• Swindon & Wiltshire Community champions
• Tuesday December 12 2023
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Swindog ‘Patches – Julia’s Hound’ donated back to hospice charity by business owners

Christmas has come early for Julia’s House, as the charity’s special Swindog Patches – Julia’s Hound was donated back to the children’s hospice by the supporters who adopted him at auction.

Patches was hand-painted by the seriously ill children and siblings cared for by Julia’s House, along with members of the charity’s care team – all under the expert guidance of local artist Hannah Dosanjh.

The giant balloon dog sculpture, which features handprints, messages and beautiful pictures, was one of 72 Swindogs and Swinpups that appeared on The Big Dog Art Trail in Swindon over the summer.

Hosted by the Wiltshire children’s hospice, the free art trail was the world’s first balloon dog art trail and the sculptures raised more than £165,000 for Julia’s House at the Grand Auction finale in September.

Patches raised £9,000 for the charity at auction, thanks to a winning online bid of £8,000 by Jo and Del Hall from Chippenham, and a further donation of £1,000 from a supporter.

Jo and Del, who own and manage Survival Equipment Services (SES) in Tetbury, loved all the Swindogs so much that they bought four sculptures on the night, donating  £23,000 in total to Julia’s House. Along with Patches, they bought Puppy Love, Spike, and Rainbow Warrior to keep and share with their family.

Jo and Del said they had always planned to donate Patches back to Julia’s House so he could bring joy to the children at the hospice for years to come.

“The Julia’s House children’s hospice building is a wonderful facility where the charity can provide their much-needed care in such an amazing space,” said Jo. “It’s great that Patches has been getting lots of attention and is now back in his rightful place!”

One of the families who helped to decorate Patches was Addy Clarke’s family, from Walcot in Swindon, who are cared for by Julia’s House and have shared their story as part of the charity’s Christmas Appeal.

Ken Hull, Julia’s House Lead Nurse, said, “We’re so grateful to Jo and Del for their incredible support for Julia’s House. It was a pleasure to welcome them to the hospice for a tour of the facilities when they brought Patches over, and share more about the work we do in the hospice and wider Wiltshire community.

“Their donation will make a vital difference in helping us provide life-changing care to the most seriously ill children and their families.”

Ken said, “We’re all thrilled that Patches will now have his forever home at the hospice. The children (and staff!) had so much fun creating his colourful design and exploring the trail, it’s lovely to keep the sculpture here as a special memento of that experience. We’ve placed Patches just by the front door to greet all the families and it’s been brilliant to see everyone’s reactions as they arrive.”

Wiltshire’s children’s hospice, Julia’s House, is the local charity dedicated to supporting the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

The charity’s nurses and carers provide specialist and compassionate care that’s individualised for each family, and includes care for the seriously ill child, family support, emergency and end of life care. Parents can choose when, where and how they receive this support – at home, in the community or at the charity’s hospice in Devizes – making it a truly flexible service.

Julia’s House receives just eight per cent government funding and is almost entirely reliant on donations to provide this vital service, completely free to local families.