![\"Sophie,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Sophie_family2.jpg\")
Sophie, who uses the children’s hospice, with her big sister(Image: Pearl Gould)<\/p>\nClaire House has been a lifeline for hundreds of families since it opened over 20 years ago<\/p>\n
12:05, 04 Jan 2026Updated 12:05, 04 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
Sophie, who uses the children’s hospice, with her big sister(Image: Pearl Gould)<\/p>\n
Claire House has been a lifeline for hundreds of families since it opened its doors in 1998. Founders, Chris and Bobby Cain, from Wallasey<\/a>, opened the hospice in memory of their daughter Claire, who suddenly became seriously ill while the couple were expecting their fourth child. Claire was diagnosed as having a malignant tumour behind her nose and eye and the regular hospital visits meant the family couldn\u2019t all stay together. Claire died in July 1989, aged nine.<\/p>\n Following her death, Chris and Bobby wanted to help other families going through similarly traumatic experiences and so they founded Claire House<\/a> and have since helped so many people.<\/p>\n That includes nine-year-old Sophie Gould and her family, from West Derby<\/a>. Sophie was born in June 2016 with a rare genetic disorder: infantile spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), that causes muscle weakness. This means she uses a wheelchair and requires 24-hour care.<\/p>\n For the first few years of her life Sophie spent “a lot of time” in hospital, says mum Pearl Gould, 48. She would get “very poorly” and the family struggled.<\/p>\n As Sophie grew, she spent time at Zoe\u2019s Place in Liverpool, but aged six she reached the hospice’s age limit and that’s when Claire House stepped in.<\/p>\n Sophie and her family were referred to Claire House and it has since become their ‘life line.’ Dad Mark Gould, 45, said: “When people hear the word ‘hospice’, they quite often think the worst but Claire House is a home, it\u2019s a safe place for us all.<\/p>\n “When Sophie is there, she gets to be independent from us, while we know that all of her medical needs are being taken care of.”<\/p>\n Sophie\u2019s condition means that she requires monitoring and supervision and requires extra support to move around safely. Mark says: “All Sophie wants is to be included, and we know that when she comes to Claire House it is a break away from our normal family routine for her. Here, she is safe and accepted, and it is somewhere fun for her.”<\/p>\n Sophie, now nine, says: “I love getting to up to arts and crafts when I come to Claire House and getting to play and hide seek. I get to do what I want.”<\/p>\n For Pearl and Mark, when Sophie comes to Claire House it means they can spend time with Sophie\u2019s older sister Amelia, 11. Pearl said: “It can feel like a lot of our time is given to Sophie. She has a lot of hospital appointments and if she gets unwell, we cannot do much with Amelia.<\/p>\n “But when Sophie comes to Claire House, we can go and do the things and activities that Amelia usually wouldn\u2019t get to do. Without the hospice, we would not get that opportunity.”<\/p>\n Sophie especially loves the hydrotherapy pool at Claire House. Pearl said: “Some days Sophie wakes up and says ‘when I can walk Mummy.’<\/p>\n “Sophie can’t walk, but when she\u2019s in the pool at Claire House it is the one place that Sophie can feel like she is walking. It\u2019s great to go as a family, as we can\u2019t take Sophie to normal swimming pools, they are just too cold.”<\/p>\n Mark said: “People use thank you all the time and it\u2019s not big enough for what Claire House have done for us, it doesn\u2019t capture what it means to be as thankful as we are to them. The admiration we have for the people who support these places, it really is a gift that they give us.\u201d<\/p>\n And, Claire House’s care now doesn’t stop at the age of 25 thanks to a new partnership between the hospice and Wirral Hospice St John\u2019s.<\/p>\n For families supported by Claire House, moving from a children\u2019s hospice to adult care at the age of 25 can be daunting. It often means new doctors in unfamiliar settings who don\u2019t fully know the young person’s history and needs, says Louise Smith, a young adult palliative care nurse specialist at Claire House.<\/p>\n Lou works as part of a dedicated team to ensure young adults needing ongoing palliative are referred to their local adult hospice and for families who have relied on Claire House for over two decades this new service is vital.<\/p>\n Keely Smith, 24, from Wallasey, was six when she was diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder which primarily affects girls and impairs brain development. She is nonverbal and requires 24-hour care. Keely has been supported by Claire House for more than 15 years and the family “felt lost” thinking she was near an end of her support, until Lou from Claire House explained the transition service and introduced them to a palliative medicine doctor at Wirral Hospice St John\u2019s.<\/p>\n Mum Sharon Smith, 47, said: “Despite her complex needs, Keely is happy and lives life to the full. She enjoys respite stays at Claire House. When she\u2019s not there, the team is always a phone call away. So, we have worried about losing them.”<\/p>\n “The thought of not having Claire House was scary. But now we know we are in safe hands. I\u2019m not worried any more”<\/p>\n Dr Claire McNamee, a palliative medicine doctor at Wirral Hospice St John\u2019s, said: “In children\u2019s services, care is usually overseen by one consultant. In adult care, families meet a whole new team, which can be over whelming.\u201d<\/p>\n Claire House supports seriously and terminally ill babies, children and young adults across Merseyside. The charity has a full hospice in Wirral<\/a>, a Liverpool site in West Derby and supports children and families in the community.<\/p>\n![\"Sophie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Sophie.jpg\")
Sophie was born in June 2016 with a rare genetic disorder(Image: Playmaker \/ Matt Thomas)<\/p>\n![\"Sophie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Sophie_family4.jpg\")
Sophie Gould with her mum Pearl, dad Mark and sister Amelia(Image: Pearl Gould)<\/p>\n![\"24-year-old](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Keely_2.jpg\")
24-year-old Keely was diagnosed with Rett syndrome aged six(Image: Claire House)<\/p>\n![\"Keely](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Keely-with-Dr-Claire-left-and-Lou-rightJPG.jpg\")
Keely with Dr Claire (left) and Lou from Claire House (right)(Image: Claire House)<\/p>\n