A BOOK of photographs of children is being produced in aid of pioneering Oxford hospice Helen & Douglas House.

The scheme is being organised by photographer Pete Griffith, who has personal reasons for supporting the hospice as two of his children were cared for there before dying of an incurable illness.

Mr Griffith, who runs All People Photography, is looking for 250 children to appear in a book called Capturing a Moment.

The plan is to charge a sitting fee of £50 for one child or £80 for a family, with proceeds going directly to Helen & Douglas House.

Parents will not receive prints but will be able to buy the book, a price for which has not yet been decided.

It is hoped the scheme will raise upwards of £10,000 for the cause and Mr Griffith said the photographers would give up their time free of charge.

Mr Griffith said: “I saw another photographer in Australia who had done 900 books for a similar charity and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I thought it was a great idea.

“With our link to Helen & Douglas House, I have been looking for years at how to give back the care we received in some small way.

“What we are trying to do is celebrate childhood, taking beautiful pictures of children on location with each family effectively sponsoring a page.”

Mr Griffith, 43, and his wife Rachel, 38, first came in contact with Helen & Douglas House when their first two children, Misha and Natalie, were diagnosed with Late Infantile Batten Disease. The family, who live in Waddesdon, near Aylesbury, visited the hospice for respite care over three years. Misha died aged seven in 2002, and Natalie in 2003, when she was nearly six. They have two other healthy children, Zak, now six, and Sophie, aged nine.

Mrs Griffith, who now works at the hospice as a nurse, said: “I still remember our very first impressions – the sense of peace and acceptance as we walked through the doors was tangible.

“It was a sanctuary where we could be a family again, even if just for a few hours.”

To take part, call All People Photography on 01296 651788.

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk