In 1988 Suzanne Goodall, a newly retired occupational therapist from
Beddau in south Wales, felt compelled to bring a children's hospice to Wales and registered Tŷ Hafan as a charity in 1990. In 1993, the site for the hospice building was acquired from
Llandough NHS Hospital. The next few years saw huge support from the likes of the
South Wales Echo, who launched an appeal, and
Diana, Princess of Wales, who became the first patron of the Welsh charity. In 1995, on request from Diana,
Luciano Pavarotti performed a concert in
Cardiff Castle to raise money for the charity. The building of the hospice started in 1996, and the completed building was handed over to Tŷ Hafan for fitting and equipping in 1997. After much hard work and with the kindness and generosity of the public, Tŷ Hafan opened its doors for the first time in 1999. In 2004,
the Queen acknowledged Suzanne's achievement by investing her as an
MBE in the
New Year's Honours List. Beautiful Lives, a four-part
BBC One documentary series aired in 2011, followed the lives of the children, families and staff of Tŷ Hafan. A follow-up episode focusing on Catherine and Kirsty, teenage twins who use Tŷ Hafan's services, aired in 2012. ==Events==