THE mayor of Waltham Forest made her first visit to a children’s hospice after taking up her new role.

Councillor Yemi Osho visited Haven House Children’s Hospice in Woodford Green on Thursday (July 13) to check up on the charity’s Hospice at Home project.

Cllr Osho, who is also a nurse practitioner at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, was updated on the pilot project, which launched in the borough in June, last year.

The service aims to help hard to reach families access hospice care in their homes and has supported 28 children since it began.

The mayor said: “Haven House is such an important charity which does so much for families in our borough.

“I was really impressed to hear about the Hospice at Home service as it can help improve access to hospice care and make it easier for families to get support.”

Samina Darr, who lives in Walthamstow with her 7-year-old son, Muhammad Hashim, said: “Hospice at Home has made a huge difference to Muhammad Hashim.

“Due to his condition sometimes it can be impossible to leave the house. He needs so much equipment and two to three people to help. Finding transport can be a nightmare.”

Through Hospice at Home, Muhammad Hashim receives regular visits from Haven House’s Care team who provide play and music therapy sessions.

The visits give him the chance to enjoy himself and can calm him down if he’s feeling distressed or unwell.

It also means Samina can have a vital short break to do the most basic things like the dishes, tidying up or just having five minutes to herself - tasks which many find difficult to do when caring for a child with a life-limiting condition.