A Scottish charity that supports terminally ill-children and their families is to benefit from the donation of the stunning Ardoch Estate overlooking Loch Lomond in West Dunbartonshire.
Children’s hospice charity CHAS, which runs Robin House in Balloch, has been gifted the 133-acre country estate in Gartocharn by landowner Peter Armitage and his family along with a further cash donation of £1million.
The Ardoch Estate – which includes an 18 bedroom conference centre, event space and cottages – will be transferred to CHAS later this year, with the charity taking over full operational responsibility for the site in 2021.
Local MP Martin Docherty-Hughes has praised the ‘outstanding’ work of CHAS across Scotland, and welcomed the generous donation which he says will help the charity support more families affected by terminal illness than ever before.
Martin will be meeting with new CHAS Chief Executive Rami Okasha to discuss plans for the site which is set to include respite facilities and a centre of learning for children, families staff and volunteers.
Martin Docherty-Hughes MP said:
“As a charity CHAS does amazing work in West Dunbartonshire and across Scotland supporting babies, children and young people affected by life-shortening conditions.
“Robin House in Balloch provides an outstanding quality of care for families facing the toughest of times. Thanks to the generous donation of the stunning Ardoch Estate in Gartocharn, CHAS will now be able to expand its specialist services in West Dunbartonshire to support more families than ever before.
“I’m grateful to Peter Armitage and his family for this wonderful gift which will be truly transformational for terminally-ill children and their families. Thanks to this donation and the generosity of all the charity’s supporters, I look forward to CHAS continuing to make a positive difference in our communities for many years to come.”
Writing in a blog on the charity’s website, Rami Okasha, incoming Chief Executive of CHAS, said:
“We are thrilled to announce that CHAS has been gifted the Ardoch Estate in West Dunbartonshire – an amazing place for our families, staff, volunteers and service partners.
“In so many ways, Ardoch is perfect for CHAS: to help us support more families in new and diverse ways and to begin to realise our ambition to create a centre of excellence for palliative care services.
“Our heartfelt thanks to Peter Armitage. This will make an amazing difference to CHAS and the children and families we support all over Scotland.”
Read more on the Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) website at: https://www.chas.org.uk/news-articles/chas-ardoch-estate
