The long-awaited Sunflower Children's Hospice project in Castlebar has reached a major milestone. Plans have now been formally lodged for the fourteen-million-euro development. A planning application has now been submitted to Mayo County Council for the purpose-built Sunflower Children's Hospice at Moneen in Castlebar. The Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation says the state-of-the-art facility will provide specialist palliative and respite care for children and young adults with life-limiting illnesses from across eight counties.
Plans include eight en-suite bedrooms, family accommodation, a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms, therapeutic gardens and play facilities. All are designed to create a supportive, home-from-home environment for children and their families. The foundation has already raised more than seven-and-a-half million euro towards the project through public fundraising. While government funding has been secured to support the delivery of clinical services.
If approved, the facility will become the first dedicated children's hospice outside Dublin. Subject to planning approval, construction is expected to begin later this year, with the hospice due to open within two years.
