Planning permission has been lodged for the first ever children's hospice in the West of Ireland.
The Sunflower Children's Hospice will be built in Castlebar and will serve eight counties along the western seaboard.
At present there's only one children's hospice in the country - and that's the Laura Lynn hospice in Dublin, a two and a hour drive from Galway.
This project to build a second national children's hospice in Castlebar is worth around €14m.
At the heart of the Sunflower Children's Hospice are eight en-suite bedrooms with private outdoor space, and four family accommodation suites.
There'll also be a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms and gardens, teaching and education facilities, and dedicated recreation space for children and young adults.
Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation has secured a site in Castlebar, and raised €7.5m so far through community fundraising and donor support.
Subject to planning approval, construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, and take around two years to complete.
