The serene tranquillity that fills the space in and around Ty Hafan children’s hospice in the Vale of Glamorgan is under threat, according to concerned parents. Their fear is in response to an application made by the owner of Barry Island Pleasure Park for the construction of a holiday park adjacent to the hospice.
Parents, who have fostered the peaceful and quiet end of their children’s lives in Ty Hafan, are adamant that such an environment was pivotal to the serene passing of their loved ones. They predict that a bustling holiday park nearby would drastically disrupt the hospice’s tranquil atmosphere. The hospice has officially expressed its opposition to the plan.
Among these concerned advocates is Micaela Turner, whose son Cai was a resident of Ty Hafan. Cai, who was born with a scarce and severe congenital multisystem disorder, not expected to live beyond his second birthday, lived to almost 12 years. Cai spent his last year with the soothing sounds of the sea from his room in Ty Hafan.
Speaking out, Micaela admitted fears that the sound of ubiquitous vacation merriment would have influenced her choice on her son’s place of passing. She recalls significant moments when she needed the sanctuary Ty Hafan provided to let the harsh reality of her circumstances sink in. A holiday park would only serve to intrude on such moments of contemplation; a juxtaposition against the requisites of a hospice.
Cai’s room was delicately positioned to overlook the sea, near the boundary line at the hospice’s lower end where children entering their final days are accommodated. The boundary line is especially pertinent to Micaela’s concerns over noise disruption from the proposed holiday park. She recalls Cai’s last walk around the hospice grounds, a memory intimately tied with the hospice’s natural surroundings which, she realises in retrospect, would be interrupted if a holiday park prevailed.
A cornerstone of the hospice is its memorial garden, an oasis of serenity on the institution’s grounds. This feature does not escape the fears of Marie Jones, whose son Alfie, diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, has been in the hospice’s care. She contends it would be calamitous to allow a holiday park a few feet from the garden’s soothing quietude. In her view, the establishment of the park might fundamentally alter how families utilise Ty Hafan.
The proposal was initially for a storage container establishment on Hayes Road, Sully. A fresh proposal was set for storage of caravans and motorhomes. Beechwood College, a specialised educational institution seated between Ty Hafan and the site proposed for development, has also lodged its objection alongside the hospice.
Owner of the prospective park, Henry Danter, maintains his development will be “the talk of Wales” and sees himself as the “best neighbour Ty Hafan could ask for”. He promises an oasis of palmed trees, olive trees, roses, and fountains. Danter assures there wouldn’t be interference with the hospice as the site would demand a 10-minute walk to reach. Additionally, he purports potential benefits for the hospice, citing easier access to accommodation for those who need to be close by.
