Fisher House is a “home away from home” for injured military personnel receiving treatment and their families.
It is funded by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Charity.
“It’s part of a hospital but it’s not a hospital,” says Kate Henderson, QEHB engagement manager, emphatically.
“There’s no reception desk because we don’t want it to feel like a hotel either – it’s a home away from home.”
£11,000 raised at One Thousand Trades Group event
Kate took a group of folks from the One Thousand Trades Group (OTTG), including its CEO Prof. Paul Cadman and a hack from WM News, on a tour of the facility so they could see where the £11,000 raised at its recent lunch auction event at Moseley Rugby Club is going.
Fisher House hides in plain sight. It’s a generously proportioned, purpose-built home sitting at the edge of the QEHB site – but blink and you miss it. Thousands drive past it every day without noticing it. It’s intentionally discreet.
The back garden, kitted out with lots of outdoor furniture, is a sun trap with unusually high walls.
“Of course we want everyone to know about Fisher House but, at the same time, we want to keep it private for the families we have here,” says Kate.
Fisher House, built in 2013, is based on a US concept. There are 99 Fisher Houses in America. It’s a place of “hope” and “comfort,” Kate explains. There are spacious lounge areas decked out with John Lewis furnishings, which can be sealed off to become private sanctuaries for “families in those dark moments.” The kitchen is large and modern, with six fridges to hold the groceries of up to 18 sets of residents.
Fisher House costs £300,000 a year to run
It costs £300,000 a year to run – £40 a night per room. Funding is from charitable donations. An average stay is between two and five nights with some as long as 18 months.
“We have one lady here right now from the top end of Scotland who’s been here three weeks while her brother is receiving treatment,” says Kate.
If charitable donors exceed £10,000 they get to name a bedroom for a year. OTTG now has this honour. It hasn’t yet settled on a name but when it does WM News will be sure to report it.
Kate adds: “We’re really grateful to OTTG and for the support from everyone in the room on the day.”
