A BERKSHIRE children’s charity has taken another step forward by providing a new paediatric nurse at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Sam McKinnon started work at the hospital on Tuesday, becoming the fourth Alexander Nurse in the county to provide home support to children across Berkshire West - covering Newbury, Reading and Wokingham - with life-limiting conditions for the charity Alexander Devine.

The nurses provide outreach and respite support to children with life threatening illnesses and their families who cannot be reached by hospital community nursing teams.

Mrs McKinnon, who used to work with the Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust providing respite care to youngsters with complex illnesses, said she was very excited to begin working for the charity. She added: “It is very rewarding providing that extra support for families. There is such a need for respite care for young people and families across Berkshire so I feel it is a much needed role.”

The charity, which is aiming to raise £5m to build Berkshire’s first dedicated children’s hospice near Maidenhead, estimates there are more than 600 children with life threatening conditions living in the county.

Helen Bennett, director of care at Alexander Devine, said the charity is still recruiting in order to meet the rising demand for support and added: “It is when you meet the families that you realise how much this is really needed.”

The charity was founded by Fiona and John Devine eight years ago after their son died from a brain tumour, and planning permission to build the hospice was granted in October 2012 after a six acre site at Cox Green was gifted by a mystery benefactor.

But Mrs Devine said there is still a lot of work to do to turn the dream into a reality. She added: “It is great that we can bring in another nurse but there is still a long way to go.

“We will keeping putting one foot in front of the other and keep on moving forward.”

To donate visit www.alexanderdevine.org or call 0845 055 8276.