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Who we are

Born from one mum’s struggle to find the care her son needed, Forget Me Not is here to provide essential care to children with life-shortening conditions, their families and families living with the loss of their child across West Yorkshire

A view of the rear of Russell House taken from the garden, with the stone sculpture in the foreground.
A white female member of staff playing on a roundabout in the outdoor play area of Russell House with a young white boy

What we do

We provide high quality, bespoke, specialist services for mums and dads to be, babies, children, and their families, who are coping with life-shortening conditions and living with loss across West Yorkshire.

Led by nurses and therapists, our services are inclusive, accessible and available 24/7 in our hospice, at home, in hospital and in our communities. And we work hard to ensure every penny raised and every minute gifted is focussed on the needs of the families we support.

Why we’re here

Like you, we’d prefer it if no one needed the support of a children’s hospice. That no one faced or was living with the loss of their child. That no one felt exhausted, helpless and alone because of their child’s life-shortening condition. That no one had to experience the devastation of the sudden and unexpected death of their child.

But very sadly, many families do. We’re here for these families, helping them live the best lives they can. And every day we make a difference.

How it all started

Back in 1998 a mum, exhausted by the struggle to find the support that her son needed locally, gathered her friends around the kitchen table and recruited them to help her. They set up the Forget Me Not charity and began to raise funds to provide specialist hospice care and respite services for children and families in Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield. By engaging with the local community and championing their cause, Linda and her friends would go on to raise the money needed to build our children’s hospice, Russell House, named after her son who inspired it all.

A group of Forget Me Not staff, families and ambassador Rees Connah in the garden at Forget Me Not. They are gathered round a shelter made out of twigs and branches which was created at the bushcraft activity day.

The story so far

Since then, millions of pounds have been raised by local people for thousands of children, parents, siblings and other family members who, just like Linda, needed the support of a local children’s hospice.

We’ve continued to build on those foundations, always looking for new ways to provide the support that families need – led by what they tell us they need. We were the first children’s hospice in Europe to employ a midwife to support families faced with losing their baby. And our support for families devastated by the sudden and unexpected death of their child is unique and award-winning.

And we continue to rely on the support of local people, friends, groups and businesses to help raise the funds we need to help more families in new and improved ways.

Our values

We live by our values, working together for families. We are:

Caring

We are one team and will always be kind, considerate and supportive.

Courageous

Together we have the strength and confidence to make brave choices.

Positive

We are passionate about making a difference and being the best we can be.

Pioneering

We challenge the status quo to make things better for children and families.

Genuine

We are true to ourselves and others.

Where your money goes

In 2023, your support helped us to provide:

Care for 808 individuals

Babies and children with life-shortening conditions as well as mums, dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents

21 rainbow baby group sessions

for parents who’ve had a baby following a previous loss. Bringing families together for support, friendship and fun

239 hydrotherapy sessions

helping families enjoy a splash around together somewhere that’s safe and comfortable for all of them