This Quiet Room is a unique space within Colchester General Hospital; with comfortable seating and wall art it is a relaxing, safe and private space which be utilised in a variety of ways by young people and their families.

It can be a place where vital information can be communicated with the young person and their family, such as test results and potentailly challenging information. It can be a place to chill out whilst waiting fro appointments, instead of in busy and inappropriate adult or paediatric rooms. The room has also become a therapeutic space for one-to-one sessions with the young people who need support.

As parents who have been in this position, we wanted the room to have a feeling of calm and hope. The artwork was carefully chosen to depict the sun trying to shine through the trees, there to guide the family and young person on their cancer journey. Tom’s positive thinking was never thwarted right up until the end and there was a Latin phrase that was very close to his heart ‘Carpe Diem’ – Seize the Day. We felt this needed to appear in the room as a subtle message to fight this head on and regret nothing in life.