20 December 2022

On Saturday, 17 December, Frimley Park’s Paediatric specialist nurses held two parties for their patients to get them into the Christmas spirit. The oncology, diabetes, epilepsy and respiratory teams hosted around 50 children, along with their siblings and family at Frimley Community Hall, where they decorated biscuits and baubles, made Christmas cards and were visited by Father Christmas.

Helen Seymour, Paediatric Oncology Nurse Specialist, says: "All of our patients face their treatments with such bravery, it was lovely to be able to give something back to them. Cancer treatment has such an impact on the whole family, so we wanted them to be able to enjoy a fun event together. It was especially lovely to see the smiles on our younger patients’ faces when they met Father Christmas."

Nicola Birchmore, Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse, continued: "It was so lovely to work alongside our colleagues within other specialist teams to pull together such a fabulous event It was a great chance for our patients and their families to socialise with others also going through a tough time, whilst being able to have fun and forget about their condition for a few hours.”

“We’d like to thank all the local groups and services who gave donations and raised money for the parties, as the day couldn’t have happened without them. A special thank you goes to St Andrew’s Lodge in Farnham whose generous donation enabled us to buy food, games and presents for all the children and ‘Pop Up Arcade’ who came along, allowing our patients to play video games and use VR headsets. We had an amazing Christmas BBQ from ‘Crackling Pig Company’ and our thanks extends to Hobbycraft - Farnborough, Longacre's Garden Centre Bagshot, Enchanted Emporium Ash Vale, Sweet Role Pancakes, Jump In Camberley & Frimley Community Hall whose generosity made the day such a success.”