Special garden for special children

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Press Releases 2008

Written by Communications Lead

For many children getting out into the fresh air and playing on slides and climbing frames, or rolling down a grassy bank, is normal everyday life. But for those youngsters whose immune system is low sharing recreational space with other children is not possible.

At Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust a garden has been built and equipped so that these very special patients can enjoy outdoor activity if they wish.

Said Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist Emma Read: “During treatment for cancer the children receive chemotherapy, which reduces their immune system for quite a considerable time. When they are admitted to hospital they are unable to mix with other in-patients due to their susceptibility and risk of picking up life-threatening infections. This oncology garden has created a fantastic opportunity for them to have their own play area whereby they can come out of isolation cubicles into the garden and play independently of non-oncology children. We are extremely grateful for all those who have contributed and raised money for this to be possible.”

The garden was created by Field Engineers from EDF Energy Networks and was formally opened this month. (December)

The team of seven, all from the energy company’s Networks Customer Operations base in Croydon, spent several days transforming a scruffy outside area outside the Little Oaks Paediatric Oncology Unit into a safe haven for youngsters at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital Trust in Chertsey.

Team leader Brian Walsh said: “As a team, we have supported the oncology department for children at St Peter’s for a number of years after a colleague’s god-daughter became extremely poorly with Wilms disease. She was just three and we all felt helpless. So we decided to help out in any way we could to help make life easier for the little girl, her family and others like them.”

Brian’s colleague, Simon Williams, remembers when he told his workmates about Charlotte Michael’s condition. He said: “They were all devastated. Charlotte was very young and none of us really knew what to expect. Watching from the sidelines as she and her parents embarked on successive treatments was really difficult.

“Charlotte was diagnosed at three years old and now, thankfully she is healthy and cancer-free 18 months after her treatment. She has quarterly check-ups to make sure the cancer has not returned, something she’ll continue to have for the foreseeable future. Even though she is getting better, we have not stopped our fund-raising efforts in her name. The garden and play area we have created will help to brighten the time youngsters spend on the ward.”

A Wilms tumour is a malignant tumour on the kidney. It is a rare childhood kidney cancer and the dormant cells form while the baby is still in the womb, usually maturing when the child is about three years old. It only affects 70 UK children a year.

Charlotte’s mum, Lorraine, 42, of Ashford, Surrey, thinks the new garden is much needed. She said: “When your child is admitted for treatment you effectively go into isolation because the form of cancer is so aggressive it virtually wipes out the immune system, making children very susceptible to infections.

“We were cooped up in a small room once every three weeks for three days and Charlotte couldn’t really mix with anyone else. Charlotte really longed to get out into the open and play freely like other little girls. Other play areas in the hospital were available for all children to use, so they were out of bounds for Charlotte. That’s why the new play area will be a massive step forward for children specifically on the oncology department.”

The team of volunteers, aided by contractor Murphys plc, built a log cabin and a large soft playground in the new oncology garden. The whole area has also been landscaped and given a general make-over. The voluntary work is part of EDF Energy’s Helping Hands scheme. The initiative allows staff to give at least two days of paid work time each year to help local charities and community groups with voluntary work. The team were so committed to the job they finished the work during their holidays.

Chris Costa, business unit support manager for children’s services at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust said: “This is really lovely. Without all the help from the EDF Energy Networks team this wouldn’t be happening at all - we would not be able to have an oncology garden. This is going to be wonderful for the children and their families, who are sometimes here all day for treatment.”

Mrs Michael added: “I think the team from the energy company are brilliant. They have helped to raise well over £4,000 in the last few years not just to support Charlotte and our family, but also other children who are suffering from Wilms disease. They are an inspiration to us all.”

Ends.

CAPTION. Little Charlotte Michael is pictured here officially opening the special garden for children with low immune systems with her Mum and Dad, Yhanis and Lorraine. Behind her (left to right) are Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist Emma Read, Consultant Paediatrician Dr Tariq Bhatti and Matron Dagmar Gohil. Ends.

Caption story: Two little girls who became friends while receiving treatment for cancer are pictured here in the St. Peter’s Hospital garden built specially for use by children who have low immune systems. Seen here are (back row, left to right) Mrs Rebecca McFarlane with her daughter, Bonnie, eight, Yhanis and Lorraine Michael, of Ashford, with their daughter, Charlotte, five, and front row: Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist Emma Read and Matron Dagmar Gohill.

Bonnie, of Knaphill had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia for two-and-a-half years. During her treatment at the Royal Marsden and St. Peter’s Hospital she met Charlotte and her family. Bonnie’s Mum Rebecca and Dad Mark and their family and friends have been active fundraisers for both hospitals and in the Spring of 2009 will be donating £1,000 for garden furniture. Bonnie is a pupil at Knaphill Junior Schools. Her sister Maddie, six, is at the Lower School and baby sister Annabelle will be two in February.

Said Mum Rebecca: “We all do what we can and enjoy fundraising. This wonderful garden built by the EDF men is super and they deserve a pat on the back!”.

The cheque in this photo is for outdoor play equipment and £1,000 of the total was donated by the “World Duty Free” company of Englefield Green, where Charlotte’s Auntie, Sacha Michael is staff sales co-ordinator. Ends.

Notes to editors: EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest energy companies. We provide power to a quarter of the UK’s population via our electricity distribution networks in London, the South East and the East of England. We supply gas and electricity to over 5 million customers and generate about 5GW of energy from our coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms.

Through Our Climate and Social Commitments we have launched the biggest environmental and social packages of any UK energy company. The company is also a key player in national infrastructure projects including management of private electricity networks serving four London airports and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the country’s first major new railway in 100 years.

EDF Energy employs nearly 13,000 people at locations across the UK and is a core part of EDF Group, one of Europe’s largest power companies. EDF is the official energy utilities partner and sustainability partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Trust

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