Reuben’s Retreat moves closer after property purchase

REUBEN’S Retreat, a charity set up by the parents of a little boy who died suddenly, has bought the property that will become a retreat for UK families who have children with terminal illnesses.

Reuben’s Retreat, which was a runner-up in TheBusinessDesk.com’s 2013 Business Masters Awards, has acquired a 1.63 acre former NHS site in Glossop, which it will now start to renovate.

The charity was founded in August 2012 by Nicola Graham following the sudden and tragic loss of her 23 month old  son Reuben. Reuben fell ill after taking a small tumble while on a family holiday in Devon. His parents took him to hospital for a check-up, but scans revealed a rare and aggressive brain tumour.

He was transferred to hospital in Bristol but never regained consciousness and died a week later.

Mrs Graham and her husband Mike from Mottram in Longdendale, Tameside, were determined that Reuben’s death would not be in vain and wanted to help families who find themselves in the same situation by creating a place of solace and comfort as well as happiness.

Her mission is to raise £1m for the facility, and, having raised a significant proportion of the target, around £750,000, was able to buy the property.

Mrs Graham said: “Announcing our property purchase is the biggest thing we have done as a charity to date. It’s the perfect place to create Reuben’s Retreat and the sheer size of the place will allow us to help lots of families.

“We currently have enough funds to renovate a quarter of the property to facilitate a bereavement centre and will continue to push towards our magic million and beyond to open the doors of Reuben’s Retreat as soon as possible.”

The charity is working closely with a voluntary design team to create the new layout.

She added: “We would welcome help from businesses all over the North West in helping us open the doors of Reuben’s Retreat as soon as we can. We are constantly staggered by the generosity of people in the region and are determined to make the Retreat a place that belongs to not just the charity but as part of the community as a whole.”

For further information about Reuben’s Retreat visit www.reubensretreat.org