Princess Diana with her private secretary Patrick Jephson.Photo:Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Princess Diana’s legacy lives on in a children’s hospice in Wales.
AtTŷ Hafanin South Wales, a space for reflection is being remodeled, renovated and modernized thanks to her former chief of staff Patrick Jephson. The late Princess of Wales' private secretary has donated $122,000 (around £100,000) from thedamages he received last yearfrom the BBC following the fallout of the controversialPanoramaprogram in 1995.
Now, the money is being used to remodel the Sanctuary, a non-denominational space for children, families and staff to take a quiet moment. Princess Diana was the first patron of the children’s hospice and a critical campaigner in fundraising for its construction.
Princess Diana and her private secretary Patrick Jephson.Adam Butler - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
Adam Butler - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
“Tŷ Hafan was the final patronage that I helped arrange for Princess Diana. Even before the first brick was laid, she was already a committed supporter, working hard to raise awareness and attract funding,” Jephson exclusively tells PEOPLE. “So when considering the best recipient for my BBC damages, Tŷ Hafan was the obvious choice.”
“Thanks to his generous donation in our founding patron, Princess Diana’s memory, our plans are to enhance the place where children and young people, their parents/guardians, siblings, and families in our care, as well as those who have been bereaved, can enjoy a peaceful reflective environment,” Tŷ Hafan Chief Executive Maria Timon Samra tells PEOPLE. “It seemed like a very fitting legacy given all Princess Diana had done for us as our founding patron. She was so passionate about Tŷ Hafan and Patrick is too.”
The Ty Hafan hospice in Sully, Wales.Courtesy Ty Hafan
Courtesy Ty Hafan
Though Tŷ Hafan (Welsh for “Haven House”) opened in 1999, two years after Diana’s tragic death in Paris, the launch of the hospice would not have been possible without her. The charity was created in 1990, and Diana became patron in 1994. The following year, the Princess of Wales asked her friend Luciano Pavarotti to perform in concert in Cardiff to help fundraise to build a care center, which proved to be a turning point.
“That helped to get over the line of building the hospice,” Timon Samra says of the support.
Princess Diana at the fundraising concert in Cardiff.Alamy
Alamy
After Diana died in 1997, then-Prince Charlestook over the patronage.
“It’s such an important space for children and families, for families who are facing the unimaginable as well as well as families who have been long since bereaved,” she explains. “Also for staff who want to escape and just reflect because they’ve dealt with very sad loss.”
Situated on a seven-acre site on the South Wales coast near Sully, Tŷ Hafan has ten bedrooms and serves 270 children and their families across South and West Wales, both at the hospice and in the community. Since 1999, it has supported over 1,100 children with life-shortening illnesses and their families.
“We pride ourselves in doing holistic work. We don’t just look after the sick child. We look after all their siblings and the extended family — everything from sibling support work to play therapy, music therapy, and bereavement therapy,” Timon Samra says. “That can go on for many years – as long as the family might want the support.”
Princess Diana at the “A Concert of Hope” fundraiser for Ty Hafan in 1995.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The organization does not operate under the banner of the publicly-funded NHS, so it has to raise the $18,000-a-day (£14,250) running costs for the ongoing operation through donations and via its charity shops. Jephson’s donation meant that Timon Samra and her team could modernize a space that hadn’t been updated for two decades.
Ty Hafan hospice.Courtesy Ty Hafan
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In a break from past precedent, the Tŷ Hafan team is considering naming the Sanctuary in Princess Diana’s honor after construction is complete.
“[Jephson] could have done anything with that donation, but for him to be so moved to want to make a difference for Tŷ Hafan was really powerful,” Timon Samra tells PEOPLE. “It will make a difference to children and families and leave a lasting legacy because it will take that building long into the future.”
source: people.com
