Louise and Katelyn with Amy and Alice from the Play Team
A Rockinghorse supporter organised a collection of pyjamas for children being admitted to the Royal Alex.
We recently asked our supporters to help us collect some comfortable clothes for children being admitted to the Brighton children’s hospital with mental health issues.
Young people have a lot to contend with in a normal year but following the upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, many of their worlds have turned upside down, so it’s not surprising that some have struggled with their mental health.
The Play Team at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton has seen a dramatic increase in the number of young people being admitted for treatment related to mental health, with patients often spending months at a time in the hospital.
One of our supporters, Louise Williamson from Burgess Hill, decided that she was going to try and help and started a collection of pyjamas to donate the hospital.
Louise knows the Alex well because their daughter Katelyn has been supported by the team at the hospital since she was around two weeks old: “We spent our first Christmas period mostly in hospital so love to give back when we can.
“The nurses and doctors have been amazing and always try make hard situations a little easier giving support to not only Katelyn but us as a family. My older son Oliver has also had many trips to the hospital and still fondly remembers the nurses who cared for him after an operation.
“Having the support from Rockinghorse at the hospital helps gives children a positive experience when they are poorly so we will always try to give a little to help.”
And that’s just what they did – with a fantastic donation of over 45 sets of pyjamas that they had collected from their local community! Katelyn was due for an appointment at the hospital so Louise thought she would bring the pyjamas with her and give them straight to the Play Team in person.
As Louise explained: “We decided to support Rockinghorse as in times when things are hard and you’re worrying about your child, seeing the support and treats they get from Play Team puts a smile on their faces makes all the difference.”
And Louise has no plans to stop her fundraising there: “I have started getting ready for Christmas already! We have decided to do little gift bags for children over Christmas period and we have already had donations of Top Trump cards. And we’ll be starting our toy appeal in month or two with Mabel’s Emporium in Burgess Hill as a drop off point again. We’re really hoping to bring in more this year than last!”
To find out more about the toy collection and the rest of our Christmas fundraising plans, keep an eye out on our social media posts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook over the coming months.
