GRACE’S Place will start caring for children with life-shortening conditions from the end of this year, according to its newly announced care provider.

Trustees revealed today that Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, a charity based in Huddersfield, West Yorks, will run the children’s hospice in Dumers Lane, Radcliffe.

Grace’s Place’s Hospice at Home service will be running before Christmas, and within a year its building will be open for children to stay overnight, according to Forget Me Not.

Peter Branson, chief executive of Forget Me Not, said: “I’m delighted to say that Forget Me Not has been chosen to take over Grace’s Place.

“It’s the least we can do for children in need in North Manchester – several of whom we’re already caring for. Now they’ll no longer need to travel to Huddersfield and elsewhere and we can begin to look after many more local families.”

Forget Me Not’s communications director, Kirsty Franks, has been appointed interim general manager for Grace’s Place for a period of one year.

Ms Franks will recruit a team of staff and volunteers and is hoping to reach out to families in need around Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

She said: “We want to be looking after children and families as quickly as possible. With our experience and with the massive local support that already exists for Grace’s Place, we’ll be running a full service within a remarkably short space of time. Children in North Manchester deserve the very best hospice care and that’s what we’ll be providing from Grace’s Place.”

All money raised locally across Bury, Lancashire and North Manchester will go towards Grace’s Place, while money raised in West Yorks will continue to support the charity’s base in Huddersfield, which was rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC.

To raise the £60,000 needed to begin delivering Hospice at Home, Forget Me Not has launched a Kickstart Campaign to pay for the recruitment, locally, of nurses for an initial six months.

Ms Franks added: “Our simple promise is that we always say ‘yes’ to the children and families who need us. We never, ever say ‘no’, because by the time they’re referred to us, families have heard too much negativity already.”

Grace’s Place was due to open in the autumn of 2014, at the refurbished former Bury Hospice site in Dumers Lane, Radcliffe.

Plans faltered after the charity fell into financial difficulty due to the remaining cost of the building works.

Last week building company Seddon donated the outstanding debt, which effectively wiped the slate clean.

To donate, visit forgetmenotchild.co.uk/gracesplace