Celebrating Power of Play This Play In Healthcare Week

Our Play Team brought smiles to our patients’ faces last week for Play in Healthcare Week.

Our charity provides more than £400,000 each year to fund 15 Play and Recreation Facilitators and Workers at our hospital, and our hospital’s Play team supports over 250 children and families every single day.

From Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October, patients and families at our Children’s Hospital could take part in a range of fun activities in our Play and Admissions Centre and around our hospital wards, celebrating the incredible power of play in healthcare.

To start the week, patients enjoyed a fun afternoon party with EnjoyArt’s partner organisation, the Giggle Doctors, and an interactive magic show with with magician David Oakley. Patients also enjoyed fun face painting, craft activities, and making their own teddy bears.

On Friday, patients were wowed by a special visit from comic book heroes, Deadpool and Spiderman, followed by a Pets as Therapy dog to help sick kids feel calmer. Over the weekend, our Play and Activity Centre hosted messy, creative play with syringe painting, then made their own Lego creations with The Build Barn.

For our patients, the smiles and laughter of play can bring some welcome distraction, helping them feel less stressed and anxious while waiting for appointments, spending time on hospital wards or receiving treatment.

Find out more about how our charity supports play with our All About Play Appeal.