Leo's has seen substantial growth since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and our provision was needed more than ever. Families were in crisis from shielding isolation or being allowed a maximum of two hours a day visiting their baby on the neonatal unit. We saw unprecedented need for our services to fill a huge gap in NHS and Local Authority provision, a gap which we successfully filled with the pilot of the Nurture Project.

Prior to COVID-19, all our support was done face to face either on a neonatal unit or in various community spaces around the region. This is no longer a viable or safe option for our families, especially as they have vulnerable children and NHS visiting restrictions are still in place for neonatal units.

In response to the pandemic lockdown, all our provision was moved online to Zoom, Skype or via telephone calls. Our families are suffering through isolation but are fearful of entering areas which people without shielding or without vulnerable children attend. We have seen a gap in the care we offer, which could be filled in response to COVID-19.

For our services to resume to a safe level of normal, our board of trustees are proposing that Leo's launches the first ever 'Neonatal Respite' centre in the UK. The Nurture Centre would focus on parent and infant mental health, and child development of children who have had a tragically difficult start in life, many of whom are disabled.

The centre, will not only support a large community in desperate need of mental health and child development support, it will reduce isolation, social deprivation and continue to fill gaps the NHS cannot fill. The centre will also support our fundraising efforts.

The Leos Nurture Centre would be the first of its kind in the UK to respond not only to neonatal mental health, but to neonatal child development.

With babies being saved as early as 21+6 weeks, weighing as little as 500 grams or needing life-saving treatment which several years ago did not exist, the trauma these families face, and the ongoing needs of these children can last years. In some cases, a lifetime.

We are the only charity in the North East providing this level of targeted parent-led interventions for this community. More than 3,500 babies require neonatal care in the North East of England. Our work covers five neonatal units which has more than 1,500 admissions each year.

We provide and ensure a robust service is offered to every single family which refers into our care. Our care spans from the infant up to the grandparent and make sure everyone featuring in the family unit can access support.

When the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown struck the UK in March 2020, many of our families were shielded, and families delivering babies who needed neonatal care were allowed 2 5 hours a day to visit their children. These visiting measures are still in place in multiple hospital trusts.

The long-term damage to these families, if not supported quickly and in a timely manner could be devastating.

We are already seeing an increased need in counselling support, peer support, occupational therapy and attachment concerns as a result of this.

Our provision pre-COVID-19 was done face to face, and all community provision was provided in various hubs and centres across the region. To keep families safe during COVID-19 and centralise our work for the safety of this community, Leos now needs a centre.

Having spoken to families daily during the pandemic, a key theme which came out was the suggestion that we should have our own place. Families want a safe space they can go to, to do classes, access peer support and counselling, spend time with other neonatal families, they would much rather come to a place which is only used by us, our team and families like theirs.

This includes bereaved parents, who have said if they had somewhere to go after a counselling session to unwind, they would.

This centre would allow families to access provision like never before, they could attend counselling and peer support, neonatal yoga and baby sign language, occupational therapy drop in clinics and more, our specialist support groups can all be in one place.

Offering this community of families respite, a safe -haven, a place where parents / carers, siblings, grandparents and infants can get holistic support for all of their needs is something that has never been done before for this community in the UK.

Our families suffer from PTSD, postnatal depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and attempts, OCD, panic disorders and attachment issues to name but a few. A dedicated respite centre could make the difference to a family's life.

The children we care for can have a variation of needs such as quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, tracheostomys, genetic conditions, Down Syndrome, respiratory conditions such as Chronic Lung Disease, and developmental delays or autism.

We care for a community with a wide range of needs, but we can support many, and in some cases all aspects of those needs with our teams through a holistic approach.

As our base of families continues to grow rapidly, not all of them are able to access the current provision we provide each month, having our own centre would halt this. A place for our neonatal families has never been more needed. Please help us create a wonderful safe space for our at risk families.