Matalan is helping to raise money for Alder Hey to help fund a range of activities and projects which are designed to enhance and improve the lives of their patients. This includes funding special projects such as play specialists and ward based chefs and supporting research. Money raised will also be used to help Alder Hey continue to develop their new healthcare campus next to the hospital, to fund distraction technology designed to reduce pain and anxiety in patients and to buy specialist medical equipment. Meet some of their amazing patients below.
13 year old Grace was diagnosed with a serious and incurable form of congenital heart disease when she was just eight days old. She was transferred to the intensive care unit at Alder Hey where she had to have emergency open heart surgery. Grace and her family have travelled from their home in the Isle of Man many times to have treatment at Alder Hey and her stays have sometimes lasted months.
Theo was born in Salford in May 2017. After only a few days at home he was rushed to Alder Hey for life-saving treatment for major heart issues. After 8 hours, Alder Hey’s incredible cardiac team successfully repaired Theo’s heart and he spent a total of 41 days at Alder Hey.
I feel privileged to be part of such a special team of people who dedicate their time to improving the children’s hospital journey as well as providing an amazing network of support to families in some very difficult times.
• The design of the hospital was based on a drawing by 15 year old patient, Eleanor Borgan that impressed the architects.
• Alder Hey treats 275,000 patients every year - more than any other UK Children's Hospital.
• Alder Hey looks after around 3205 families every year over the Christmas period alone.
• Alder Hey was the first hospital to test penicillin saving a child from pneumonia in 1944.
The story behind Alder hey in the Park's unique design
In 2009 Alder Hey Children's Hospital Charity asked children and young people from the hospital what they wanted from a new Alder Hey. They had almost 1,000 responses, with the children's ideas driving the concept and design of the new hospital. Fifteen year old Eleanor Brogan's drawing impressed the architects so much that they used it as inspiration for their final design. Watch the video to find out more.
A team of volunteers from Matalan went in to Alder Hey over a 2 day period and decorated the walls and ceilings around the hospital with graphics designed by Matalan's design team. The aim of the artwork is to create distraction for the children.
Distraction is an essential part of caring for children. Distraction can help everything from the management of pain, to simply taking a child's mind off anything from an injection to the journey into an operation theatre. At Alder Hey, art and play form a huge part of distraction techniques. Alder Hey leads the way in the use of art, music, dance and sport distraction techniques.
Alder Hey as a special place in my heart, I know a few children who have been treated there and have seen for myself the amazing work and miracles the staff do on a daily basis. Being able to help make their journeys into the operating theatres that little bit less frightening made all the hard work worth it.
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