The charity patch money has dug into its pot and brought some festive cheer to staff and children in Edinburgh’s Children’s Hospital. Bringing smiles on faces and sounds of laughter at a time when its needed most.

Dunedin Chapter sponsored the Christmas party which took place on 15th December in the hospital. The amazing entertaining Tricky Ricky captivated his audience and a great time was had by both staff and children.

We got a lovely email from Fiona Brian at the ECHC:

Hi Shirley and all at Dunedin Hog

Everyone here at ECHC hopes you and your family are well at the end of this extraordinarily difficult year. Your fundraising support this year has been such a help and inspiration to us all – thank you.

Some good news to share, we have had word the new home for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services will be opening at The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in January. This relocation of inpatient services can’t come quick enough, and we look forward to bringing our arts and youth work teams to support the children in the unique care environment at the hospital, all of which you make possible through your support ECHC. Thank you.

The whole hospital is getting busier every day, with outpatients and clinics moving over as planned. I was there last week, and it was wonderful to watch the children’s faces light up as they enter the main outpatients waiting for space and play with all the activities there. Outwith CAMHS, we expect the rest of inpatients services to move over as planned in the first quarter of next year, with a date to be announced by NHSL in late January.

In the meantime, we are working across both hospital sites to alleviate the worry and isolation of children who find themselves in hospital this Christmas. It’s proving especially hard for the children this year with only one family member allowed to visit. So, for the month of December, we bring all sorts of activities including magic workshops, animation on bedside curtains, and silent discos to the wards to bring smiles to children’s faces. We also provide a staff Wellbeing Lounge to treat the NHS staff who are needing a boost after such a difficult year.

As a charity, while fundraising has been hit badly, thankfully, with your support, we have come through 2020 intact. We know 2021 will be another very challenging year but, we continue to be privileged to be the only additional service allowed within the hospital at this time, and with the hospital relocation finally looking like a reality we have a lot to be hopeful for.

Thank you so much for your support.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas.

Christmas Party at Edinburgh Children’s Hospital