The Alder Centre scoops first prize at European Healthcare Design Awards

The Alder Centre scoops first prize at European Healthcare Design Awards

We are delighted to celebrate that The Alder Centre has won a prestigious European Healthcare Design Award, announced at the annual European Healthcare Design Congress. Funded entirely by donations to Alder Hey Children’s Charity, The Alder Centre won the prize for Healthcare Design (under 25,000 sqm) and was designed by architects, and loyal supporters of Alder Hey, AHMM Architects.

You may remember that this group of amazing architects and friends also undertook the gruelling ‘Alder Centre Cycle Classic’ – a sponsored 360km bike ride from London to Liverpool in just two days! AHMM didn’t just pedal in the pounds either, bake sales, raffles and sponsored runs took their total raised over £64,000 towards the new centre and its gardens.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity is immensely proud to have granted a total of £2,184,000 to make the vision a reality, and the result is truly beautiful. The Alder Centre, which opened to its staff in October 2020, stands proud on our hospital campus. Filled with natural light, calming garden areas and thoughtful finishing touches, the centre provides a comprehensive range of bereavement support services, tailored to the needs of those that have suffered the tragic loss of a child.

A member of our Alder Centre team told us what the new centre means to them:  “For me, the new building feels more welcoming and functional than the previous buildings and on entering the Centre I get a sense of belonging, which I am sure relates to being involved in some of the decision making around the new build. My clients have also picked up on this and tell me that it feels so fresh, calming and welcoming being in there which helps them feel at ease right at the beginning of their anxious and difficult journey. I am looking forward for our volunteers and service users having more involvement in the new Centre and its gardens in the coming year and hope that the team will also embrace this, promoting activities which will help in improving the mental health and wellbeing of us all. Working for Alder Hey has given me the opportunity to support and hopefully change people’s lives for the better and helped me learn so much about myself, by being encouraged to step into roles some of which have been extremely challenging.”

Senior Architect James O'Neill said "It has been a pleasure working with the Alder Hey and Alder Centre teams over the past four years. The European Healthcare Design Award is recognition not just for our work on the building, but also for the vital and inspiring service that the Alder Centre provides. The building and its service are world class and the award reflects this. We are honoured to have designed a new home for the Alder Centre that we hope will serve the people who need to use it for years to come".

We would like to extend our gratitude to the amazing donors to our Alder Centre fundraising campaign. Supporters included families who have benefitted from the Alder Centre’s services, volunteers, trusts and charitable foundations and companies who partnered with us. Their generosity continues to make a huge difference every day to everyone involved with The Alder Centre.

The European Healthcare Design Awards recognise professional excellence in the design of healthcare environments in Europe and around the world, and the judges include international healthcare researchers, practitioners, and policy advisors. You can read more about the 2021 awards here.