Local children’s hospital charity The Archie Foundation has teamed up with dance theatre company Shaper/Caper and Glenlaw House in Dundee to bring some Christmas magic to youngsters with severe and complex healthcare and medical needs.
The unit provides respite care for up to four children at a time and currently supports 31 families from across Dundee, Angus and Perth, providing an NHS service not offered anywhere else in Scotland.
Organising trips for the children can be difficult so Archie arranged a festive treat which saw Dundee-based charity Shaper/Caper bringing its Snow Queen performance to Glenlaw House free of charge.
The performance took place yesterday (Wednesday, December 18), with the children and their families invited to experience a Christmas show in familiar and accessible surroundings.
Archie has also created an Amazon Christmas List, which has been carefully curated by Glenlaw House’s specialist team to feature gifts suited to the needs of the children - from audio stories to soothe at bedtime, funky patterned wheelchair covers or sensory lights and TV screens for bedrooms.
Members of the public can choose a gift for a child, with a range of items at various price points.
Fundraising is also underway to raise cash for a much-needed revamp of the unit’s existing sensory room.
The Archie Foundation exists to transform experiences and outcomes in healthcare and bereavement for babies, children and families across North Scotland, including Dundee as well as Aberdeen, Elgin and Inverness.
Louise Barker, Charge Nurse with NHS Tayside’s Paediatric Complex Disability Service, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The Archie Foundation in Tayside for its support for Glenlaw House, and we are looking forward to developing our relationship with the team, who are passionate about understanding the needs of the children who access our respite care.
“Our children all have a range of medical conditions, most of which are life-limiting and require a range of medical interventions, such as feeding tubes, ventilation, oxygen therapy and suctioning.
“Respite gives families a well-earned break, while their child is cared for by paediatric nurses and health care support workers. We try to make it a home from home environment but also a time to have lots of fun with the best experience. Everyone had a great time at the Shaper/Caper show.”
Glenlaw House has six beds, including one crisis bed, which has been used at least once a month for families in urgent need of help.
Rebecca Duncan, business development and fundraising manager Tayside at The Archie Foundation, said it was honoured to be able to provide much-needed support.
“Through building relationships with the staff and parents and carers support group at Glenlaw House, we know they have faced around taking the children out on trips due to issues with accessible toilets, taxi provision and changing places facilities,” she said.
“In response we are pleased to have collaborated with Shaper/Caper to bring a performance of the Snow Queen into Glenlaw House for families to experience something special this Christmas in a location which is a trusted, accessible and comfortable space for them.
“Archie is very grateful to our supporters who help us to provide financial and emergency grants to support families of babies and children here in Tayside when they need it most. Alongside our ongoing work at the Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells and across the whole area, we are looking forward to continuing to work with Glenlaw House and raising money to redevelop its essential sensory room in 2025.”
Shaper/Caper is a dance-theatre charity which provides services that help overcome barriers to accessing dance and theatre, bringing productions and participatory works into alternative settings through its Theatre in the Community strand.
It partners with NHS Tayside to deliver health awareness workshops in 116 primary schools each year and lead the Dance for Parkinson’s Scotland programme in Dundee and Fife, among many other initiatives.
Executive director Yolanda Aguilar said: “We are thrilled to partner with The Archie Foundation to deliver our Christmas production The Snow Queen to children and families at this time of the year. We have aligned purposes to reach those people needing a bit of season’s cheering and joy. We are looking forward to both bringing creativity to audiences and developing a partnership with the Archie Foundation for future opportunities.”
The Archie Foundation’s vision is that all children in the region will have equal access to world-class healthcare and bereavement support, delivered in a child-appropriate environment and manner.
Visit www.archie.org/getsupport/ for more information about the practical, financial and emotional support available from The Archie Foundation or to learn more about Shaper/Caper, see www.shapercaper.com
Issued by BIG Partnership on behalf of The Archie Foundation. For more information, please contact Shona Hendry on 07739 314158 or Bethany Cockrill on 07710 305354.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
From left: Amy Stanford, staff nurse at Glenlaw House; Robin Ayliffe, staff nurse at Glenlaw House; Snow Queen Alex McCrossan from Shaper/Caper; Rebecca Duncan, Archie’s business development and fundraising manager; Polar Bear Parsifal James Hurst from Shaper/Caper; Martins Sokolovics; and Amy Dunlop.
Parsifal James Hurst (Polar Bear) from Shaper/Caper with Amy Dunlop.
The Archie Foundation
The Archie Foundation exists to transform experiences and outcomes in healthcare and bereavement for babies, children and families across North Scotland. The charity’s vision is that all children across Grampian, Tayside, the Highlands and Islands will have equal access to world-class healthcare and bereavement support, delivered in a child-appropriate environment and manner.
Archie has helped children and families across the north of Scotland for 24 years, funding specialist roles and projects at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and, more recently, at Highland Children’s Unit, Tayside Children’s Hospital, and Dr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin.
The Archie Foundation
The Archie Foundation are the official children`s charity for Tayside children`s hospital. We are near completion of our new Theatre Suite which 2 million was raised for this project.
