A DAD and his space-mad son’s dreams came true when they got to chat with British astronaut Major Tim Peake.

Bobby McCaigue, 32, is a Royal Engineer attached to 16 Air Assault Brigade, and was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019.

Bobby and wife Najette, along with son Harrison and daughter Teagan, are being supported by Farleigh Hospice.

The hospice tries to ensure the Braintree family spend quality time together and make special memories.

The most memorable moment for the McCaigues was a Zoom call with Major Peake.

Bobby and Harrison are fans of all things space-related.

Bobby told his care team one of the items on his wish-list was to visit the Leicester Space Centre.

Sadly, this was not possible due to his mobility limitations, so the team decided to bring space to Bobby in the hospice inpatient unit.

Farleigh arranged for Tim to ‘zoom’ into the hospice for a video chat with Bobby and his family to talk about space and life in the military.

Bobby said: “It was such a privilege to speak to Tim. He was fascinating to talk to.

“We are so grateful to Farleigh for making this special moment happen.

“This experience and the care we have received both during our inpatient stay and from the hospice at home team is outstanding.

“Thank you so much. I will never forget the kindness shown by the staff to me and my family – they have supported us through the toughest time.”

Hospice physio Sally Davis said: “This was a lovely experience for the family and a special memory was most certainly made.

“We are really grateful to Tim for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to do this for them.

“It is a privilege to offer our support to Bobby and his family, and we are so glad that we were able to make this wish happen.

“Our role is more than just symptom control and pain management. It’s our job to put life into days – to make sure that patients and their families get the most from the time that they have left together.”

Farleigh is celebrating its 40th birthday this year and has launched a special fundraising appeal to mark the milestone.

The hospice is asking supporters to share their own special memories of the hospice, along with a donation to help secure the future of its care.

The memories will be displayed on a dedicated online celebration page. To take part, visit farleighhospice.org/40-memories or call 01245 457351.