Every year Children’s Hospice Week gives an opportunity for children’s hospices to be in the spotlight for a few days. Over the last week at Tŷ Hafan, we have been reflecting on what we delivered last year, including that we supported over 750 families last year – more than ever before.

For us at Tŷ Hafan, Children’s Hospice Week has also been an opportunity to remind ourselves of how much there is still to do.

Tŷ Hafan’s ambition is that when a child’s life will be short no family should have to live it alone.

But we know that for every child we are supporting, there are another nine children with life-shortening conditions in Wales, who aren’t currently supported by a children’s hospice.

This Children’s Hospice Week bereaved mum Jackie Fears has bravely shared her son Greg’s story to show not only what we do, but why we do it.

“I find it really upsetting, and it actually breaks my heart to think that alongside us there are nine other families who aren’t accessing the support that we have had,” says Jackie. “I’m not sure how we would have coped doing this on our own.”

Too many families are still having to live their child’s short life alone, so we must do more. We must reach every child who need us.

So this Children’s Hospice Week I’d like to say thank you to everyone who supports us so generously because without you Tŷ Hafan’s support simply wouldn’t be available to anyone.

But we can’t just rely on the generosity of the public. We also need fair and sustainable funding from Government, so we can plan for the future. Without recurring fair and sustainable funding, it is very difficult for us to be able to invest in the services we know are needed, and it makes it even harder for us to reach every child.

So I am asking all political parties to commit now to what they would do over the next Senedd term to support children’s hospices. Tŷ Hafan and Tŷ Gobaith, Wales’ two children’s hospices, are asking political parties to commit to providing a minimum of 30% of our care costs by 2030.

Please put it in your manifestos now and when you are elected, deliver on that commitment.

Because children in Wales deserve nothing less.