18 June 2025
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice has officially opened a bespoke, purpose-built, space for young people in the grounds of The Ark which will be known as ‘The Lounge’. The official opening took place on the 13th June 2025. The Lounge is a fully air-conditioned 30 square metre space for young people aged 13 and upwards. The Lounge was designed with full input from its end users’ and is fully equipped with a ceiling hoist, TV and gaming equipment, a fridge stocked with drinks and snacks, an arcade machine, games, books and craft supplies and a sound system.
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice identified that young people were more likely to spend time at The Ark if they had a dedicated space that was both set apart from the main building and set-up for their age-group and interests. The Lounge was fully road-tested by young people on the 1st June 2025 at the inaugural Prom, an event specially created by the Family Activities Team so young people can experience this important rite of passage in a safe, accessible way. The Prom Event forms part of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice’s dedicated Transition Service that prepares young people for adult palliative care services by offering coaching on life skills such as budgeting and offering young people bespoke transition plans. These plans focus on the young person’s strengths and potential rather than risks and limitations and empowers them to make informed decisions about their future. Transition planning starts well in advance, ideally starting at the age of 14, allowing time for relationship building, assessment and goal setting to facilitate a seamless transition to adult services.
The Lounge was funded by the Patel Family, MariaMarina Foundation and the 2023 Winter Ball Committee. Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice started supporting Anand Patel, his wife Savita, and their daughter, Kinnari in 2022. Sadly, Kinnari died soon after at the age of 12. Kinnari loved art, butterflies, pink and purple, puzzles and games, netball and travel, she was funny, mischievous, and enjoyed life to the full. The family, who now live in Dubai, helped to fund The Lounge as a way to honour Kinnari’s memory and celebrate her personality and the things that she enjoyed. They also commissioned an artwork from Flukez, an artist specialising in graffiti art, street art and murals, for The Lounge that captured the essence of Kinnari. They also funded a beautiful neon sign that brightly displays one of Kinnari’s favourite sayings – ‘I don’t like it, I love it’.
MariaMarina Foundation was established in 2009 in memory of Maria Holder and her daughter Marina Brewster, the mother and sister of the foundation’s President and Chief Executive Christopher Holder. MariaMarina Foundation celebrates their passions and supports worthy causes in their memory. The foundation has supported Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice since 2018.
The Winter Ball Committee is a 16-strong group of dedicated philanthropists and fundraisers chaired by Leslie Rose OBE. Since 2020 the committee has organised ‘The Winter Ball’, a show-stopping fundraising event, in aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.
Sophie Andrews OBE, CEO of Noah's Ark Children's Hospice said: ‘We are extremely grateful to our partners, MariaMarina Foundation and The Winter Ball Committee for funding this much-needed addition to The Ark. A very special thank-you to the Patel family for their generous donation to honour the memory of their daughter, Kinnari, and to use her words, I hope the young people don’t just like The Lounge, I hope they love it!’
