The founder of a children’s hospice has died. Tributes have been paid to Derek Phillips who set up the Demelza charity with his wife in 1994. The couple established the not-for-profit in honour of their daughter, Demelza, who died of a brain tumour at the age of 24. She had worked at Acorns Children’s Hospice in Birmingham and her parents visited the site after her funeral. Its work and impact inspired them. Sean Reynolds, chairman of trustees, said: “Derek and Jennifer saw that it was not a place of sadness and regret; instead, it radiated cheerfulness. “They had a vision to create something …
