COMMENT: Superb idea to soften the blow when grief strikes

IT'S a definite hats off to Lee Campbell, a sister in Queen Alexandra Hospital's emergency department, who has been fighting to have a space for families receiving bad news about their loved ones. Currently, A&E has a medical room where relatives can be with the person who's died but the relatives' room for them to grieve is across the corridor of the busy and noisy department Â

The new space will see the medical room and relatives' room next door to each other and kitted out to be more appropriate for the families.

Lee has been given the go-ahead for the suite and is now being joined by others atÂ QA Hospital and the community in raising the Â£15,000 needed.

In one week, Â£2,400 has been donated.

This is great news indeed at a time when the right surroundings are needed at what can only be described as a truly awful time.

There is nothing worse than when someone you know and love dies '“Â be it friend or a family member '“ and Lee's idea is first class and will definitely give a welcome '˜inclusive' feeling to families rather than them having to negotiate a busy corridor to the '˜grieving room'.

Lee herself said: '˜We cannot change what's happened, but we can make the environment better.'

It's also amazing to think that it has taken seven years to happen,

Lee's idea for the suite started on the back of her butterfly project in 2011 which saw pictures of butterflies posted outside doors where people were getting bad news.

'˜Every time I saw an empty room I asked if I could have it,' she added. But the space was always needed or the funding wasn't there for it.

'˜I am so pleased that we can now go ahead.'

Again, it's a big pat on the back for Lee Campbell and we hope all of the money needed rolls in very soon.