THE DUCHESS of Cornwall greeted families from Oxfordshire upon her visit to Helen & Douglas House hospice.

Her Royal Highness, who has been a patron of the children's hospice since 2007, met five families and staff in the hospice's garden.

The Duchess praised the staff, volunteers, and fundraisers at the hospice who are dedicated to caring for children.

WATCH: Duchess of Cornwall greeting families in Oxford today

She said: “I wish there were more of these hospices.”

The trip was organised so the Duchess could learn about how the children and their families had been coping throughout the pandemic.

The Duchess also viewed paper butterflies on one of the trees in the garden with messages from bereaved families to remember their children who have passed away.

Helen & Douglas House cares for local terminally ill children and their families from Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties.

They provide medical, emotional, and practical support, helping families deal with the implications of living with a child who will die prematurely, so they can make the most of their time together.

The Duchess met were Zoe and Jake Lynch, from Abingdon.

The Lynch’s told the Duchess how their son, Toby, who had been diagnosed with a rare neurometabolic disease, died at the hospice when he was only three months old.

The family spent Toby’s final five weeks at the end-of-life care facility.

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Mrs Lynch said: “Helen & Douglas House provided invaluable support, both medically and emotionally, that you don’t get in the same way in the hospital.

“Toby was two months old when lockdown kicked in, so our family had not seen him for nearly two months when we came to the hospice.

“Our families could not go to the hospital but they were allowed to visit Toby here, which was something we initially thought we would never be allowed to do.”

The Abingdon couple now plans to spend their ‘lifetime’ raising money for the hospice, to keep Toby’s memory alive.

The couple has already raised £35,000 for Helen & Douglas House in the last year.

As the event came to an end, the Duchess was presented with a bouquet from nine-year-old Fatima, who attends the hospice for supported stays.

Fatima suffers from an undiagnosed neurodegenerative condition – Helen & Douglass House were also caring for her sister, Sana until she unfortunately died last year.

Helen & Douglas House, based on Magdalen Road, in Oxford, was the world’s first children’s hospice.

The Duchess added, during her concluding statement: “It is such a joy to be able to come back here again after the pandemic.

“It is such a pleasure to have met some of the parents and some of the children, especially to see Fatima again, because when I did a virtual Christmas tree decorating, for Helen & Douglas House this year, Fatima was unable to attend as she was ill.

“I want to thank all of you, the staff, the volunteers, and the parents of the families because I know hard it is – but somehow, this place has a way of uplifting.”