mark the mid-way point of the building work.

Charlie is one of a group of children and young people being treated at University College London Hospital in Euston whose contributions represented a key point in their cancer journey and revealed something about what it is like to live with cancer in the 21st Century.

As well as photographs and mementos from his journeys around the world with Formula One, Eddie contributed a pair of glasses worn at his first ever Formula One race.

At the event Eddie said: “I am so thrilled that building work has finally started on Paul’s House. There are so many people to thank for supporting the appeal to raise the money to make this dream a reality.

“Once it is finished it will be life changing for so many people like Charlie and his family.”

Paul’s House, named in memory of Paul O’Gorman who died of leukaemia in 1987, is due to open later this year.  When opened it will offer families from across London and the South East free accommodation, so that they can stay together when the unimaginable happens and their child is diagnosed with cancer and is being treated at University College London Hospital.

Charlie was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December 2009.  During two months of intensive chemotherapy mum mother Carly slept on a camp bed on the ward so that she could be with her son whilst dad and Charlie’s sister had to endure a four hour round trip from their home in Dagenham to the hospital.

As well being emotionally draining the constant travel affected the family financially at a time when one or both of the parents weren’t able to work.  Having somewhere like Paul’s House where the whole family could be together during this period would have made such a difference to the family. 

Carly, Charlie’s mum said:  “As a family we are determined to stay together whilst Charlie was undergoing treatment.  It would have made the whole experience totally different by taking away a lot of the stress around the daily travelling.”

Lorraine Clifton Chief Executive of CLIC Sargent, added: “Families of children facing months of treatment for cancer regularly have to make long journeys to and from hospital. Paul’s House, run by CLIC Sargent, will give families from across London and the South East access to family-friendly, comfortable accommodation free of charge so they can be near to their child when they are receiving treatment for cancer at University College London Hospital.”