In the Examiner on May 3, I spoke to the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital as part of this series of features about charities in the Isle of Man.

The hospital provides specialist cardiothoracic services for patients across the North West of England and Wales, as well as the Isle of Man.

What I didn’t know at the time, was that right on the grounds of the hospital, mere metres from its front door, is another vital service in the form of Robert Owen House.

The house provides overnight accommodation, on site, for relatives or carers of patients who find themselves in the hospital, often for life-saving heart, lung or thoracic treatment or surgery.

Despite the island’s relatively small population, around 70% of those who occupy the beds at the house in any given year are Manx.

I sat down with some members from the committee to learn about why the house is so important for Manx carers during times of such high stress.

Patron June Young founded the charity over 20 years ago, after staying at Robert Owen House herself when her husband was a patient in the hospital.

‘He was so pleased that I was in the area just opposite the hospital,’ she said.

‘So from there, we did a thank you fundraiser. We didn’t become a registered charity until later on.

‘The following year he had to go away again, so I thought I’d do another thank you for all the care that the carers get.

‘The house was important to me because it was for the carers.

‘The patients are being looked after, the carers are at a loose end really. But everything was there.

‘That was the early stages of the house, it has since extended a lot.

‘I can’t tell you how important it is and what it means to the people that have been.’

Fast forward to 2020, and the charity marked its 21st birthday.

They had afternoon tea at the Milntown Estate in Ramsey, organised by June, to celebrate.

By all accounts, the history of the house itself is a fascinating one – the Robert Owen House was founded by Professor Owen himself.

The Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement saw the need for such accommodation following his own surgery at the hospital.

He realised that many patients lived a distance away and there was a need for on site accommodation.

The house has developed over the years, and is now a prime example modern, hotel-standard accommodation, which is often described as a ‘home from home’ or a ‘haven’ by patients’ families who experience the friendly support provided by the team.

The Robert Owen House has 17 bedrooms in total (15 en-suite), comprised of:

l Two family rooms accommodating up to three relatives

l Six twin rooms (one with wheelchair access)

l Nine single rooms (one with wheelchair access)

There is a fully working kitchen, living room and quiet rooms for carers who just need a moment to collect their thoughts.

At the moment, a stay at the house costs £25 per person, and the average length of stay is between 7 to 10 nights per person.

During the pandemic, the house was used for LHCH staff who were unable to get home, and currently it is being used by some doctors until June whilst the plumbing is being renewed in their accommodation.

The Friends of Robert Owen House aim to give the service a yearly average of £25,000, raised right here on the island.

If you consider that the charity has been functioning in the island for around 24 years, and calculate that amount per year times 24 - it would mean that in total, the group has raised over £600,000 for the house.

That’s before you even consider that some years they have donated over £50,000.

June praised the Manx people for their continued generosity: ‘It’s been fabulous.

‘It’s lovely when we get donations from bereavements, I think for people under stress of a bereavement to think about us, under those circumstances, I think is brilliant.’

According to the charity’s report for 2021/22, they raised just over £21,900 last year, despite the context of 2021 being yet another year of restrictions, social distancing and limited fundraisers.

They still found a way to come up with many inventive fundraising ideas nevertheless.

They began the summer with an evening with the Shenanigans Band, full of singing, dancing and laughter. This event alone raised over £1,000.

In November, member Annie Craine held a melliah in Ramsey, which raised over £3,000.

And at Christmas, June held a ‘Winter Wonderland’ at her home over three consecutive nights.

She set up a stunning nativity show in her garden, with several tableau’s which led you through the garden to her conservatory where hot tea, coffee, mulled wine and mince pies were on offer. The event raised over £600.

How can you get involved?

A small charity like Friends of Robert Owen House relies heavily on the chairman and committee members to organise functions at which to raise money to be donated to the house for its ongoing maintenance and upkeep.

Currently, the committee consists of seven members: Heather Hewitt (chair), Eddie Freegard (treasurer), Ethel Docherty (secretary ), June Young (patron), Glenda Corkish, Wendy Caulfield and Anne Craine.

All of the members have different skills, who help the charity function.

But they are always open to new members and ideas – June herself is all set to retire from the charity once it hits its 25th birthday... if the other members will let her!

In the charity’s own words: ‘We know we could do better, but there are some areas where we lack some skills to do that, and sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances, our numbers are depleted and we struggle to capitalise on our strengths at functions because we haven’t got the manpower available.

‘One of the areas where we could do with some assistance is in, dare we say it, IT.

‘Using the power of computers to improve our communications, particularly through social media, which more and more people are using.

‘We mean the usual social media sites, like Facebook, a powerful tool to advertise functions to lots of people.

‘Our wonderful committee are enthusiastic but we are getting on in years, so we would gladly accept any help with our events via sponsorship or in person.’

Maybe you have some big ideas, or would even like to join the committee? Call Ruth on 622129 for more details.

l If you would like to see your charity featured in this series, for free, please email: [email protected]