Lifelong Evertonian Stephen Givin has mobilised a workforce and Everton in the Community to resurrect a vital play area at Claire House Children’s Hospice in Liverpool.
Stephen, a Senior Construction Manager at Laing O’Rourke - the construction partner for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock - sprang into action when he found out that a garden ‘den’ that had been constructed as part of a Children in Need programme back in 2017, had fallen into disrepair following the COVID-19 pandemic.
His Everton-mad son Shea, who was a patient at the Hospice following a serious brain condition and was one of the original ‘Dengineers’, sadly passed away aged 13 without seeing the den completed.
And Stephen was determined to bring the outdoor facility, which had special wheelchair access for the children, back to life with the support of willing workmates from Laing O’Rourke, volunteer tradespersons and representatives from Everton in the Community.
He explained: “Shea was diagnosed with a brain condition, ALD, when he was six and we were introduced to Claire House as a bit of a respite, as his health was deteriorating.
“He got the care he needed there and it was a place that became a lifeline for us as a family, so the very least we could do was try to give something back.
“Claire House had originally been part of a TV programme called ‘The Dengineers’, who asked siblings of the disabled children to help create this den.
“While it was being built, Shea got really poorly and passed away the week it opened, so he never got to use this amazing facility.
“It was only recently, while working on another job for Laing O’Rourke, that I visited Claire House to drop something off and asked to look at the den.
“Over time it had become weather-beaten and badly in need of repair and I immediately thought ‘this can’t be right’.
“We needed some help to get it back to where it should be, so knowing the resources at my disposal, I asked for workers at Laing O’Rourke to help and was inundated. We even had to turn some folk away and it’s been overwhelming, to be honest.”
In total, 25 Laing O-Rourke workers, six staff from EitC and volunteers, including Ashlea Landscaping, Bagnall and Morris Painters and four joiners, armed themselves with raw materials, hammers and paintbrushes and laid siege to the den last week, to begin restoring it to former glories.
Further sessions are now planned to continue the renovation, with volunteers being sought to carry on the good work started by the renovators.
Stephen, whose other two children Malachy and Maebh are still connected to Claire House through sibling support, added: “I’m a proud Evertonian and it was wonderful to have Everton in the Community along to give us a helping hand.
“We’ve re-built walls, re-roofed, re-lined and re-painted it all and done a lot of work, so now all it needs is a little servicing to keep it tip-top.
“We even had a landscaping company, Ashlea Landscaping, come in and offer their services and pulled out all the stops.
“They’ve even planted a tree in memory of my son and the other Dengineers, which is very touching and I’m very proud of.”
To find out more about Claire House, visit clairehouse.org.uk.
