Generous donations help make Christmas special for poorly children

Royal Oldham Children’s Ward

The staff working on the Children’s Ward at The Royal Oldham Hospital would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has donated money, gifts and treats to help make Christmas special this year for the poorly kids on the ward.

Every year staff go above and beyond to make Christmas a memorable occasion for the children unfortunate enough to find themselves being cared for at The Royal Oldham Hospital.

Each year staff put up a tree with baubles and trimmings and decorate the ward with tinsel, garlands and decorations to mark the arrival of the festive season - and this year is no different.

And thanks to the generosity of the public the hospital’s usual efforts to mark Christmas will now be made extra special.

Nicola Firth, acting chief officer at The Royal Oldham Hospital said: “We are overwhelmed at the response we’ve had from the public. Every year we provide a Christmas tree, decorate the ward and set up fun activities, and this combined with all these kind donations from the public will make Christmas extra special for the children and their families this year. People have been incredibly kind and generous. There have been so many offers of support; we can’t thank everyone enough. I would also like to thank the staff for the remarkable effort on their part too.”

As well as plans to put up a tree and decorations this year a number of fun activities have also been organised to make Christmas a fun time for the children, families, carers and even the staff working on the Children’s Ward.

The Royal Oldham’s Children’s Ward cares for children with a range of conditions ranging from minor illness to end of life care, with many different illnesses including sepsis, jaundice, complex conditions, cardiac problems and terminal illnesses.

The fun activities planned by staff to entertain the children, include a pantomime, a story-telling Santa, face-painting and party games which will help keep them amused and make their Christmas a memorable and special time.

The Royal Oldham Hospital is one of five hospitals and community services that make up the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which is made up by bringing together Salford Royal and The Pennine Acute Trusts.

Donations can be made via the Justgiving page, or donations can be dropped off at the Children’s Ward at The Royal Oldham Hospital itself. Alternatively, the team can arrange to come and collect any donations:

• www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/charlotte-auton