Imagine stepping into a waiting room just before surgery — it is an overwhelming experience for most people, but especially for young children who may be undergoing treatment for the first time. Now, thanks to an incredibly generous donation from the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation, there is a new bubble wall in the waiting area of Children's Theatres to make these moments a little less daunting.

 

Bubbles have a magical ability to make most things better, and the new sensory bubble wall is an excellent example of this. Installed in a small play area at the side of the waiting room, it’s at the perfect height for children to interact with. It looks like a fish tank with a reflective screen that changes colour and displays flurries of floating bubbles, providing the children with a bright, moving distraction while they wait to be seen by staff.

 

Deborah Cunningham, from the Yorkshire Building Society, recently visited Children's Theatres to see the bubble wall in action. She told us, "It was fantastic to be able to see first-hand how the donation has been used in such a wonderful way to help lots of children and their families. I know children and their parents can find going into an operating theatre a stressful and overwhelming experience, and we hope that having the bubble wall will help soothe, encourage calmness and help distract from the other events going on around them."

 

Victoria Salt, Operating Department Practitioner for Children's Theatres, said, "All of us at the South West Peninsula Children's Surgical Unit would like to extend our thanks to Deborah and the team at Yorkshire Building Society Plymouth. It's really important to us as a team to provide a safe, suitable and engaging environment for our patients. By using tools, such as the bubble wall, we can also offer a little fun and distraction for what can often be a daunting time for children and their families."

 

Corinne Smith, Plymouth Hospitals Charity’s Charity Development Manager, said, "We welcome working in partnerships with businesses to fund items that make such a difference to our patients at UHP. This gorgeous bubble wall will bring lots of smiles at a stressful time."

 

We want to thank the Yorkshire Building Society for choosing our charity and everyone who donated as part of the Small Change, Big Difference scheme. This wouldn't have been possible without you!

 

Help fund more fantastic projects like this by donating to Plymouth Hospitals Charity today. If you're a business that would like to partner with us, please get in touch with us.