News

The family of a disabled boy who loved Aardman’s Gromit the dog character has donated his special collection of the models to the hospice which cared for him.

Ollie Lewis’s family began his collection of Gromit characters, made famous by the Aardman Animation film series Wallace and Gromit, when he was just a baby.

The collection quickly grew, with friends and family making sure Ollie always had the latest model of Wallace’s famous 4-legged sidekick for the display in his bedroom.

Ollie, from Weston-super-Mare, was left with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and seizures after a brain injury at birth.

His disabilities meant he was non-verbal and confined to a wheelchair, needing around the clock care.

“I don’t really know where the love of Gromits first came from,” said mum Charmaine.

“He got the first one as a birthday present and then it quickly became Ollie’s thing.

“Family and friends started to buy them for him as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Mum and I used to go up to the shop in The Mall and queue from early in the morning to make sure he had the latest one for his collection when they arrived.

“They looked lovely all dotted around his bedroom at home.”

After spending much of early life in and out of hospital and being cared for at home, Ollie was introduced to Children’s Hospice South West’s Charlton Farm hospice when he was 18 months old.

Ollie, mum Charmaine, dad Neil and siblings Millie, now 5 and Alfie, 9 were all supported by the charity.

“Ollie was about 18 months old when we first stayed at Charlton Farm,” said Charmaine.

“It was the most wonderful, supportive environment. Being there gave us all a chance to take some time out, whether that was just having a long bath, dinner together or going for a walk while knowing that Ollie was being cared for.

“He absolutely loved it there.”

Outside of staying at the hospice, Ollie was cared for at home by Neil, Charmaine and her mum Samantha who gave up work to help look after her grandson.

“Looking after Ollie was a 24/7 job,” said Charmaine. “We could not leave him for one minute.

“The staff at Charlton Farm were just amazing in taking over that care for us.

“It wasn’t fair on Ollie being in hospital in such a clinical environment a lot of the time. What the hospice provided was something completely different.

“Ollie loved being there. He loved swimming and all the activities, while our other children loved it too and the time they spent with the sibling team.”

When Ollie’s condition took a serious turn, the family went again to the haven of the hospice.

Ollie died, in March 2022, aged 10, with his loving family by his side.

“Being at the hospice with Ollie when he died gave us all the chance to say goodbye properly and for us to spend that special time with him,” said Charmaine.

“With the support of the staff we were also able to begin the slow journey of processing what had happened.”

After Ollie died the family, who continue to be supported by CHSW, decided to donate his collection of more than 20 Gromits to Charlton Farm for other children and young people to enjoy.

The characters are dotted around the hospice building, with 22 of them a feature in the main entrance foyer.

“When Ollie died all of the staff did everything they could to make sure we had those final memories with him as a family and we cannot thank them enough,” said Charmaine.

“The sibling team were on hand every day to help our other children, Alfie and Millie, to make sure they were as ok as they could be on those first few days after Ollie died.

“Having them there to help us answer those new and hard questions that they now had about Ollie was so helpful and lovely.

“Whilst sorting through Ollie’s things we thought about his Gromit collection and where to put them and after speaking to the sibling team, we thought about placing them around Charlton Farm for the children to look at and to make a fun little hunt around the house.

“We thought this would be lovely for other families who use the hospice.

“For us it means that if anyone asks where they are from, Ollie will forever be spoken about in a place that he loved.”

Children’s Hospice South West has been providing care and support to children with life limiting illnesses and their families in the South West for over 30 years.

The charity offers specialist palliative and hospice care for the whole family, a sibling support for brothers and sisters, emergency support, end of life care and a bereavement service.

To find out more about fundraising for CHSW visit www.chsw.org.uk/getinvolved.