£80,000 towards better children’s wards at St George’s
Thanks to your generous donations and fundraising, we are very proud to announce that we have been able to contribute £80,000 to St George’s Hospital Charity’s Time For A Change appeal.
The start of work on the children’s wards. Photograph supplied by St George’s Hospital Charity.
Anyone who has spent a long time in hospital with their child knows how much the surroundings matter. Somewhere to sit together, a place to make a cup of tea, a bathroom close at hand. When the ward becomes your home for weeks at a time, these things make a difference. We remember that very well from Christian’s time in hospital.
The appeal is refurbishing two children’s wards at St George’s: Nicholls, a 19-bed surgical ward, and Pinckney, a 15-bed specialist care ward, where Christian spent a lot of time. Together, the two wards care for more than 4,000 children and young people each year, with parents and carers spending long hours alongside them.
Work is already underway on Nicholls Ward. Before the refurbishment, the whole 19-bed ward had just five toilets and no en suite bathrooms. The plans include seven new en suites for the single-bed bays, a refurbished playroom and family room, and improvements to the kitchen and staff spaces. There will be brighter corridors and surroundings designed with children and young people in mind.
Architects’ proposals for the ward interiors. These are design illustrations, not photographs of completed work.
We hope the Nicholls work will finish at the end of November, with the ward expected to reopen by December 2026. Pinckney will follow as the second phase of the appeal.
The drawings give a lovely sense of what is planned: colour on the walls, places for younger children to play, and spaces where teenagers can feel comfortable too. St George’s has been working with young people, hospital staff, artists and architects to help shape the designs.
Proposals for the day and activity rooms, with spaces for children of different ages. Images supplied by St George’s Hospital Charity.
A huge thank you to Davina at St George’s Hospital Charity for sharing the update, and to the hospital staff and charity team working to bring these plans to life. Above all, thank you to everyone who has donated and raised money for us. You have helped us make a substantial contribution to a project that goes right to the heart of why we started The Christian Blandford Fund.
We look forward to seeing the finished ward and sharing more of the details with you.
Please consider the Christian Blandford Fund if you are fund raising for a sponsored event or looking to make a charitable donation.
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