Acorns facts and figures

What we do

• Acorns Children’s Hospice provide care and support for children and young people who have life limiting or life threatening conditions. This means they are unlikely to reach adulthood.
• Acorns provides respite/short break, emergency and end-of-life care, with a community team to support the family 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
• Acorns has helped nearly 2,000 children and their families since it was established in 1988.
• Acorns is currently supporting over 630 children and more than 880 families, including those who are bereaved.
• An estimated 2,000 children in our catchment area meet our criteria (including the 630 plus we are currently supporting)
• On average, every week one of the children we care for will die.
• There is no charge to families for using the services provided by Acorns.

Our hospices

• Acorns has three 10-bed children’s hospices: Acorns in Birmingham (located in Selly Oak), Acorns in the Black Country (located in Walsall) and Acorns for the Three Counties (located in Worcester).
• Acorns in Birmingham was the third children’s hospice in the world when it was opened in 1988. We opened our second hospice, Acorns in the Black Country, in 1999 followed by the opening of our third hospice, Acorns for the Three Counties, in 2005.
• The hospices are designed to be a home-from-home to help children enjoy their stay and make the most of every day. Games rooms, soft-play areas, gardens and lots of toys help to ensure a happy stay. The hospices have therapeutic facilities such as hydrotherapy pools and multi-sensory rooms. Special adolescent wings ensure privacy for older children.

How we operate

• It currently costs over £8 million a year to support our families.
• It costs £750 per day for each child’s care.
• Each of Acorns’ three 10-bed children’s hospices cost £7,500 per day to run.
• Acorns relies on the community to fund the majority of its activities.
• For every pound received, 88 pence is spent on providing the vital care and support that our children and their families rely on.
• Through partnerships with local PCTs, Acorns aims to achieve 30% of its funding through statutory funding on a continual basis.
• Acorns employs around 350 staff in its three hospices, network of shops and head office.
• Acorns has over 2,100 volunteers who work in all areas*
- Over 400 in our hospices (100+ in the Black Country, 160+ in the Three Counties and 170+ in Birmingham)
- Around 550 in fundraising and events (nearly 240 in events)
- Nearly 1,500 in our retail shops
• Acorns has the largest retail chain amongst children’s hospices with 52 shops.
• Acorns participates in two lotteries: TLC in Birmingham and the Hospices Lottery.
• Acorns is part of Childlife, a fundraising partnership between four charities working with children, young people and their families throughout the UK www.childlife.org.uk
• Acorns is a member of Together for Short Lives, the UK voice for children and young people who are not expected to reach adulthood and their families www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk

*Volunteers may cross over different areas of the organisation

Figures correct as of April 2012