Fisher House, the ‘home away from home’ project at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, has received a grant of £1,000,000 from the Armed Forces Covenant.

The project has been launched as a partnership between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, Help for Heroes and American charity Fisher House Foundation to provide a place where wounded Service Personnel can spend time away from the ward with their families, friends and colleagues.

The purpose-built two-storey property will be a short walk from the hospital and has been designed by a Birmingham-based firm of architects to complement the surrounding buildings.

Catering for people of all abilities, the home will be a largely open plan property with wide connecting corridors and wheelchair accessible lifts. There will be 18 en-suite bedrooms for families of patients to stay in as well as communal living facilities including a family room and play area, lounge, kitchen, dining areas and laundry room. Outside will be a private garden with space for children to play in and guest parking.

Mike Hammond, chief executive of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded this very generous grant from the Armed Forces Covenant. We have been very fortunate to have wonderful support from across the country and around the world for Fisher House. This grant now joins the grants from Help for Heroes, Fisher House Foundation and many other organisations that have fundraised for and made donations to this wonderful project.

“As well as providing world class medical care for our troops, we will be able to give the same quality of care and support to their family members staying in Fisher House, a home away from home within walking distance of the hospital, and it will allow military patients to get off the wards and spend some time with their families and friends in a relaxing and comfortable environment.”

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity is very grateful for the generous grants from Fisher House Foundation and Help for Heroes. Fisher House Foundation has awarded a grant of US$2m to the project, the first time it has supported a project outside of US soil. Help for Heroes has awarded a £1.5m grant, and has already confirmed a further £50,000 per year for the ongoing running costs. In total, the Fisher House will cost in the region of £4.2m.

The completion of Fisher House is anticipated to be early 2013.