A hospice which provides care for terminally ill children and young adults is to be the subject of an eight-part documentary.

Life at Helen House, featuring the staff, patients, and their families at Helen and Douglas House in Magdalen Road, East Oxford, will be broadcast on BBC2 next month.

Film crews have been recording events at the hospice, which provides respite and end of life care, since May last year.

Lizzie Pickering, the hospice's coordinator for the documentary, said they had thought long and hard about the intrusion the documentary might represent for families.

But she added: "After consulting with families and staff, the conclusion we reached was that the positive aspects of the documentary outweighed the negatives and now, following a year of filming by the award-winning, highly skilled and experienced BBC team, we believe that we made the right decision.

"It has given families and individuals using both houses the chance to portray the depth of life that is possible when facing death and the positive and dignified way in which individuals cope."

BBC producer Jonathan Mayo first visited the houses two years ago, while filming a different programme with hospice founder Sister Frances Dominica, and his preconceptions of what a hospice would be were completely shattered.

He said: "There was a bar, there was a jacuzzi, and both houses were so full of life. Families were enjoying their time there and it wasn't what I had expected at all. I thought that more people should see what I had seen."

He added: "I hope what we have done in this series is a little slice of reality - what reality is like for families with children with life limiting illnesses.

"Although it is going to be tough watching in places, I am hoping that it will also be inspiring."

During the filming process, the BBC crew got to know the families and patients who come from all over the country to use the facility.

Mr Mayo said: "It was the most rewarding filming that I have ever done because the families really did let us become part of their lives.

"It was the privilege of being allowed to be with them in some of the most distressing times a family can go through - the death of a child and the aftermath. That was the thing that struck me most, that it was a privilege.

"They wanted other people to see what Helen and Douglas House can do, because they are such fans of Helen and Douglas House."

The series is due to be shown on BBC2 in mid-Nov- ember.