Sussex children’s hospital charity launches campaign to help children’s dreams come true

Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, your local children’s hospital charity, has launched its latest campaign, helping to make dreams come true for children in hospital.

We all know that children have dreams. Dreams of being a film star, or an Instagramer, dreams of fame or fortune, dreams of the latest smartphone or video game, or a trip to Disneyland.

But for many children in hospital – their dreams can be much simpler. The dream to grow up healthy, or happy, a dream to not feel sick, tired or unwell, a chance to do normal things with their friends, a chance to be normal.

With your help, Rockinghorse wants to make these dreams come true.

Whether it’s driving to theatre on a mini electric car to get the confidence to get through a scary operation, enjoying activities like Woodland Wellbeing days to bring a bit of sunshine to children going through cancer treatment, or supporting teenagers to manage a mental health crisis by offering art therapy, massage and music with our Wellbeing Service, Rockinghorse wants to be there.

Every donation brings the charity closer to turning those simple dreams into reality for sick children across Sussex.

Can you help make a dream come true today?  Rockinghorse directly supports over 190,000 children every year in paediatric healthcare settings across Sussex.

Every one of these children will have a dream but suddenly having to spend time in hospital, or manage a new condition, can mean these dreams get de-railed. Instead of dreaming of fame, fortune, travel or the latest tech, their dreams can change to something much simpler.

A dream to do the usual things that most children take for granted. To feel normal, safe, or not scared. Having worked to support children’s healthcare in Sussex for nearly 60 years, they know better than most how to help.

They work with the wonderful doctors and nurses within the NHS to find out exactly what projects will have the most impact both on their work and the lives of their patients. These projects impact in so many different ways but the thing they all have in common is making a child’s experience of healthcare as positive and calm as possible.

The projects they fund and deliver cover six different areas: toys, equipment, spaces, research, activities and people. These focus on improving children’s physical and emotional well-being, while providing additional support services for parents and carers.

How this impacts on treatment

Dr Oli Rahman, Consultant Paediatrician and Lead for the Paediatric Critical Care Unit at The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, and Chair of Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, said:“We have many patients with underlying medical conditions that mean that they feel unable to do sometimes very normal things like go to a sleepover or go on a school trip with their friends.

“They can only dream of doing what appears like a very simple thing to those unaware of their illness. If Rockinghorse could enable them to have a more normal life by supporting them appropriately that would be truly amazing.”

Can you help make a child’s dream come true? What could be better than helping make a child’s dream come true?

Whatever donation you are able to make, it will all help. It will help children have time with their friends. It will help them be able to go on that sleepover. It will help them feel normal.

And so much more. Find out more on the charity’s website: www.rockinghorse.org.uk