Acorns Children's Hospice: care and kindness for West Midlands families

Some of the most important work in the West Midlands happens quietly, and Acorns Children's Hospice is a shining example. The charity cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, and supports their parents, carers, brothers, sisters and wider families along the way.

Acorns opened its first hospice in Selly Oak, Birmingham, in 1988. A Black Country hospice followed in Walsall in 1999, and the charity's care now reaches families across the West Midlands region and Gloucestershire.

The care on offer is wide-ranging: short breaks and respite, pain and symptom management, emergency and end-of-life care, and specialist palliative nursing both at the hospices and in family homes. Families can also turn to Acorns for psychosocial support, including family support groups and bereavement services that continue after a child has died.

None of this comes cheaply. Running Acorns' care services costs £40,000 a day, and the charity says that 83p of every £1 donated goes directly to care. More than two-thirds of its funding comes from donations and its shops, and its network of charity shops and furniture stores is a familiar sight on high streets across the region.

The charity also brings plenty of joy. In October 2026 Acorns held its first Be a Kid Week as part of its Time Machine programme, celebrating the fun and laughter that are just as much a part of hospice life as clinical care.

Local football has long been in its corner. Aston Villa has supported Acorns since 2008, when the club gave its shirt sponsor space to the charity, and Acorns has been Villa's official charity partner since 2010-11. In December 2011, Marc Albrighton scored the Premier League's 20,000th goal and gave the £20,000 prize from the league's sponsor to Acorns.

There are plenty of ways to help, from shopping or donating goods to taking on a challenge. Upcoming events include a run at Alton Towers in November 2026 and the London Winter Walk Ultra Challenge in January 2027.

To support the charity, find a shop or sign up for an event, visit the Acorns Children's Hospice website.