WHEN children are separated from their parents and admitted to hospital, it can be one of the hardest things a family can go through.

Now, a visionary multi-million pound project in Oxford will allow more families to stay together.

Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides accommodation for families who have sick children in hospital, has had a house on the top floor of Oxford Children’s Hospital for the past 10 years but its 17 rooms were always full, with 300 families turned away last year.

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Watch Martin Keown in action here

Now, building has started on a £14m new house a stone's throw from the old one, which will house 62 families with sick children in hospital.

Former Arsenal footballer and Oxford resident Martin Keown, an ambassador for the charity, turned the first turf on the site today with two-year-old twins Billy and Finley, whose parents stayed at the current house while Billy was ill.

Oxford Mail:

He said: “In my spare time I’ve taken an interest in the charity. I’ve been to the homes in London and Birmingham and they really are remarkable - the support network of the families themselves helping each other through difficult times is great.We’ve got some of the best doctors and facilities here in Oxford which we know are brilliant."

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The new House is urgently needed as families are having to travel further distances to get to children’s hospitals because of the current NHS policy of centralising children’s services for better clinical outcomes.

Lauren and Robert Kearns, both 33 from Maidenhead, were grateful for the opportunity that they had to stay at the current Ronald McDonald House when their son Billy's bowel perforated when he was just one day old.

Mrs Kearns said: “The thought of leaving our tiny baby with someone else was unimaginable. But by staying at the facility it kept us together.

Oxford Mail:

“The fact that so many more families can stay with their children is brilliant - it’s what’s right. Sick children need their parents and families need to be together so it’s fantastic that this is happening now.”

Her husband, who is a company director, said: “If anyone has a child in hospital no matter what age they are you want to be close to them because they need you. When you’ve been with your child all day, having somewhere close by to cook food and do your washing is good.”

The new building will have family bedrooms, providing accommodation for up to four people so that siblings can be with their parents. It will also have communal facilities providing areas for cooking, eating, laundry and relaxing.

The building is expected to open in summer 2020.