Friday 11th June saw the opening of a brand new outdoor play area at Bursledon House Children’s Unit, kindly funded by the League of Friends of Southampton General Hospital.
Bursledon House provides a unique paediatric and psychiatric service for 0 -16 year-olds at Southampton General Hospital and is the only provision of its kind in England, with children referred from all over the country.
Play is vital to the assessment and rehabilitation of children on the Unit, and the brand new outdoor play area costing £55,000 has been specially designed to meet the needs of both patients and staff at Bursledon House. Following generous funding from the League of Friends of Southampton General Hospital, as well as support from staff members and community fundraising groups, the new play ground has been completed.
The state-of-the-art equipment provided by Sutcliffe Play will further enhance the play experience for children who are cared for at Bursledon House, and allow them to develop additional skills to complement the curriculum.
Sue Vaughan, Play Specialist at Bursledon House said, “The staff and children cannot thank the League of Friends enough for their generous gift of £55,000. The play equipment makes an enormous difference to the children, enabling them the freedom to play whilst building their self esteem.”
“Children who are undergoing rehabilitation treatment do not realise that they are doing exercise when they use the play equipment, as they are able to have fun while building up their stamina and confidence. The play equipment has also been fantastic in helping the children to make friendships, and really is the focal point of Bursledon House.”
The play ground was officially opened by Martin Bovey, the Chairman of the League of Friends, and Hilda Kemp, the League of Friends’ oldest volunteer, aged 98.
Martin Bovey said, “The League of Friends are very proud to have been able to fund this project, and we are absolutely delighted with the end result.”
Posted on Thursday 24 June 2010