A NEW 'home for home' for cancer patients has opened its doors.

CLIC Sargent held an opening ceremony for Jean's House in Southampton which is now open and helping families in desperate need.

It comes after a fundraising appeal to transform a former Southapmton B&B into a haven for young patients and their families.

The house on Anglesea Road will provide vital free accommodation for young patients and their families often miles from home during cancer treatment at nearby specialist Southampton Hospital.

And it replaces the charity’s existing CLIC Haven, which has supported thousands of families since it opened in the grounds of Southampton Hospital in 1991.

The new ‘bigger and better’ home has seven en-suite family bedrooms (sleeping up to four people), two open plan kitchen/diners, a lounge, dedicated toddler and teenagers’ spaces, and parking, helping families spend more time together during their child’s cancer treatment and avoid often debilitating travel and accommodation costs.

Liz Blunt, CLIC Sargent Fundraising and Engagement Manager for Southampton, said: “As a charity, we want to say a huge thank you to the Daily Echo and everyone in Southampton, who has donated or given their time to help us transform the property into a lifeline that will help many families for years to come.

“The families we support, many of which find themselves miles from home, will benefit from specially-designed rooms offering more space and comfort for families during a really difficult time. The way Southampton has rallied around this appeal shows such a great community spirit and your support made this happen, it’s important to celebrate this great milestone”  

One of the families present at the opening, who backed the campaign after staying at CLIC Haven, was that of Ryan Kimber, 19, from Isle of Wight, who was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma - a cancerous tumour - in January 2016.

Ryan, now in remission and studying at college with a hope to go into further education next year, said: “It’s amazing to see the house all finished and open, it looks brilliant. The previous Home from Home, CLIC Haven, meant so much to me and my family because it meant we could stay together, avoid financial stress and I wasn’t alone.

“We are proud to have been part of the Jean’s House appeal, which is going to help so many families like ours in the future. We want to thank everyone who has donated and will hopefully continue to support CLIC Sargent.”

For more information about Jean’s House, or to donate to the appeal, go to www.clicsargent.org.uk/movinghomesouthampton or text “HOME” to 70020 to donate £3.