SICK youngsters will be able to chase after a moment of tranquility when a green oasis officially opens next month.

Children and young people at Helen & Douglas House will enjoy the Kaleidoscope Garden from May thanks to the Greenfingers Charity.

A rainbow of colours have been splashed across the outdoor space, which will be used by the hundreds of ill children and their families who are supported by the East Oxford hospice.

Kathy Patching, house manager at the hospice, said: "Creating memories, having time together and a practical, beautiful garden space is a very important part of the care offered here.

"The new kaleidoscope garden brings the outside in and the inside out – linking the lovely current garden with the bright, colourful house.

"It provides a space where young patients can lie in their beds, or sit, to enjoy the sights, smells and sensations of the outside world.

"It is wonderful that Greenfingers have created this addition to the garden and we would like to thank them and their supporters for their hard work and generosity."

The garden paradise features a 'fascinating' outdoor shelter, boasting coloured glass and plastics which will shimmer across the open-air space.

Wheelchair-bound youngsters enjoying the specially-crafted arena will have the chance to gaze at the vibrant light and dark shadows in the tranquil environment.

Linda Petrons, head of fundraising and communications at Greenfingers, said she had thoroughly enjoyed working on the project.

She added: "I have met so many amazing families through this project and what we have to remember is that the garden is not just for the poorly child but for their whole family.

"Imagine what it will be like when the sun shines through and the images light up on the ground and on the children's faces.

"I think it will be a really great enhancement to all the fantastic facilities the hospice already has."

The 'stimulating' area will also feature an easy access area for hospice users and their siblings, providing therapy during difficult times for families.

An existing tree house at the hospice, which cares for terminally-ill young people, has been maintained in the garden, the Beaconsfield-based charity confirmed.

The Magdalen Road hospice needs £5.5m each year to care for more than 300 young people and provide support to more than 60 families caring for a child expected

to die prematurely.

Families and their children are provided with medical, emotional and practical support to ensure they can make the most of their time together.

Staff and volunteers at the hospice not only support families in Oxfordshire, but are a helping hand at times of need to families living in surrounding counties.

Ramsden-based Hilltop Garden Store donated the entrance fees to its Soft Play barn at its Witney Road site to the cause, helping the final planting to be finished to schedule.

Cash donated from the store, near Witney, was pooled together to pay for shrubs and decorative herbaceous plants.

Pupils at Brackley-based Beachborough School also raised £12,000 to support the garden, the charity said.