12 September 2012 Last updated at 16:45 ET

Ellie's Haven buys building in Cornwall

Nigel and Julie Libby show the BBC around the building that will become Ellie's Haven

A charity working on creating a holiday home for seriously ill children and their families has bought a property in Cornwall for the project.

Ellie's Haven, as the building will be known, is named after the charity started in memory of Ellie Libby.

She died in January, aged six, from the effects of a rare genetic condition.

Her parents, Nigel and Julie Libby, said the charity hoped to receive its first guests at the building - at Duloe, near Liskeard - by 2015.

The Libbys founded the charity in Ellie's name in 2007.

'Step forward'

It aims to offer a non-medical, short-break holiday service to children with long-term illnesses and their families.

Ellie, whose condition required her to have round-the-clock care, died on 5 January, 20 days before her seventh birthday, despite doctors saying she would not survive beyond the age of one.

The couple said the purchase of the building was a "major step forward" in their ambitions.

Mr Libby said: "This has been our focus. This has been our grieving, really.

"The great support we've had to get this far, for us, it's a fantastic achievement."

Another £250,000 is to be spent on converting and extending the building to offer independent units for families to stay in.