By Craig Robertson
AFTER four
years of hard fund-raising, there’s bright light at the end of the
tunnel for Robin House.
 The
finishing touches are being put to the new children’s hospice at
Balloch and within a few months the first families will be taking up
residence.
Last
week we took a trip out to the nearly-completed building to see how
the millions of pounds raised by Sunday Post readers have been
spent.
It’s
clear there’s still much to be done, but Robin House is almost
unrecognisable from the last time we were there. We were given the
full tour by Margaret Robertson, who will be Head of Care at the new
hospice, and Stewart Ferguson, project manager for builders Keir
Scotland.
They
guided us past the soft playroom, sensory room and teenagers’ den
complete with home cinema, computers and remote-controlled doors.
The teenagers who use Rachel House have had a huge input into the
design and fitting of the new hospice, letting the architects and
staff know just what would make life easier for them.
We
went down corridors bathed in natural light, thanks to large and
open suspended ceiling skylights, to the hydrotherapy pool. It sits
in a corner of the building and its ceiling-high glass walls give
fantastic views of the hills beyond.
We
passed the children’s bedrooms, the library, the music and video
room and on to the main lounge, kitchen and dining area. Every
aspect of the hospice has benefited from the experiences of Rachel
House, incorporating all the little things they wish they’d built
there.
Perfect
The
parents’ rooms are one level down, separate so mums and dads can
have much-needed respite but close enough that their children are
within reach. They have their own lounge area and kitchen.
The
whole place is coming together and there’s a huge effort to ensure
everything will be perfect come the summer opening. Margaret is
excited at the progress and pays tribute to the building team.
“There is a huge amount of goodwill to the project and they’re
pulling out all the stops,” she said.
“We
are so close and I just can’t wait till the first family is
here.”
Stewart
said this is no ordinary job. “There is definitely a feeling the
team are doing something different. There are 114 people working
on-site, at weekends and across the Easter week to finish the
job.”
With
that kind of dedication, there’s no doubt your money is being well
spent.
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 Above — Margaret inspects the natural light effects.
The soft playroom takes shape.
This shot of the front courtyard shows off the “rippling roof”.
The hive of activity in the seminar room.
An exterior view of the circular Quiet Room.
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