Chelmsford Lions Club donation transforms children’s waiting area at St Andrews

Our fundraising team were delighted to join the Chelmsford Lions Club on a recent visit to St Andrews’ Outpatients ward at Broomfield Hospital to see their newly enhanced children’s play area in the waiting room. The transformation was made possible by a generous donation of £2,000 from the local charitable group.

St Andrew’s, a regional plastic surgery unit, provides vital care to patients of all ages, treating trauma injuries and congenital conditions. The department also serves many young children referred by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children for cleft lip and palate repairs.

Senior Sister of the unit, Lorna Quinn shared, “There can be challenges for children in a medical environment, and we wanted to make the waiting area a more inviting, child-friendly space. Thanks to the generous donation from the Chelmsford Lions Club, we’ve transformed the area into a bright, safe environment with murals, blackboard paint, safety crash mats, toys, and books. It’s now a much more welcoming place for children and helps us keep them entertained and at ease.”

In addition to the play area, the treatment room has also been enhanced with a bubble tower, which captures the attention of young patients while they undergo treatment, providing a calming atmosphere with relaxing light and white noise.

Clair Dade, Fundraising Coordinator for Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity, expressed the charity’s gratitude: “We are incredibly grateful to the Chelmsford Lions Club for their support. Charitable contributions like theirs are essential in ensuring that we can provide enhancements that go beyond what NHS funding can cover. The improvements to the Outpatients department will make a huge difference to the experience of children and their families during their visits to St Andrews.”

Thanks to this donation, St Andrews is now better equipped to offer a more supportive and comforting environment for young patients and their caregivers.