A hospice run by the Zoe’s Place Trust in Liverpool and saved from closure last year through a £5m fundraising campaign has become an independent charity.

The new charity launches this month and is called Zoe’s Place Liverpool. It has six trustees and its patron is Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne who was involved in campaigning to save the hospice last year.

Last autumn the Liverpool baby hospice announced that it had successfully raised £5m in just 30 days to secure its future. It needed the money to continue providing a baby hospice service in the city after problems with its existing site.

Its current lease was due to run out but planning and funding challenges meant it was unable to secure a new site.

The closure of the charity would have seen 41 members of staff lose their jobs.

The charity has now finalised plans to build the hospice’s new location at Hayman’s Green in West Derby, Liverpool.

“We could not have done any of this without the support and generosity of the people of Liverpool. The next step is to put a spade in the ground for the state-of-the-art new centre,” said Liverpool Zoe’s Place chair Karen Livesey.

Zoe’s Place Trust will continue to run baby hospices in Coventry and Middlesbrough.

The Trust’s executive trustee Joan Stainsby said that “the children and families we have supported, and our local staff team, will be in good hands.”

Byrne added: “We have come so far from the threat of Zoe’s Place closing in October to where we are now.

“This is the start of an exciting future for the hospice under the stewardship of Liverpool Zoe’s Place.

“I have no doubt that we will create a centre of excellence to support the most vulnerable children in our city. This is a great day and I am so proud of the people in our wonderful and generous city.”

The Liverpool hospice has operated in the city for 30 years and was the first hospice opened by Zoe’s Place Trust.

Zoe’s Place Trust and Liverpool Zoe’s Place were supported by the Charity Commission during the process of setting up the new charity.

“The registration of the new charity was a significant step forwards in governance terms and the Commission is pleased to have been able to play a part in making it happen,” said a spokesperson.

“Confirmation the new charity has now taken responsibility for the existing Liverpool hospice and the new build project are important steps in ensuring that hospice provision for children continues in Liverpool.”

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