Matthew’s Hideaway officially launched
The children’s room in Frankie’s Den has taken on a LEGO theme, in honour of the late Matthew Girard
The children’s room in Frankie’s Den has taken on a LEGO theme, in honour of the late Matthew Girard
The children’s bedroom in Frankie’s Den is now dedicated to the late Matthew Girard, who sadly passed away at the age of 12 in 2020, after battling cancer.
Frankie’s Den is one of three PPBF flats located next to Southampton Hospital, which are each in constant use by families with a critically ill child or premature baby. This particular flat was donated to the charity by Ken and Linda Acott, officially opening its doors to Guernsey families in 2023.
Matthew loved LEGO which inspired the room’s theme. The photograph above was taken while on a family trip to LEGOLAND during the year that his cancer was discovered. Below is what the bedroom currently looks like, but there are more additions to come.
Matthew’s favourite LEGO Star Wars piece that he was working on will be completed and displayed as the finishing touch to the room, along with a collage of his trip to LEGOLAND and themed door sign.
Additionally, as part of launching this special room, the PPBF partnered up with Resolution IT for their third annual design challenge, with the theme ‘Transport of the Future.’ Over 500 entries were submitted from school children across the Channel Islands and the winner was Amber Armstrong who designed a flying pirate ship, designed to provide families safe passage to Southampton. Both Resolution IT and PlainSail have commissioned the artwork to be recreated in LEGO and displayed in Matthew’s Hideaway.
Jo Priaulx, PPBF co-founder says: ‘Matthew’s Hideaway is something that we’ve been working on with Sarah Girard, Matthew’s mum, to honour his memory. This special space means a great deal to the Girard family, so I’m pleased that we can now share the inspiration behind the design. Having personal touches to represent Matthew’s passion along with locally designed artwork on display will bring a splash of colour into the room, making it a welcoming and comforting place for all of its residents.
Also, a big thank you to Resolution IT for getting us involved in their design competition to help us launch the room – they have been so dedicated to honouring Matthew’s memory in a creative way, and helping to raise awareness of the PPBF has been greatly appreciated by all involved.’
The PPBF’s Buy-A-Night campaign invites Guernsey’s community to support the charity’s compassionate housing from just £5 per month. You can buy a star of your very own using the online calendars here: www.ppbf.org.gg/buy-a-night