Green light for £17m children’s hospice revamp

A £17m revamp of Kinross children’s hospice Rachel House has been given the go-ahead by councillors.

The redesign will include an additional hydrotherapy pool, better-equipped bedrooms and fully-accessible adventure gardens.

The hospice, which was built in 1996, was the first of its kind in Scotland and is one of two run by Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (Chas).

Building work will start next year with the full project set for completion in 2027.

Chas said Mina House in Kinglassie, Fife, which is 10 miles from Kinross, will be their temporary children’s hospice during the works.

Rachel House supported just under 100 children a year in the 1990s, but that number has more than doubled and continues to rise.

Chas chief executive Rami Okasha said he was delighted that the council had given the green light to the project and that a fundraising drive was under way.

He said: “Children’s hospices provide love, care and are a source of huge comfort to many.

“Over the next two years we will be asking people across Scotland to donate to support families who are facing the hardest thing imaginable.”