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GOSH Charity Play Dates- The Play Time That Changes Lives

Eleanor, enjoying a craft
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Games, party hats and donation boxes at the ready, it’s time for the GOSH Charity Play Date! This July, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) will challenge children, family and friends to come together in the name of fun to raise money to support seriously ill children treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

 

What Is the GOSH Charity Play Date? 

Taking place for the first time this year, GOSH Charity Play Date will involve people across the country hosting a Play Date at home, in a garden, at a park, school or nursery on a day of their choosing during the month of July. Guests will be asked to make a small donation to their host before joining in with the fun.

 

The GOSH Charity Play Date

The concept is simple, but the impact your fundraising will have could be huge. Anyone who signs up to host a PlayDate will receive a fundraising pack complete with stickers and print-at-home bunting, posters and invitations. Also in the pack will be a DIY collection box and a QR code to direct guests to the host’s fundraising page. And if that’s not enough, there’ll be plenty of game ideas available on the GOSH Charity Play Date website.

 

Each donation will help fund GOSH’s dedicated Play team who help children make sense of their treatment and recovery through games and other activities. Play is a vital part of a patient’s hospital stay and ensures they feel in control, calm and informed every step of the way. It simply allows children to be children during what can be a difficult and worrying time.

 

Meet Eleanor and the Play Team

Eleanor, now seven, was admitted to GOSH at three-years-old and was diagnosed with hyperinsulinism, a rare condition where the body produces too much insulin. She knows first-hand how much the Play Team, funded by GOSH Charity, supports children during difficult times. 

Eleanor, Aged 7Eleanor says: “I like the Play Team because they set up lots of fun things for me to colour in and make. I’ve made a t-shirt for my brother, I’ve done cupcakes, I’ve done lots of crafts and I’ve made a lion head to scare the nurses with!

“The Play Team helped me feel better about my treatment because they made it really fun, and they set up lots of really good crafts. When I was having injections, the Play team helped me calm down and they played with me.”

Eleanor’s mum, Rebecca adds: “The Play Team are an essential part of our visits to GOSH. Eleanor’s first question about any upcoming visit is when she’ll get to see the Play team. They bring fun, laughter, distraction and support to Eleanor and our family.

The wonderful doctors and nurses work to better the treatment of Eleanor’s illness. The Play Team work to better Eleanor’s experience of being at GOSH and having to face the tests and treatments we hope will improve her quality of life.” – Eleanor’s Mum, Rebecca

 

Keen on being part of the action? Sign up to host your own Play Date at gosh.org/playdate

*Any donation(s) received in relation to the GOSH Charity Play Date event(s) will be used to fund the Play Services at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. The target for this appeal is to raise £101,250. In the event that additional donations are received over and above the target and/or the needs of the hospital or patients change, they reserve the right to redirect funds for use against the hospital’s most urgent needs. 

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