Having fun is child’s play at NUH
Youngsters at the Nottingham Childrens Hospital (NCH) got to spend some time with donkeys, snakes and tarantulas for national Play in Hospital Week for the first time since before the pandemic.
The campaign aims to support children to experience the power of play to boost their wellbeing during treatment, and the theme for this year is Play for 'Creativity and Innovation in Play'.
The NCH Play Service Team were joined by charities and businesses such as Sam’s Superhero’s’, Urban Bushcraft, Animal Encounter, Jumping Clay and Spread a Smile – who, throughout the week, brought in a variety of different activities for the children to do. These included petting tarantulas and donkeys, writing children’s stories and taking part in illustrations, as well as an outing to the theatre. 
13 year old, Olivia said: ‘We had the most wonderful time as a family at the theatre, thank you so much.”
Jamie Lee Phillipson, Lead Hospital Play Specialist for the Children's Hospital at NUH said: “The children absolutely loved it. It was so special to have so many people getting involved and enjoying it. Thank you so much to all the teams who helped to make it happen. It’s been an amazing week of fun and laughter for our patients, families and staff.”