• How the Giggle Doctors helped Eleanor

    Seeing our daughter laugh in hospital for the first times since being diagnosed brought tears of joy to our eyes

    Tim, Eleanor’s Dad

    Eleanor was just 3 and a half when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour called a Low Grade Hypothalamic Glioma in 2015. On 22nd April that year, she met Dr Geehee and Dr YoHo at The Royal Marsden. Her dad Tim describes the breath of fresh air they brought when they arrived: “It was our first encounter with the Giggle Doctors and one which we hold fond memories of. In fact, seeing our daughter laugh in hospital for the first time since being diagnosed brought tears of joy to our eyes.”

    Due to her condition, Eleanor has almost no vision at all. “Dr Dotty and Dr GeeHee went out of their way to understand that our daughter Eleanor could not see all their colourful costumes, decorations and pranks, instead they opted to tell her jokes, make funny noises and introduce nice smells. A huge distraction for a 4-year-old going through some pretty horrendous times,” shares Tim.

    After more than 7 years of treatment, Eleanor continues to spend time in hospital regularly. Tim says they still make a beeline for the Giggle Doctors whenever they’re in the hospital, and she says they make her feel “excited, happy and ready to have a good laugh.”

    They always make my time at hospital very enjoyable. I’m 11 now and I don’t think they’ll ever stop making me laugh!”

    Eleanor

  • How the Giggle Doctors helped George

    “George was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2014 at just 22 months old. George relapsed 2 years into treatment and as a result spent many months in Piam Brown Children’s Oncology ward in Southampton Children’s Hospital which is where he met the amazing Giggle Doctors.

    George absolutely loved their visits and as an avid fancy dress fan, George would always be wearing a costume and the Giggle Doctors would fun, crazy games with him around his character including a police chase through the ward looking for stolen eggs!

    The Giggle Doctors brought so many smiles and happy memories to what was a very difficult time and every smile means the world when you are watching you child go through so much illness and pain. Devastatingly for us, we lost George to Leukaemia in 2019, so the fun and happiness the Giggle Doctors brought to George is something we hold very dear in our memories” – George’s mum

    George’s Rockstars was set up in loving memory of 6 year old George, and was inspired by George’s experience with music therapy to make children in hospital smile through the power of music therapy. Their mission is to make children in hospitals smile through the power of music therapy.

  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Arabella

    “We first met Dr Ding Dong while Arabella was waiting for her chemotherapy and we were told there was a special visitor to see her.”

    “Arabella was amazed by Dr Ding Dong’s outfit and thought she was amazing! Arabella had loads of questions about if she was a real doctor as she hadn’t met any of the Giggle Doctors before.”

    “Dr Ding Dong has met Arabella a few times now, the first time they exchanged jokes and Arabella loved this as she tried to remember the jokes to tell her friends. At Halloween they met paper bats and ghosts together.”

    Arabella and Dr Ding Dong laughing

    “Every time Dr Ding Dong has visited, it has brightened Arabella’s mood and relieved her boredom. Chemo takes at least 5 hours, so they are very long days for her. Dr Ding Dong has made Arabella proper belly laugh during a stressful time – it’s amazing to see!”

    As a mum, it makes me more relaxed when I can see Arabella happy, enjoying herself and acting like a child of her age rather than having to worry about treatments and being unwell. It’s really nice to meet a ‘doctor’ who isn’t asking questions about treatment but is solely there to make Arabella happy and feel good.”

    Words by Hannah, Arabella’s mum

    Collected by Isabel Squires at Southampton Children’s Hospital November 2023

    “Dr Ding Dong is really silly and I love that, she makes me smile when she visits!”

    Arabella, age 6
    Arabella, age 6

    Click here to read about our Giggle Doctor visits at Southampton Children’s Hospital

    Find out more
  • Read our 2023 Impact Report

    Our 2023 impact report is here! This report reflects on a busy year of bringing playful encounters to over 15,000 children, as well as providing focused training for our Giggle Doctors to help them connect joyfully with each child they meet. Read about what a Giggle Doctor visit can mean for children, their families, hospital staff, and our all-important donors, and find out how Giggle Doctor’s child-led approach provides one solution for providing play in hospital for children and young people with SEN and developmental conditions

    2023 Impact Report

    If you are interested in finding out about our Giggle Doctor training, supporting evidence of our work, and the difference our visits make, you can read our Impact Report here

    Read now
  • A day at Addenbrookes Children’s Hospital

    Isabel Squires our Programme and Quality Coordinator shares this wonderful story of her time spent on the wards with Dr Mish Mash and Dr Geehee.

    “This is my favourite part of my job, the days when I hop on the train to go and meet the Giggle Doctors at a hospital. I make an unfamiliar journey and I arrive at a hospital where I feel a little overwhelmed by everything going on around me. And then I see the familiar, smiling faces of the Giggle Doctors (not yet in their costumes), and I relax a bit.

    While they get changed, I drink my coffee and reflect on how a child might feel making that same unfamiliar journey and arriving in the busy hospital, uncertain about what awaits them.

    I follow the now transformed Dr Mish Mash and Dr Geehee through the hospital and up the stairs. They say hello to everyone they meet with such a force of friendship people can’t help but respond in kind – a pair of contractors seem to greet them like old friends and I start to wonder if they’ve met all these people before.

    On one ward we visit, all the curtains are closed around the beds when we arrive, which makes the room a little gloomy. Dr Geehee asks a boy his name and introduces him to the child in the bed opposite. And then something magical starts to happen. By the time we leave the curtains are all thrown back, the room flooded with light, and all the children know each other’s names.

    Every person there is smiling, and as I follow Dr Mish Mash’s bright blue shoes out of the room, I hear the chatter across the beds, “Did you see when she had the poo sticker stuck to her chin?”, “They were so silly!” Just for a few minutes children and adults alike are united in a moment of shared playfulness which transports them somewhere new.

    I’m trying to capture this incredible atmosphere on camera, but how can you show a feeling changing? It’s in the details: a quiet moment of hands touching, a toddler’s wonder at the chance to press the button which makes the bubbles flow, the little girl who received the gift of a magic wand and uses it to take control of her situation, the row of nurses at the station laughing.

    When I leave the Giggle Doctors and walk through the hospital to go home, I no longer feel overwhelmed. Yes, it is busy and there are so many signs it’s hard to see the one I need, but seeing the hospital through the Giggle Doctors has made me realise it is a building full of humanity, with space for play, for joy and laughter, for connection and friendship. It is in fact not just a hospital for patients, it is also a space for children.”

    Thank you to all supporters who have helped our Giggle Doctor Programme be possible at Addenbrookes hospital, including the funder ACT!

    Isabel Squires

    Isabel Squires

    Programme and Quality Coordinator

    Get in touch!
  • The Magic Giggle Doctor Coat Maker

    Meet Lydia Pfister and her seamstress team, who bring our Giggle Doctor characters to life through their brilliant designs. From Dr Bungee to Dr Yoho, our Giggle Doctors are known for their wonderfully colourful coats covered with intricate patterns, colours and magical pockets representing their characters. No two coats are the same, and it takes over 20 hours to design and create each one!

    “I first got involved with the Theodora Foundation in Switzerland in 1994 as an independent stylist. It all began when met the Founder André Poulie who asked me to make a hat for one of their Giggle Doctors, which became the first of many that I would make. At the time, there were only 3 Giggle Doctors in Switzerland. Now there are over 200 across Europe!  

    How many coats do you make a year?

    “The number of Giggle Doctor coats I make varies from year to year, depending on demand, but ranges from around 30 – 60 pieces a year. I don’t know the exact amount of coats my seamstresses and I have made since we first began, but it must be around 1,200 Giggle Doctor coats by now.

    What makes these coats different to other costumes?

    “Giggle Doctor coats have to represent a unique artistic persona developed by the Giggle Doctor over their 2 year training, as well as adhering to the strict hygiene regulations in hospitals.

    During their training years Giggle Doctors imagine and develop their character and Giggle Doctor name, and start to envision their coat. Giggle Doctors remain with the charity for many years so they need to put a lot of thought in to the character they will have for years to come.

    Additionally, infection control is a key priority for Theodora’s. We use materials of the highest quality to ensure the coats can be washed on high temperatures at the end of every visit. The quality of the stitching and colours also mean that the coats can be washed frequently for many years without them fading quickly.

    What is your process for creating the Giggle Doctor coats?

    “Once the Giggle Doctors have imagined their character and name, it takes a minimum of 5 hours with each Giggle Doctor to discuss and create some sketches and decide on the patterns we will use.

    Lydia’s sketches of Dr Muddy Puddle’s coat

    We also must be very creative in our designs – in addition to the thousands of stitches that attach the accessories, each coat receives an average of 10 pockets! Some pockets are visible, and some are hidden, and they are all specially adapted for the Giggle Doctors’ magic tricks, balloon pumps, props and much more.

    Every Giggle Doctor coat is unique to their character and no two coats are the same.

    Dr Gubbins brought her own fantastic designs to the her meeting with Lydia!

    “Once we have agreed on the designs, it takes us 15 hours to create their personalised coats.

    Some Giggle Doctors come to me without a precise idea of their character, and others come with very elaborate designs on how they would like their coat to look. It is during these initial stages we are able to help their bring their characters to life.

    This is my favourite part of designing the coats, as well as it being the most challenging part. Putting myself in the mindset of the Giggle Doctor and their character and what their coat expresses to the children they visit. The power of the Giggle Doctor’s coat is that it gives them the ability to create a world of their own, and invite the children in hospital into their world full of fun, colour, and magic.

    Children are at the heart of our designs

    “A Giggle Doctor’s coat is so important as that is the first image children see when they enter their room –  they are a doctor like no other!

    Our main goal during our process is that every coat contributes to the imagination and wonderment of children, which is why they are very present in our minds during this creative phase. For example, would a child be familiar with the patterns we use, is the Giggle Doctor’s name readable, is it too high for their gaze?

    As a result, we got into the habit of stooping to view the coats from the height of a child in a hospital bed to ensure they can see all of the fun and colourful details.”

    Donate to help our Giggle Doctors continue giving the gift of giggles, magic and fun for children living with illness and serious health challenges in hospital

    Donate
  • Celebrating a Wonderful Play Team

    For more than 15 years, Theodora Giggle Doctors have been visiting Sheffield Children’s Hospital and working closely with the amazing play team there. In celebration of Play in Hospital Week 2023, we’re shining a spotlight on the fantastic work the Sheffield play team do bringing play to so very many children in hospital.

    Giggle Doctors at Sheffield Children’s Hospital

    Throughout Covid, the Sheffield play team continued their work tirelessly to keep bringing play to children even when all the external visitors like Giggle Doctors were not able to visit, and when restrictions did start to ease in the hospital, Play Services Team Managers Kathryn and Shabnam and their team welcomed the Giggle Doctors back with open arms.

    Our return to Sheffield was particularly special because it was one of the first hospitals to allow Giggle Doctors to visit in pairs again after the pandemic. This was crucial for our eight Junior Giggle Doctors, who still needed to work alongside a more experienced Giggle Doctor as they finished honing their Giggle Doctor craft.

    Training to become a Giggle Doctor takes two years, and Covid struck right in the middle of this period for the Junior Giggle Doctors. Fortunately, we can now visit in duos across all of our hospital sites again, so Junior Giggle Doctors have been bringing giggles to children in all different types of hospital. All eight Junior Giggle Doctors have now completed their training – and it felt very fitting that the eighth one graduated at Sheffield Children’s hospital just last week!

     As a charity, we’re incredibly grateful for their openheartedness, and for the inviting atmosphere the Sheffield play team created for our Junior Giggle Doctors to build their skills and confidence.

    Incredible Impact

    And this isn’t just a meaningful contribution for us as a charity, those Giggle Doctors trained at Sheffield now visit children in hospitals all over England from Brighton and Southampton right up to Leeds and Bradford.

    Photograph taken by Sheffield Children’s Hospital

    An outstanding Play Team

    The Sheffield play team bring a wonderful lightness and positivity to their work, forming strong bonds with children who are on the wards frequently or for many months. Giggle Doctor, Dr Flowerpot observed:

    “Children and young people being empowered by the Sheffield play team simply by being given choices.”

    She added: “The play team are also highly skilled in different forms of distraction and preparation for medical procedures.”

    With a dedicated member of play staff for each ward or clinical area, the Sheffield play staff make sure every child, and their parents and carers, have access to games, musical toys, gaming equipment, and craft supplies.

    As well as several playrooms, children can access toys in the corridors such as ride along toys and table football. This amazing arrange just shows how the play team recognise that every child needs opportunities for play appropriate to their age, mood, preferences and energy.

    Children who are in long term care or who return frequently for care build beautiful and lifelong friendships with their play team member. They are always visible and enthusiastic, and genuinely love spending time with all ages from tiny babies to near adults and everyone in between.

    Photograph taken by Sheffield Children’s Hospital
  • BBC Radio 4 Appeal

    We are thrilled to share that on Sunday October 22nd at 7:54am and 9:25pm our BBC Radio 4 Appeal will air.

    Click below to hear our presenter Andy explain why he wanted to support Theodora Children’s Charity and record something special for us which you can hear in a couple of weeks.

    During the appeal you will get to hear from a parent Andy; he talks on behalf of both himself and his wife Ellie about their daughter Sarah, who sadly passed away 2 years ago when she was just 8 years old.

    Whilst Sarah was getting treatment for her many problems due to her rare genetic kidney illness at Leeds General Hospital, she got to meet some of our fantastic Giggle Doctors. Ellie told us of the first time they met a Giggle Doctor ‘She (Dr Nic Nac) was just full of slapstick, Sarah laughed and laughed. I loved seeing Sarah loving it, it was great. We had not seen her laugh and be so interactive for a long time…A lot of people just don’t understand the boredom and isolation your children experience in hospital’

     
    Sarah joined Ellie, Andy and their son Dane when they fostered her from one day old, going on to adopt her at three years old. ‘Her name was Sarah Angel, she was an angel on earth. She wasn’t needy, but craved attention and thrived off people’ This is why they have told us that the Giggle Doctors made such a positive impact on both Sarah’s life, but also their whole family.

    To hear more from Andy please tune into BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 22nd October, you can also visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rq4y

    We hope you will listen to this family’s personal account on the lasting impact our fantastic Giggle Doctors can make to the mental health of children in hospital. If you can, please donate what you can to Theodora Children’s Charity via the details found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rq4y

  • Meet Dr Teapot

    How long have you been a Giggle Doctor and what first drew you to the role?

    I’ve been a Giggle Doctor for over ten years, and I was first drawn to the role after seeing the 1999 film Patch Adams. I later got to meet and work with the real Dr Patch Adams in Morocco for two weeks, visiting hospitals, schools and orphanages. 

    The idea that I could use my skills as an actor and entertainer to bring about a real positive change really appealed to me. It is, quite simply, the best job in the world. You might say it’s just my…cup of tea!

    Why do you think play matters in hospital?

    Play in hospitals lets children be children, even where they’re in a strange clinical environment away from home. It allows them to focus on something other than the pain and worry of a hospital stay, and to do what children do best…play!

    Play has transformed so many situations – whether it’s creating a silly story from the toys around a child’s bed, or a whole imaginary world we can fly off to. Play is at the very centre of what we do, it is always child-led and always age appropriate.

    One of the ways play can be most effective is on Day Surgery wards when a child is waiting for an operation. There was a young boy once who was clearly very anxious and upset at the thought of surgery. We created a game with his dinosaurs on his bed making all the wrong noises, and he was able to correct me – which was empowering for him. I’d mispronounce their names and he would correct me too.

    Soon, the dinosaurs began laying eggs (through some sleight of hand) and the eggs kept multiplying which the boy found hilarious. Moments later, the surgeon arrived to take him down to theatre, and he was still giggling away. Had he not experienced this moment, I have no doubt his anxiety would’ve increased as surgery drew nearer but, through the play, there was a roar-some transformation. His parents seemed so grateful too.

    What is the change you most often notice in the children you visit from the moment you arrive to when you leave?

    Giggle Doctor visits often create a very noticeable lift in mood. When we arrive, we can often sense the feelings of worry, or even just boredom from being in hospital so long. Through our specialist skills and training, we can transform the atmosphere and bring a real feeling of joy and fun to the wards. 

    We see physical changes too. Often a nurse will comment that a patient’s vitals have improved during a visit, heart rate has lowered and their willingness to undergo a procedure has increased.    

    Patients and families often seem surprised about the sheer scale of the impact we can have, and it’s lovely to hear the excited chatter and giggles continue when we leave. 

    A Giggle Doctor visit can often be the catalyst to start parents and children communicating with each other too. We may arrive to silent waiting rooms where nobody is talking to each other, but the shared play creates an opportunity for chat and discussion. It’s not very often that people meet a Giggle Doctor (although I wish it was!) and so it’s a real talking point. 

    Just this year, you’ve personally visited around 1000 children. How do you feel, knowing that you’ve made a difference to so many young people during an incredibly challenging time in their lives?

    It’s incredibly rewarding to think about the impact these visits have, not just there and then, but also the prolonged effects of a Giggle Doctor visit. I often see children and families many times, and hear things like ‘Oh, they haven’t stopped talking about when they last saw you…’ which is incredibly humbling. 

    A child’s face lighting up when they see you again is a very special kind of magic. They might request a particular trick or bit of silliness again, and it’s lovely to build on previous visits. With pockets full of silly props and toys, and a brain full of imagination (and jokes!) we’re never short of ways to create giggles.

    Help Dr Teapot bring magical moments to more children in hospital

    Donate
  • The Performers

    Mexican opera singer, Rolando Villazon, joins Dr Mattie on his rounds at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

    To read the article in full please click here

  • Happy Healers

    The Giggle Doctors meet Paul, Lewis and Jordon at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

    To read the article in full click here

  • London to Paris Bike Ride!

     
    Our July 2017 London to Paris Bike Ride is combined with watching the pros race the exhilarating finale of the Tour de France. Choose from two fantastic routes and join an iconic cycling adventure like no other. Spaces are limited so register today to secure your place on the best London to Paris Bike Ride around!
     
    The dates
     
    19th July 2017 – 23rd July 2017 
     
    The Challenge
     
    The London to Paris Bike Ride is an awesome cycling challenge, attracting hundreds of riders each year and raising thousands for charities nationwide. Whether you’re a regular cyclist or new to cycling, looking to participate as part of a group or a solo cyclist – this is the perfect charity cycle event for you.
     
    You’ll spend 4 days in the saddle, cycling 299 miles from capital to capital. The journey begins in London with the route taking you through glorious English countryside as you cycle from Kent to Dover, before crossing the Channel to Dunkirk. Once across the water you start cycling ‘French style’ (remembering to keep to the right!), cycling along quiet French country lanes, through traditional market towns with views of the rolling green hills of northern France, passing the war memorials and cemeteries of the Somme.
     
    A spectacular finish awaits you as you reach the home stretch up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, before reaching the piece de resistance, the Eiffel Tower, which marks the finish line. The days in the saddle may be long but the sense of achievement you’ll feel crossing the finish line soon helps the saddle soreness to wear off!
     
    With a limited number of spaces available don’t miss out – register today!
     
    Costs
     
    Option A – Registration Fee £125 + Min Sponsorship £1500
    Option B – Registration Fee £125 + Self Funding £750
     
     
     
    This event has been organised by Global Adventure Challenges.
  • Newsletter Spring Summer 2013

    In this newsletter we speak to Kerry McCarthy about how the Giggle Doctors helped her daughter Ava.

    “Ava loves seeing the Giggle Doctors when she is in hospital. The Giggle Doctors make her laugh and she loves the balloon animals and bracelets they make (Daddy also loves their jokes!).”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • Newsletter Winter 2013

    “Dr Faffy touched our lives in one single moment with a smile and lots of bubbles.”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • Newsletter Spring / Summer 2014

    “Above all they make the children totally forget, for a short time, the reason they are there.”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • Newsletter Winter 2014

    “Mimi still goes to the hospital in good spirits; not once has she told me she doesn’t want to go. This is thanks to the Theodora Giggle Doctors!”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • Winter Newsletter 2015

    “To see our son, George, smile even momentarily was magical.”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • Autumn / Winter Newsletter 2016

    For a short while they helped us to forget what she was being treated for during her long stay..”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • Ashleigh, Shaun and Matt take on Trekfest

    In June 2013 Ashleigh took part in the Trekfest Brecon Beacon challenge alongside team mates Shaun and Matt. They trekked a massive 27 miles and together raised enough to fund Giggle Doctor visits for 176 children! She said it was an amazing and unforgetable experience that really tested their fitness and determination.

    Why did you decide to take part in Trekfest Ashleigh?

    I really wanted to take part in a challenge to raise money for the Theodora Children’s Charity but I was put off by the cycling and running challenges as I am not the fittest of the bunch and I didn’t think I would be strong enough to complete them. I knew it would take a lot of training to get my fitness up but I felt that walking/trekking would be the most suitable challenge for my current level of fitness. I liked the fact that Trekfest offered the two distances; if you don’t feel that you can do the 54 miles you can still take part in the 27 miles.

    Had you ever done anything like this before?

    No and I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would sign up to something like this! The most walking I have done was during a shopping spree in New York and it doesn’t compare.

    How much training did you do before the weekend?

    I tried to get at least two – three days of training in the gym each week on the treadmill as well as outside hill training at the weekend. The most miles I managed to complete before the trek was 16.5 miles.

    What was the best bit of the whole experience?

    The best part of the experience was the amazing views, and of course crossing the finish line as this was a massive achievement for me as well as the other trekkers. It just goes to show that you really can do anything you want to with a bit of determination!   

    What was the most challenging element?

    The most challenging element was climbing Pen y Fan which is 886m above sea level! My hill training in the lead up to the trek unfortunately didn’t prepare me for this but with the help of my fantastic team I made it to the top. All the trekkers really pulled together to support one another which was lovely; even if you want to enter as an individual rather than a team you won’t be alone.  

    How did you raise your sponsorship?

    We mostly raised our sponsorship by sending our sponsorship link around at work and on Facebook. Every time we completed some training I posted an update or a picture along with our link. We also arranged a cake bake day at work to raise extra funds which proved to be very successful.

    Would you take part in something like this again?

    I would definitely take part in something like this again; it was an unforgettable experience that really tested my fitness and determination. The most important factor is that we received an overwhelming amount of support from everyone and managed to exceed our expectations with the amount of money that we raised for this amazing charity!!

     

    If you think you would like to take on Trekfest in 2014 please click here.

  • Dale gets on his bike for the first ever Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100

    In August 2013 Dale took part in the first ever Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100. He cycled 100 miles in aid of the Theodora Children’s Charity, raising an incredible £1,487, which funded Giggle Doctor visits for 297 children.

    Why did you decide to take part in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100?

    After the atmosphere of the Olympics in 2012, the chance to cycle the Olympic route was too much to turn down, even if it was 100 miles! The fact I got the opportunity to complete the cycle while raising money for the Theodora Children’s Charity made it a no brainer.   

    Had you ever done anything like this before?

    I did the London to Brighton ride a few years ago but this was double the distance!

    How much training did you do before the weekend?

    Not as much as I would have liked to. I cycled most days from home to work (6 miles each way), but never carried out any long distance rides over 20 miles.

    What was the best bit of the whole experience?

    There were a number of best bits for me; the views when reaching the top of the climbs, cycling on the closed streets of London and crossing the finish line. It always amazes me what the human body can achieve. 

    What was the most challenging element?  

    The two big climbs were the most challenging element for me.

    How did you raise your sponsorship?

    I raised sponsorship through sending emails to friends and works colleagues and by making status updates on Facebook.

    Would you take part in something like this again?

    Yes, since completing the cycle I can’t wait to take part in another event and do some more training.

     

    If you think you would like to take on the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 in 2014 please click here.

    Photo courtesy of Prudential RideLondon

  • Our Impact in 2017

    Thanks to your support we were able to achieve so much last year, bringing laughter and smiles to 33,000 children. Here are some of the highlights of the past year:

    Our Impact in 2017
  • International Day of Happiness

    We’re sure you already know all about Giggle Week.

     

    Running from 19 – 25 March, our inaugural Giggle Week is a national campaign to bring even more giggles to sick and disabled children in hospital. Last year, we were able to visit 33,000 poorly children. We want to raise enough money to bring giggles to 43,500 young patients by the end of 2019.

     

    Giggle Week is going to be packed full of fun events and exciting fundraising opportunities like our #GiveAGiggle social media campaign. To help us raise awareness of our work, we want you to share a video of yourself laughing, snickering, or chortling on social media. You can share your videos with us using the hashtags #GiggleWeek and #GiveAGiggle.

    It’s no accident that Giggle Week will coincide with a very special world event that lies close to our own hearts.  On Tuesday 20 March, people all around the world will be celebrating the
    International Day of Happiness

     

    The International Day of Happiness was founded by the United Nations in 2013 as a way of recognising the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

     

    It may sound silly, but in our busy lives we can sometimes forget to make time for what makes us happy. The International Day of Happiness reminds us to make an effort to bring happiness into our lives. It also promotes the importance of incorporating happiness into our culture and organisations.

     

    Since the establishment of the International Day of Happiness, each of the 193 UN member states has made a commitment to putting wellbeing at the heart of government policy. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a “profound shift in attitudes is underway all over the world. People are now recognising that ‘progress’ should be about increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just growing the economy.”

     

    To continue this mission of prioritising wellbeing, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (a UN organisation) publishes the World Happiness Report on 20 March every year. The report provides a detailed look at the state of global happiness, ranking 155 countries by how happy they are.

     

    According to last year’s report, Norway was the happiest country in the world. Switzerland – where Theodora Children’s Charity was founded – is the fifth-happiest country, and the UK the nineteenth-happiest.

     

    With all this focus on happiness and wellbeing, we knew that the week of the International Day of Happiness was the perfect time to host Giggle Week.

     

    Our Giggle Doctors visit poorly children and their families during what can be difficult and stressful times. Spreading just a little bit of laughter among children in hospital can help alleviate feelings of boredom and anxiety. Research has also shown that laughter can help us tolerate pain and provide a boost to the immune system.

     

    In fact, laughing regularly – even when we don’t particularly feel like it – can help us live happier lives, Action For Happiness identifies ten key factors contributing to lasting happiness – including positive emotions and laughter.

     

    As an organisation that promotes feeling good, we’re looking forward to reading this year’s World Happiness Report. Let’s see if your giggles can help the UK can climb a few places in 2018!

     

    If you’re looking for a way to celebrate this International Day of Happiness, perhaps you’d like to take part in our #GiggleWeek campaign and #GiveaGiggle?! As well as sharing your giggle on social media, you could host a bake sale, dress-down-day or even a sponsored something! However you get involved, remember to text HAHA20 to 70070 to donate £3 to Theodora.

     

    Time to get giggling!

     

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  • Spring Newsletter 2018

    Spring 2018 NewsletterTake a look here to find out all about what we have been up to over the last few months. 

     

     

     

     

     

  • Hucknall Rotary brave the Fright Hike

    At the beginning of November, Ian, Neil, Ashley and Phil took part in Fright Hike, a brand new challenge involving a 30km walk through Sherwood Forest in the dark. Not only did Ian and his team have to complete the challenge in less than 6 hours but they had to brave the spooky woods!

     

    Why did you decide to take part in Fright Hike Ian?

    I liked the concept when I saw it and it was relatively local.

    Had you ever done anything like this before?

    I did a 16 mile (flat) walk about 18 months ago.

    How much training did you do before the event?

    I did several walks of 9-12 miles a week.

    What was the best bit of the whole experience?

    The finish!!  It was fantastic knowing that we had succeeded in completing the challenge and raising funds for Theodora Children’s Trust. It was also great working together as a team to get everyone across the finishing line. 

    Were there any surprises?

    I didn’t experience any frights…!

    What was the most challenging element?

    The last four miles were really tough for me personally.

    How did you raise your sponsorship?

    Through Just Giving mostly but we also received some cash pledges from friends.

    Would you take part in something like this again?

    Possibly…haha!!

    What would be your advice to next year’s participants?

    Be part of a team and enjoy…

  • Giggle Doctors at the House of Lords!

    The Lord Speaker got an unexpected case of the giggles at the House of Lords on Bonfire night – Giggle Doctors, that is. The gala evening hosted by Baroness Thornton at Westminster promoted the work the Giggle Doctors do in children’s hospital wards up and down the country.

    The event marked the start of a project to expand the reach of Giggle Doctors beyond hospitals and into hospices, where their unique brand of fun and humour will help to bring joy and laughter to children with terminal illnesses.

     

     

     

  • Giggle Doctors begin visits to Demelza Children’s Hospice

    Wednesday 15th January marked the start of a new chapter for the Theodora Children’s Charity as the Giggle Doctors made a visit to a hospice for the first time.

    Dr Yoho visited the children at Demelza Children’s Hospice in Eltham. Bringing her own unique mix of fun, laughter, silliness and magic, she brightened up the day of the children there.

    The Giggle Doctors will continue to visit Demelza Children’s Hospice every month, increasing the opportunities for children to play and engage in fun activities.

    Kathy Gilbert, Deputy Head of Care at Demelza South East London said:

    “Dr Yo-Ho was great fun. She saw all the children and adapted what she did, depending on who she was working with. She blew up balloons, made silly faces – the kids loved it, there was lots of laughing. We’re very excited about having Dr Yo-Ho visit us at Demelza every month.”

    Demelza offers children, young people and their families the chance to build memories as a family unit. We hope the fun the Giggle Doctors bring will provide additional magical moments for these families to treasure forever.
     

  • Mississippi Challenge 2014

    On the 1st August 2014 Rotarian Ken Robertshaw and former RYLA awardee Grace Alsancak set off to kayak the entire length of the Mississippi River from its source in Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the southern tip of Louisiana where it discharges into the Gulf of Mexico.

    Ken Robertshaw is a 58 year old retired Police Inspector and a member of the Rotary Club of Halifax. This is not his first charity challenge as he has previously driven large lorries across Europe delivering aid to Romania, been involved in delivering aid to a hospital in Tanzania and has driven a dog sled team across the arctic regions of Norway, Finland and Sweden.  As well as supporting the Theodora Children’s Charity he hopes to raise the profile of Rotary International and its members by showing that an ordinary bloke can do things normally associated with athletes and celebrities with support crews and strong financial backing.

    Grace Alsancak is a 22 year old Masters student at Leeds Metropolitan University where she is studying Sports Coaching.  Grace has previously been a student on the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, a course designed to increase leadership potential in young people, and has also been part of an International exchange between the UK and Sweden, organised by Rotary International in the two countries.

    She has previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for charity and undertook the Mississippi challenge to thank Rotary for the opportunities she has had, as well as to support the Theodora Children’s Charity.

  • The Theodora Children’s Charity celebrates 20 years of smiles

    The 12th of April marked the 20th anniversary of the Theodora Children’s Charity.

    The charity was founded by Andre and Jan Poulie back in 1994, in memory of their mother Theodora. As a child Andre spent a lot of time in hospital, but thanks to his mother’s daily bedside visits he remembers the time fondly. In her memory the Poulie brothers wanted to share her legacy of fun and laughter with other children in need.

    Andre Poulie, our Founder and President said:

    “Since our very first visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital, we have had at our heart the aim to give joy to children in hospital. Close to 500,000 children have been given magical and unforgettable moments of laughter. Through the stories and rich imagination of the Giggle Doctors, we have helped children to escape the hospital environment and enter a colourful world filled with humour, music, magic and adventures.”

    Many of the children the Giggle Doctors have visited over the years will today be adults themselves. We hope that they too will look back on their time in hospital with memories of fun and laughter.

    Do you have a memory of being visited by a Theodora Giggle Doctor? Why not share your story on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GiveaGiggle.
     

  • Dr Dotty visits the Liverymen at The Worshipful Company of Butchers

    On the 3rd April 2014 the Theodora Children’s Charity were kindly invited to speak at Butchers’ Hall, home to The Worshipful Company of Butchers.

    The Worshipful Company of Butchers is one of the oldest Livery Companies of the City of London. Each year they generously support the work of a charity and this year, the Theodora Children’s Charity has been chosen.

    The current Master, Ian Kelly, launched a pound per week appeal at the start of the year and has continued to support the work of the charity whole heartedly. On the 22nd May a Gala Dinner is being held to help raise further funds for the Giggle Doctor programme.

    We would like to say a huge thank you for their support.
     

  • Dr Dotty and Dr Yoho meet Global Radio’s Emma Bunton and Jamie Theakston

    In 2014, the Theodora Children’s Charity was lucky enough to receive the support of Global Radio’s Make Some Noise appeal. As part of the appeal, Heart Radio presenters, Emma Bunton and Jamie Theakston went along to Great Ormond Street Hospital to watch Dr Dotty and Dr Yoho on their rounds.

     

     

    During the visit the Giggle Doctors worked their usual magic, helping to bring smiles and laughter to the children on the wards.

    “We saw a young boy called Harry and he was really upset and then you two came along and he had the biggest smile.” commented Emma Bunton.

    We are so grateful for all the support Global Radio have given the charity.

  • Summer Newsletter 2015

    “After their visit Gemma got her fighting spirit and determination back; it had, up until that point, been completely lost.”

    Please click here to view our newsletter in full.

  • The Giggle Doctors are coming to Guernsey!

    Hello and welcome to the ‘We are the Giggle Doctors’ programme!

    Our Giggle Doctors have created a programme of fun of activities especially for the children in Guernsey. Some of you may have met the Giggle Doctors in hospitals in the UK, such as GOSH, the Evelina Children’s Hospital and Southampton Children’s Hospital. 

    Meet Dr Geehee in the video below to find out what’s in store for you as our Giggle Doctors take you on a fun and exciting journey! In your Giggle Doctor box, you’ll find some presents from us including stickers, a poster for your wall, a set of Giggle Doctor postcards and some activity sheets to complete the Giggle Doctor Activities!

    Step 1: Meet the Giggle Doctors

    Meet our mischievous Giggle Doctors in this ‘We are the Giggle Doctors’ video series and see if you can spot any of the Giggle Doctors that appear in your box along the way! The first of five videos is below– click on the video title to watch the other four!

    Step 2: Giggle-a-Gram!

    Now that you’ve met the Giggle Doctors, you can ask an adult to request a very special ‘Giggle-a-Gram’ message especially for you, from one of our Giggle Doctors! Click here to request your Giggle-a-Gram: 

    Step 3: Giggle Doctor Box Activities

    Activity 1: Design your Giggle Doctor Coat!

    Watch Dr Snug’s video below and use the Activity Sheet in your box to create your own Giggle Doctor name and design your own coat.

    Activity 2: Make a Giggle Doctor Treasure Box

    Following along with Dr Yoho’ video below, using the template in your box to make a Treasure Box! You can colour it in when you’ve finished too!

    Activity 3: Sing with Dr Hip Hap

    Learn how to sing a round with Dr Hip Hap  

     

    Activity 4: Take part in the Bubble Challenge

    Using the bubbles in your box, take part in Dr Bananas’s bubble challenge! See if you can beat your friends and family!

    Activity 5: Colour in the Giggle Doctors

    In your box you will find some colouring in sheets with Dr Teapot, Dr Geehee and Dr Whoopee!

    GDs

     

    Step 4: Live Virtual Visit with a Giggle Doctor!

    Our Giggle Doctors are available for a live virtual visit to you using Whatsapp Video Call! An adult can book a time for a Giggle Doctor to video call you here:

     

    Step 5: Check out our other videos!

    Once you have had your Live Virtual Visit with a Giggle Doctor, you can head to our Youtube Channel to explore all of our other Giggle Doctor videos! You can also book more Live Virtual Visits and Giggle-a-Grams if you want to meet more of the Giggle Doctors.

     

    Thank you for taking part in the ‘We are the Giggle Doctors’ programme! We would appreciate any feedback that you have about the experience by completing this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GuernseyProjectParentFeedback

    GDs
  • Equifax’s Three-o-dora Challenge!

    The Three-o-dora challenge!

    Our long term supporters Equifax have created the fun an exciting Three-o-dora challenge, and the idea is that if one of their employees are nominated they need to complete a thing of three! This can be anything of their choosing and be as creative as they like!

    They have three days to complete the challenge, take a photo or video to prove they’ve completed the challenge and nominate three people to take up the challenge.

    Once they have completed the challenge they donate £3 to Theodora Children’s charity. So far, Equifax has managed to raise an incredible £1,507!

    From fancy dress boat parties to running half marathons, we are always amazed at Equifax employees fundraising enthusiasm!

    Sananpreet:  I climbed 3 walls at Rock up with support from my son Aran, who was fearless!

    Sananpreet

     

    Lauren:  I kept my challenge crafty but simple and made 3 face coverings.

    Lauren

     

    Kathryn:  3 hours on 3 days of crafting to create our Halloween tree!

    kathryn

     

    Paula:  I’ve baked 3 Theodora Cupcakes and now I’m going to eat 3 Theodora Cupcakes

    Paula

     

    Mike – 3 different pies for lunch over 3 days

    Mike

     

    Nisha: Deadlift 100kg x3

    Nisha

     

    Damon: 3 different heats of chillies

    Damon

     

    Nyarai: Headscarf in 3 ways

    Nyarai

    A big thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Three-o-dora Challenge, it has been amazing seeing all of the different challenges you have come up with! One of our Giggle Doctors, Dr Flowerpot, also wanted to say hello and thank you to everyone at Equifax!

    logo
    https://www.equifax.co.uk/
  • Giggle Doctors set to prescribe joy to young patients

    Giggle Doctors set to prescribe joy to young patients

    Bailiwick children undergoing hospital treatment or care from the community nurses can now enjoy some highly-popular interactive entertainment in an effort to make their care more comfortable.

    Four Guernsey charities have collectively-funded bringing the unique services of The Giggle Doctors to HSC. The merry band of fictitious physicians, including doctors Hip Hap, Ding Dong and Bananas, will provide a range of online-led activities to children in care from this month.

    It comes ahead of the team from Theodora’s Children’s Charity planning to visit the Princess Elizabeth Hospital next year, having had to postpone a trip this year due to ongoing Covid-related restrictions.

    Theodora’s Giggle Doctors have been visiting children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres nationwide for over 25 years. Combining music, play, magic and storytelling, they bring magical moments to thousands of brave children in challenging times. All undergo extensive training to prepare themselves for performing in a medical environment.

    Dr Fab

     

    Undeterred by the current UK lockdown, the charity has pulled out all the stops to provide bespoke entertainment to Guernsey children now via virtual means, before being able to visit in person.

    Theodora Children’s Charity co-founder André Poulie said: ‘I am particularly proud and honored to collaborate with the dedicated team of healthcare professionals in Guernsey.’  Mr Poulie and his brother Jan founded the charity in their mother Theodora’s memory after she passed away in 1994. They were inspired by the lengths she went to to lift Andre’s spirits while he underwent prolonged treatment in intensive care as a child following a severe accident. During her daily visits she entertained him with a world of stories and adventures. The charity in her name has since brought the same therapeutic benefits of joy and laughter to more than 500,000 children in care.

    Mr Poulie added: ‘I am so pleased, in this period of increased isolation and anxiety, to modestly offer a world of adventures and moments of joy to children in Guernsey. We are very thankful for the generous support which has enabled this to happen. Today, we initiate a virtual program which we shall in due course expand with the real and long lasting visits of our Giggle doctors.’

    Dr Easy peasy

     

    The partnership with the Giggle Doctors will see 100 activity packs made available to young children in the PEH and those receiving care in their own homes.

    The boxes are filled with lots of exciting and interactive games that the children complete with guidance from online videos featuring the Giggle Doctors. Once they have completed all the activities, children will then receive a personal video call from one of them.

    “My daughter was in hospital following her transplant and really enjoyed her call with Dr Easy Peasy, she was in hysterics and gave them a run for their money too! Laughter and play in hospitals is an essential part of treatment. Well done Giggle Doctors!” – A Parent

    President for the Committee for Health and Social Care, Deputy Al Brouard, said it was a wonderful initiative which epitomised the Partnership of Purpose approach.

    ‘We are lucky with the quality of healthcare we have in Guernsey, but undergoing treatment is always going have its challenges, whatever the person’s age. Anything we can do to make it more comfortable is very welcomed. The Giggle Doctors have a fantastically-fun track record in brightening up children’s healthcare with moments of joy and laughter.

    ‘The Partnership of Purpose is all about the public, private and third sector working together to transform health and care services. This is one of many great examples of that in action.’

    The local charities which have made this possible are Ernie’s Angels, Friends of Frossard Children’s Ward, Dizzy Donkey and Jake’s Heartfelt Fund. Kind support has also been received by Investec and Guernsey Tennis Club as well as by the family and friends of Mrs Jane Sweet.

     

    On Friday 20th November, Andre Poulie was interviewed by James Rabey of BBC Radio Guernsey to discuss our exciting ‘We are the Giggle Doctors’ virtual programme! 

    Click here to listen to Andre speak from 1:35:31 – 1:44:03!

     

     

    GDs
  • Its Junior January!

     

    What is a Junior Giggle Doctor?

    ‘Junior Giggle Doctors’ are new members of our team that have recently completed their Giggle Doctor training year.

    There are 10 Junior Giggle Doctors, based across England. We have 10 hospitals that support us with our training programme by allowing trainees to develop their skills at their site, accompanied by an experienced Giggle Doctor.

    Our current cohort started training with Theodora in Autumn 2018, and became Junior Giggle Doctors in December 2019.

    What does it take to become a Junior Giggle Doctor?

    Theodora only recruits for the training programme every 4-5 years. When we last recruited, we had well over 100 applicants and so it is very competitive!

    All new recruits have experience working with children and have a background in the arts, such as theatre, magic, music or clowning.

    The training year is made up of artistic modules as well as essential training for working in the hospital environment. This includes safeguarding, infection control, the hospital environment and play in hospitals.

    As well as the training modules, all trainees complete a minimum of 12 visits to different hospitals to put the learning into action, working with an experienced Giggle Doctor, to develop their own Giggle Doctor style and practice.

    After several observations from our Giggle Doctor Artistic Coordinators, the trainees graduate to become Junior Giggle Doctors.

    Junior Giggle Doctors

     

    What are the Junior Giggle Doctor’s names?

    Not all of our Junior Giggle Doctors have decided on their Giggle Doctor names yet. Throughout their training, they can experiment with different names as they develop their character. Once they have decided on their name, they will also design their own special Giggle Doctor coat.

    What’s next for the Junior Giggle Doctors?

    At the moment, all Giggle Doctors are still unable to visit hospitals due to Covid19 and so our Junior Giggle Doctors are eagerly awaiting to get back on to the wards. As soon as it is safe to do so, our Juniors will continue building on their Giggle Doctor journey until they have gained enough experience to become Senior Giggle Doctors and visit hospitals independently!

  • Meet the Junior Giggle Doctors!

    Meet Dr Gubbins

    Did you know that Dr Gubbins is a champion napper and once represented the UK as part of the Olympic Napping Team… unfortunately she fell asleep on the way to the stadium and missed her event, but she had a splendid time meeting all the people that lived nearby! Or that recently Dr Gubbins has been building holiday homes for mice, made out of milk bottles!

    “My journey so far has been an exciting, nourishing, creative experience. There’s been so much learning, playfulness and support in my Giggle Doctor journey so far; and what an honour it is to be part of this joyful, vibrant and experienced team creating opportunities for laughter and smiles. I can’t wait to get back onto the wards and play again!” – Tess , Dr Gubbins

    Meet Dr Cowpat

    Dr Cowpat is half cow, half Patrick, and his favourite food is green. He is fairy intolerant, he can’t eat fairies!

    “What I’ve really loved about the process of training to be a Giggle Doctor is becoming a part of this amazing group of people who are so kind, thoughtful, supportive and downright talented. Finding this organisation where clowning and being playful are valued and are used to help create positive change really helped me; I had been worrying that clowning was frivolous, and now I know that the core skills of clowning, being playful, authentic, and listening to those around you, are vital to creating change in the world.” – Charlie, Dr Cowpat

    Meet Dr Mish Mash

    Did you know that Dr Mish Mash’s favourite colour is rainbow?? Or that her pockets are filled with magic and mischief that can take us to many different worlds?

    “I love my work as a Giggle Doctor, meeting children and families, hearing them still laughing or playing a game as you walk to down the corridor. What is super special about this work is that we are part of a community of really incredible artists and families who play in bold, beautiful and ridiculous ways. They are a joy to work with and not only make me a better Giggle Doctor but a better human being.” – Trina, Dr Mish Mash 

    Meet Dr Scribble

    One time Dr Scribble managed to juggle 3 ice creams! It was the coldest and tastiest thing they’ve ever juggled!

    “The part that I’ve enjoyed the most so far is having a job where it feels like all my past work or experiences really add together, everything I’ve done before has had an element of usefulness towards this job. I suppose it feels as though I’ve found a job that I feel capable and ready for, in my own way, and I’m able to have variety in everything I do each shift I work.” – Rosie, Dr Scribble

     

    Meet Dr Hunky Dory

    Did you know that Dr Hunky Dory loves to sing? Here he is with a song to start off the week with a smile, and featuring a special guest singing along!

    Meet Dr Fancy Pants

    Dr Fancy Pants once won a prize for pulling funny faces…the prize was a glow in the dark tooth brush…she doesn’t still have the tooth brush (it’s good to change them regularly don’t you know) but she does love to challenge people she meets to a funny face pulling competition!

    “Something that I really enjoy as a Giggle Doctor is finding time to have a bit of music and a sing song. Sometimes I like to play silly songs but I also like to sing very soft, quiet, relaxing songs especially when I meet someone who wants to have a rest. Sometimes my songs don’t even have any words and those are the best ones of all because then everyone can join in together.” – Emily, Dr Fancy Pants 

    Meet Dr Boogie Woogie

    Did you know that Dr Boogie Woogie is the only person in the world who knows what noise a giraffe makes?

    “Becoming a Giggle Doctor was one of the most rigorous processes I have been through, the people I met on the other side are some of the most skilled committed practitioners I have ever worked with. I feel like I am part of a beautiful, ridiculous gang. I have enjoyed seeing the enormous impact our presence can have in a medical setting, I have enjoyed the challenges this brings but most of all I have been blown away by the unwavering enthusiasm and creativity of the children and staff.” – Natalie, Dr Boogie Woogie 

  • Meet the Artistic Coordinators

    Meet Dr Flowerpot

    Dr Flowerpot

    How long have you been a Giggle Doctor?

    I have been a Giggle Doctor since 2011 so 11 years. I visit, Nottingham Queens Medical centre, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospitals.

    What is an Artistic Coordinator?

    Being an Artistic Coordinator is a shared post with Dr Easy Peasy to help support good practice and the training needs of the whole team. We advise and work with the Junior Giggle Doctors during their 2 year training, and help them develop in all areas of the work. We also offer support to the senior Giggle Doctor team. We are always available to anyone who needs help, by phone or in person. We are also the bridge between the charity office and the artists. We also meet with the other Theodora Artistic Coordinators in different countries to learn from one another and bring back new ideas to the UK Giggle Doctors. 

    What is a special memory that stands out in your time as being a Giggle Doctor?

    Whilst it is a sad memory, it is one I look back on fondly. I visited a young child in a side room, when I arrived they looked very small, just a head above the sheet. His father was sat beside his bed reading a paper, Mum was tinkering with belongings, he looked so sad, and low in energy!

    I asked if I could enter, and was invited in. I made a huge mess of trying to get my apron and gloves on, then bounced off the door, and generally causing havoc trying to get in the room. The little boy started to smile, then giggle! Once I’d made my way in we sat with the silliness a while. I tried to blow bubbles failing, which made the child giggle, and sit up! His mum picked up their Ipad and started filming him.

    His father abruptly put down his paper and left the room. I felt a little guilty as I assumed I’d disturbed his peace, but continued with the bubbles and light slapstick play, to lovely sounds of laughter and silly noises. The young boy had a wonderful time, but I was very aware of his fragile state and didn’t want to wear him out! I blew my last few bubbles with a double flourish, one bubble inside another, the joy from the patient and parent was so beautiful! I said my goodbyes and attempted to leave as I’d arrived, making a hash of using a door! More giggles and much appreciation was given.

    Later in the shift I met the boy’s father in a corridor. He apologised for leaving, and explained that he hadn’t seen his child smile let alone laugh in months. He’d become overwhelmed and had needed to leave in haste as the tears came. I felt so pleased, yet such sadness for them and was glad to have been able to make such a difference.

    And lucky that the mum thought to video the interaction for their own memories.

    The little one passed away two weeks later.

    Meet Dr Easy Peasy

    Dr Easy Peasy

    How long have you been a Giggle Doctor?

    I have been Dr Easy Peasy since 2013. I visit Great Ormond Street, St George’s, Evelina, The Royal Marsden, The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, Southampton, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Addenbrooke’s, Young Epilepsy, Nottingham and Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Visiting so many care centres I manage to work with every active Giggle Doctor on the team, which is an absolute joy, and I learn so much from the different ways my colleagues work and play.

    What is an Artistic Coordinator?

    As co-Artistic Coordinator I help train new Giggle Doctors, and support them through their journey from Trainee to Junior to Senior. I arrange Progress Visits for newer Giggle Doctors as well as Development Visits for Seniors, where I am an outside eye, offering suggestions and encouragement. I am privileged to witness the many interactions I observe, and I then try to pass on new ideas and best practice, something I also do after attending international meetings with my colleagues from other countries. 

    I also liaise between the Giggle Doctors and the Giggle Doctor Programme team about our work. I ask the Giggle Doctors about their needs and try to organise training that is both skill-based and supportive. For example, we organised slapstick and improvisation workshops alongside a facilitated conversation about Giggle Doctoring and child mental health.

    I’m also on the end of the phone if anyone needs a chat.

    What is a special memory that stands out in your time as being a Giggle Doctor?

    The very first time I observed a Senior Giggle Doctor on a Development Visit I was in awe of the skills Giggle Doctors have, and the benefits of the work we do. Each interaction was personalised to the age, abilities and temperament of the child, and the Giggle Doctor attuned perfectly each time, creating fun, laughter, and magical connections wherever they went. It’s not always possible to get the big picture when in costume, so I was grateful to experience the full effects of our work from an outside perspective. 

     

    Dr Easy Peasy

  • Play in Hospital Week 2015

    The 28th September is the start of Play in Hospital Week 2015. The Theodora Children’s Charity will be shining the spotlight on the quirky antics that the Giggle Doctors use to put big beaming smiles on poorly children’s faces, all in an attempt to raise awareness of the importance play-time and recreation can have on the wellbeing of sick children. 
     
    A stay in hospital can be a gloomy time for a child, isolated not only from the comfort of their homes and their own bed, but also from their school-friends and family. Deprived of appropriate interactive play-time, the wellbeing of children may suffer. 
     
    Play in Hospital Week, spearheaded every year by the National Association of Health Play Specialists, highlights how vital play can be for children recovering in hospital. The Theodora Children’s Charity is playing its part by continuing to send the wonderful Giggle Doctors to locations all around the country to cheer up hospitalized youngsters. 
     
    We will be posting videos and photos every day for the rest of the week. Make sure you take a look at facebook.com/GiveaGiggle and twitter.com/GiveaGiggle to see how we’ve been getting involved.
     
  • Giggle Doctors on the trains…

    Some fantastic news – the Theodora Children’s Charity will be launching a train poster campaign in August. The poster, featuring Dr Bungee, will be displayed on trains across the south east network from the 10th August. We’re hoping the campaign will help us to generate awareness of our programme and raise many more much needed donations.
     
    A very special thank you to Zeal Creative for helping us to put together such a fabulous poster.
     
  • Who was Theodora?

    Many charities have a heart-warming backstory that inspires their vision and mission, and the Theodora Children’s Charity is no exception. The charity was set up in memory of Theodora Poulie, the mother of Founders, André and Jan Poulie. When André was young he was involved in a serious accident and spent months in hospital away from his friends and loved ones. His mother came to visit him every day and it is her warmth that he remembers most from that time. When Theodora sadly passed away, André and Jan decided to create a charity to bring the same feelings of joy to children in hospital for generations to come, as well as creating the concept that would make this mission a reality – the Giggle Doctors.
     
    “Theodora means ‘gift of the God’. For my brother and me it was the name of our mother. From the very first minute of our lives until the last minutes of Theodora’s life, she gave us love. She was a positive, open minded and welcoming person. This joyful energy that she shared with everyone helped us go through the difficult and sometimes very hard times we have been confronted with during our lives, like my terrible accident when I was 10 years old. Over a period of 2 years, I spent close to 6 months in hospital and underwent 14 surgeries. Pain was my companion. Theodora’s daily visits were moments of absolute joy. She always had funny stories for me and adventures to share and these would enable me to escape from the hospital bed to a colourful world. Today, these are the memories that remain from my hospital stays. Theodora was a courageous person. She helped us cope with our father’s death a few years later and took care of him at our home until the end. Ten years later, she herself had cancer and we decided to unite and fight it together. Alas, again, the issue was sombre but nevertheless, Theodora’s attitude and joy for life shed light on us. As was the case with our father, she helped us cope, she gave us courage and even managed to keep her sense of humour alive. I believe this explains why it was clear for my brother and me that the charity we would create in memory of our parents would bear the name Theodora. It is also why we decided to focus on children faced with lengthy hospital stays, offering them joy and magical moments.”
    André Poulie, Founder
     
    In 1994 André and Jan set up the Theodora Children’s Charity and sent two Giggle Doctors to visit the wards at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Since then, the charity has grown and grown, with 25 Giggle Doctors now visiting hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres across England. Today the charity reaches out to more than 30,000 children each year, all in the memory of a very special mother, Theodora.
     
  • Coffee cup sticker week

    The Theodora Children’s Charity recently completed its very first coffee cup sticker week, between the 14th and 18th September. During the week we approached coffee shops local to our London office and asked them to put our stickers on their takeaway cups. The aim of the project was to raise awareness of our cause, as well as gather small donations. Several shops in the Islington and Aldgate area signed up to the scheme, including Exmouth Coffee Company, Briki, and Brill. A HUGE thank you to them!
     
    We are really grateful to all the companies that took part. Thanks to them more people now know of the impact our 25 Giggle Doctors have, helping children across England’s hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres. 
     
    If you wish to get involved there is still time to get our stickers and flyers for your shop. Send us an email on theodora.uk@theodora.org or give us a call on 0207 713 0044.
  • Christmas Community Collection Crusade

    Our second Community Collection Crusade of 2016 will be happening on the week of the 21st to the 27th November. With the festive season fast approaching why not gift your time to Theodora. We’re looking for people to get into the giving spirit, get creative, have some fun and help raise some vitally needed funds for the Theodora Children’s Charity. 
     
    Need some inspiration? Pop on your Santa hat and…
     
    • Wrap Christmas presents at the local shopping centre
    • Organise a collection at the train station
    • Pack bags at your local supermarket
    • Suggest a Christmas-themed dress down day at work or school
    • Organise a festive cake sale 
    • Put on a quiz night 
    • Sell our Christmas cards at your workplace
    • Host a dinner party
    • Organise a raffle or a collection at your Christmas party

     

  • Spring Community Collection Crusade

     
     
     
    Our first Community Collection Crusade of 2016 will be happening on the week of the 6th to the 12th of June. With summer fast approaching why not head outside, get creative, have some fun and help raise some vitally needed funds for the Theodora Children’s Charity. 
     
    Need some inspiration? Pop on your sunglasses and:
     
    Organise a charity car wash
    Host a teddy bear’s picnic
    Organise an afternoon tea or cake sale
    Pack bags at your local supermarket
    Organise a raffle or a collection
    Put on a sports day
    Suggest a summer-themed dress down day at work or school
    Put on a quiz night
    Organise a collection at the train station
     
  • Giggle Doctor visits increase in Leeds and Bath

    We are very excited to announce that we will be increasing the amount of Giggle Doctor visits to the Royal United Hospital in Bath and at Leeds General Infirmary from January 2016.
     
    Thanks to funding from trusts, companies and the local community, these much anticipated monthly visits will now become a weekly occurrence.
     
    Neoma Jacobs, a Play Leader at Leeds General says “The Giggle Doctor visits bring lots of joy and laughter, not only to the children but to parents and staff within the hospital. We are truly delighted that the visits have been increased from once a month to once a week as it means they have more opportunity to visits wards more regularly and visit more areas. During their visits they are able to make children relax and feel happy, taking their mind away from the hospital environment they are in and creating smiles which parents treasure. We feel very fortunate that they are able to visit the Leeds Children’s Hospital and always look forward to their visits.”
     
    The RUH has two Play Specialists, Jo Gardiner and Linda Powell, who work alongside other healthcare professionals, organising daily play and activities on the children’s ward or at the bedside to help children master and cope with fears and anxieties. 
     
    Linda says “We are delighted that Dr Ding Dong is now able to visit us on a more regular basis, she has an amazing way with both children and their families; her skilful mixture of magic, jokes, warmth and sensitivity puts everyone at ease.  A visit from the Giggle Doctor is always a very welcome distraction.”
     
    To continue spreading smiles at Leeds General Infirmary and the Royal United Hospital, the Theodora Children’s Charity relies on donations and support from the local community. If you would like to make a donation or find out more about how you, your workplace or your school could get involved then please do get in touch by emailing theodora.uk@theodora.org or by calling 020 7713 0044
     
  • Christmas Card Competition

    The Theodora Children’s Charity Christmas Card Competition is now open!
     
    We are asking children to grab their pens and pencils and get creative. Your design could become one of the Theodora Christmas cards for winter 2017.  
     
    We are looking for an A6 design (105 x 148mm) that has an association with the festive period. It would also be fantastic if it could relate to the Theodora Children’s Charity…although this is not essential.
     
    How to enter: Please send designs to us by email or by post. Please ensure you label each design with the name, address and date of birth of the artist. Please also include the name of the school taking part, if applicable. 
     
    By email: Entries sent electronically must come to us as a PDF, JPEG, Tiff or EPS file. All images need to be 300dpi at the size of the card. Please send these to theodora.uk@theodora.org and include ‘Christmas card competition’ in the subject field.
     
    By post: Please send entries to Christmas Card Competition, The Theodora Children’s Charity, 40 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9HF.
     
    All entries must be received by 1st April 2017.
     
    The winning design will be used in our 2017 Christmas card collection. We will send the winner a framed image of their entry and a pack of the winning card design.
     
    For more information on the Christmas Card competition please email theodora.uk@theodora.org
     
    By submitting your entry to us you are agreeing to the Theodora Children’s Charity using the picture in our 2017 Christmas card collection. We will use this to raise funds for the Theodora Children’s Charity. In return we will send you your entry framed and a pack of your winning Christmas cards. It is our decision whether to use any artwork and we may select more than one entry. 
     
    Competition Rules
     
    1. Entries to this competition will be accepted via email and post.
    2. Entry to the competition is restricted to one entry per person.
    3. Entries to the competition will be accepted from children up to 16 years of age. Written permission from a parent or guardian will be required to confirm acceptance of the prize and agreement to post-promotion publicity.
    4. Prize can only be sent to a valid UK mainland address unless otherwise stated.
    5. The winner(s) will be chosen by the Theodora judging team as the best entry for a Theodora Children’s Charity Christmas card.
    6. The winner will be contacted via email or post. The winner’s name will be displayed on our website and on the cards when printed. 
    7. The Judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
    8. The competition will run until 5.00pm on 1st April 2017.
     
  • Our BBC Radio 4 Appeal

     

     

     
    On the 26th and 30th June 2016 the Theodora Children’s Charity broadcast an appeal on BBC Radio 4. Presenter Kerry McCarthy shared how the Giggle Doctors made a difference to her daughter Ava. We’re delighted to announce that more than £10,313 was raised for our Giggle Doctor programme… that’s visits for more than 1,000 children!! Thank you so much to everyone who tuned in and to Kerry for sharing her Giggle Doctor experience.
     
     

     

     

    “Dr Bananas will always have a special place in our hearts, as he was the first Giggle Doctor Ava ever saw. He peered his head through Ava’s window in Great Ormond Street Hospital at the perfect time to give some light hearted relief to Ava, and without knowing, was an amazing tower of strength to mummy when it was most needed.”
     
    Ava, the little girl featured in the appeal, was just 2 year’s old when she was diagnosed with a form of kidney cancer. Now aged 6, Ava is doing well and occasionally visiting the hospital for check-ups. She always looks forward to seeing the Giggle Doctors. 
     
    Ava is one of more than half a million children who have been visited by the Theodora Children’s Charity since it was founded in 1994.
     
    One day we hope to be able to provide magical moments for all children in hospital and it is thanks to your support and opportunities like the Radio 4 appeal that we are moving ever closer to this goal. 
     
  • The Candis Big Give Christmas Challenge 2017

     
    Donate to the Theodora Children’s Charity via theBigGive.org.uk from 12 noon Tuesday 28th November – 12 noon Tuesday 5th December 2017 and your donation will be doubled!                                                
     
    We’re very excited to share the news that the Theodora Children’s Charity has been selected to participate in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2017, the UK’s largest match funding campaign. A HUGE thank you to Candis for choosing to support Theodora as our charity champion this year. Since the Big Give launched the campaign in 2008, the Christmas Challenge has raised over £71 million for more than 2,500 charity projects. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to raise money and build awareness of our work.
     
    What happens during the Christmas Challenge?
     
    Any donation (up to a maximum of £5,000) made via the Big Give website from 12 noon Tuesday 28th November – 12 noon Tuesday 5th December 2017 has the opportunity to be doubled!
     
    Online donations will kindly be doubled by our key supporters and the Big Give’s philanthropic partner, Candis. We will only be able to double donations while our match funds last, so please make sure you donate as soon as possible after 12 noon on Tuesday 29th November as possible.
     
    If you would like to support our work this year, we highly recommend donating on one of these days, when your donation can be doubled and make even more of a difference to children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres.
     
    How to donate:
     
    Where? Online at theBigGive.org.uk
     
    How does it work? Go to our Big Give page at 12 noon on Tuesday 28th November. There will be a clear message to indicate the Challenge has started. Follow the steps and you can donate up to £5,000. If you start the donation process before 12pm and pre-fill the donation form, your donation will not be matched. If available, matching funds will be reserved for 10 minutes whilst you donate.
     
    What can you do now?
    • Add a reminder to your calendar for the 28th November –  including a link to the Big Give website: https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/donation/to/1293/7537/
    • Make sure you have your  card details ready when you make your donation.
     
    We are very excited to be taking part in the Christmas Challenge, having been selected from a much larger group of charity applicants. We really hope we’ll be able to maximise this opportunity and hit our target by raising as many online donations as possible.
     
    Please do spread the word to anyone who would be interested in supporting our work.
     
    Thank you so much for your support.

     

  • Candis Magazine – our BIG GIVE champion

    In December 2015 the Theodora Children’s Charity took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge. Donations made online during the challenge were doubled by pledgers and charity champions. Candis Magazine was our Charity Champion in 2015…and what a champion they were. Candis provided the charity with £20,000 of matched funding. Thanks to their kind gift we were able to raise an incredible £83,452 from the challenge. That’s Giggle Doctor visits for more than 8,000 children! That’s a LOT of smiles!

    To read more about Candis and the work they helped to fund please click here. In this article Ruth Larthwell shares how the Giggle Doctors made a difference to her son George when he was in hospital.

    Thank you to everyone who took part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge in 2015.

  • Nicest Job in Britain meets Dr Bungee!

    We can’t think of a nicer job than the one that Alice Biggar holds at (the rather aptly named) Nicest Job in Britain. The Nicest Job in Britain takes on the incredible challenge of working with 40 different charities in one year, helping them to carry out their important work and to tell their story using their video blog. 
     
    Theodora Children’s Charity were lucky enough to be chosen as one of the Nicest Job in Britain’s charities. In December Alice met our very own Dr Bungee as he cheered up the poorly children at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. She spoke to parents, children and hospital staff and witnessed some top notch giggling all round! 
     
    We’ve included Alice’s story from her afternoon with the Giggle Doctors below. You can view the original blog here.    
     
    Some say that laughter is the best medicine and the Giggle Doctors are really quite remarkable… 
     
    “During my time at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital I had the pleasure of accompanying Dr Bungee on the wards. Dr Bungee is not a regular doctor, he is in fact a doctor of giggles. A Giggle Doctor, whose job it is to give the gift of laughter to sick and disabled children (and I thought I had the nicest job!). The Giggle Doctors are provided to hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres by Theodora Children’s Charity. Our guitar playing in the corridor even meant we got Manchester’s lead Nurse, Walter Tann, joining in on the fun!
     
    …a welcome reprieve from the monotony of hospital living.
     
    From the moment Dr Bungee came bouncing into the ward you could see the children’s faces light up in excitement. Some children were a little more shy and hesitant to interact at first but Dr Bungee knew just what to say to get each child laughing and relaxing. At one stage Dr Bungee had a little boy called Nicholas, his mother and I in uncontrollable fits of laughter at some of his tricks and the way he kept referring to me as his grandmother! The impact the Giggle Doctor visits make are apparent not only in the reactions of the children but their families as well, providing a welcome reprieve from the monotony of hospital living.
     
    Some say that laughter is the best medicine and the Giggle Doctors are really quite remarkable, bringing a little laughter, fun and bubbles to children in a world of wires and continuous beeps.
     
    Best wishes
     
    Alice x”
     
    Quotes from Hospital staff and parents:
     
    “[Play] helps children to develop and learn and it is fun. It is an essential part of healthcare.” – Hospital Staff
     
    “They are trained to the sensitive needs of the patients, understand infection control, health and safety etc as well as bringing fun to all” – Hospital Staff
     
    “My daughter’s been in hospital several times and always asks “when are the Giggle Doctors coming?” – A Parent
     
    “I like all the times I see them. They are funny and one has a bucket over his sock!” – A Young Patient
     
  • Dr Jammi – Proud to Work in Healthcare

    Jamie Wood AKA Dr Jammi features in an article written by Proud to Work in Healthcare. In it, he describes his journey as a Giggle Doctor and the magical experiences with the children he meets, as he helps to bring laughter to children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care… 

    Why am I Proud to Work in Healthcare?

    Even after all these years, I still feel nervous the night before going to work. I don’t know who I’m going to meet, what I’m going to do or what I might see. I go into extremely fragile worlds and I don’t want to be clumsy or cause any harm. The only thing I’m certain of is that I will be very moved and learn something new.
     
    I am a Giggle Doctor for the Theodora Children’s Charity. We’re trained performers who visit children in hospital and try to provide them with a little fun and respite from the unpleasantness of being ill and stuck on a ward. Our job is to listen to, encourage and entertain the children and their families, and provide a space for them to explore their imaginative powers.
     
    I  I really do work with some extraordinary people and we learn a huge amount from each other.  I
     
    I graduated from Giggle School in 2006. I had no idea what to expect when I first started, and to be honest I came into it a little arrogantly. Having studied Fine Art and Theatre and had in my mind that I was going to make serious theatre I didn’t really feel that being a Giggle Doctor fitted with my self-image, but in time it blew me away.
     
    The two-year training programme balances practical needs – such as hygiene, infection control and safeguarding – with performance skills, and it starts with observing an experienced Giggle Doctor at work, which I found an incredible thing to witness. I was shocked to see how the doctors could engage and then play with all the children even though they started in such different emotional places. I remember wondering how they could make it look so easy! I really do work with some extraordinary people and we learn a huge amount from each other.
     
    One of my colleagues is a mindfulness instructor and taught me about accepting the child’s emotional state before trying to play with them. I remember going to Great Ormond Street Hospital with another colleague, Dr Bananas, and visiting a girl who was missing her mum. She was really upset and had no interest in playing, so I suggested that she wrote her mum a letter. I got a postcard and she dictated the most beautiful message, in which she told her mum how much she loved her, how she looked forward to her visits and how happy she felt when she saw her mum’s face. Dr Bananas and I were on the verge of tears. When she had finished we asked her what we should do now. “Let’s go on holiday!” she cried, and very shortly we were pretending to swim at a beach in Spain. Writing the letter had acknowledged and dealt with her homesickness and allowed her to move on from it.
     
    Some children who don’t play immediately are simply shy. With them, I start playing on my own, talking to my puppets, playing with their toys or making a tune with my ukulele. The child is an observer, seeing that it is a safe and friendly environment. As soon as they respond in some way, with a smile or a little chuckle, I gently involve them with the game. Usually by the end they are joining in enthusiastically and we can help them create their own imaginative games. Really we are facilitators in play; our job is to open up the possibility of playing, issue an invitation to play and then follow where the child wants to go! Each Giggle Doctor does this differently and part of our training is developing our costume and character. This doesn’t stop when we qualify and we’re constantly tinkering with our ‘act’. In fact, I think about it all the time; I just find it so interesting.
     
    I  It’s amazing to see the difference that we make to the children and we hear some wonderful things from their families.  I
     
    It has changed my stage work. I used to make theatre for the art world, but since becoming a Giggle Doctor I have wanted my productions to be for everyone. Now I try to cross into the audience’s worlds, just how I have to in hospital with patients and their families..
     
    One of the challenges in this is connecting with children of all ages. You just have to work out what the person needs at that time and communicate to them, “It’s all OK. For this moment, I can handle whatever you have for me.” I went into a ward once and met a 16-year-old girl, who was looking very anxious and immediately asked me if I’d ever had an operation. “No,” I replied, “but my mum has.” She asked me if my mum had been any different afterwards – she was worried that having surgery would change her forever in some way. I reassured her and told her about my mum, who had emerged from the operation exactly the same person she had been before (minus the problem), and my new friend seemed a lot more relaxed.
     
    Some of the best interactions come when I can involve a doctor or nurse in the play. I find it really changes the relationship between the family and the staff. They’re generally very happy to join in, or leave us to play and come back to see the child later, although we always offer to make way for them if they do interrupt us. We’re most effective when the staff see us as part of the team for making the kids feel better.
     
    I feel so humbled by the job. It’s amazing to see the difference that we make to the children and we hear some wonderful things from their families. We uncover hidden talents, get children moving and singing for the first time in months, and most importantly we give them some time where people aren’t focusing on their illness.
     
  • Giggle Week

    To celebrate International Day of Happiness on 20th March, University Hospital Lewisham celebrated their very own Giggle Week. The purpose was to highlight their Giggle Doctor programme and the smiles that have been made possible since 2013. 
     
    Each year Giggle Doctors like Dr Snug, Dr Whooppie and Dr Dotty visit over 600 poorly children at University Hospital Lewisham each year. The Giggle Doctors are a valuable part of the incredible care team at the hospital and love visiting the children and their families to offer smiles and laughter during difficult times. 
     
    We are so touched that the hospital decided to celebrate Giggle Week and grateful for their support. Many thanks go to everyone who helped to organise this event and who took part to make it such a success.
     
    Sharon Justice, Senior Play Specialist at University Hospital Lewisham: 
    “The Giggle Doctors are fantastic. They give the children, and their families, such a lift. It’s great to see them all having fun and it really helps take the kid’s minds off being in hospital and brightens their day. It’s also a great example of how the Trust use our charitable funds and we’d like to thank everyone who contributes towards such a positive experience for our patients”.
     
  • Giggle Doctors feature on CBeebies Radio!

    We are very excited to announce that our very own Dr Flower Pot and Dr Easy Peasy are featuring on a CBeebies Radio show! 
     
    Hospital Heroes is a show presented by Angharad, who wants to show children that hospitals don’t have to be scary. In fact, they can sometimes be really fun, especially when the Play Team and Giggle Doctors are about! On her recent visit to Nottingham Children’s Hospital, she met Dr Flower Pot and Dr Easy Peasy and, as you can imagine, there was lots of fun and laughter! 
     
    From a hilarious ‘joke-off’ to talking about how laughter (and hugs) is the best medicine in hospitals, this show is definitely worth listening to. You can hear it on BBC iPlayer here or on the CBeebies Radio website here. Happy listening!
     
    You can hear the full Giggle Doctor meeting from 10:34 onwards.   
     
  • Our exciting new partnership with The Worshipful Company of Butchers!

    We are very excited to announce that The Worshipful Company of Butchers will be supporting the Theodora Children’s Charity over the next three years. This exciting partnership will give over 6,000 sick and disabled children magical Giggle Doctor moments in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres across the country.
    The Company is highly active within the City of London and the meat industry, taking part in The Lord Mayor’s Show Day every November and running competitions, courses and apprenticeships within the industry. They not only work hard to facilitate skills within the butchery trade, but spend a lot of time and energy helping a large variety of charitable causes. 
     
     
    The Company has supported the Theodora Children’s Charity for a number of years and has made a huge difference for so many children. Ian Kelly was kind enough to choose the Theodora Children’s Charity as his nominated charity during his year as Master in 2013/2014 and since then The Company and its members have continued to offer their support. Several of our Giggle Doctors even attended their Gala Dinner! 
     
    We are thrilled to be chosen to receive their support over the next three years and so grateful for the thousands of smiles made possible for children during difficult times. 
     
    You can visit The Worshipful Company of Butcher’s website here.
     
     
  • Giggle Doctors feature in The Adviser!

    We are very excited to announce that an article about the Giggle Doctors has been published in Addenbrooke’s Hospital’s magazine The Adviser!

     
    The Adviser (ADenbrookes Volunteers Information & Events Review) features information about volunteering events and fun experiences taking place throughout Addenbrooke’s Hospital. 
     
    We’ve been visiting the children at Addenbrooke’s Hospital for 17 years and last year gave giggles to over 2,700 sick and disabled children. One of the Giggle Doctors that visits Addenbrooke’s is Dr Dotty and she describes her experiences and why play is so important:
     
    “Being a Giggle Doctor is such a privilege. I meet so many wonderful children and their families, who unfortunately find themselves in a not so-wonderful situation; being in hospital. Many children I meet are going through a very uncertain, distressing time, and can be extremely poorly. As a Giggle Doctor, I get to be part of something much more positive for these children- joy, hope and laughter despite being in hospital! Through play and imagination we can create memories, distractions, and the chance for the children to be whoever they want to be in that moment. It is the highest of rewards to see the positive change in children (and their parents!), and to notice the shift in energy within a room or ward after we have visited.”  – Dr Dotty
     
    You can read the full article here. 
     
  • Chloe shares her Giggle Doctor story in Candis Magazine!

    In 2016 Candis Magazine supported the Theodora Children’s Charity to raise an incredible £84,000 during the Candis Big Give Christmas Challenge. In an article written by Candis Magazine, Chloe Upton reveals how Theodora Children’s Charity helped keep her daughter, Daisy, smiling throughout her cancer treatment.

    “Our daughter, Daisy, has spent more time in hospital than she has at home. Diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was just nine months old, she has endured numerous tests, several rounds of chemotherapy, major surgery and battled sepsis twice – and she’s not yet two. People always ask my husband Ryan and myself how we’ve got through it – and to be honest I’m not sure. We have had the most amazing support – from friends, family and the medical staff, who have been outstanding, putting Daisy at ease and always making sure we understand what’s going on. But it’s Daisy who’s the real hero. Despite all she’s gone through, she still wakes up with a smile for us and loves nothing more than playing with big brother, Theo, who’s four. Of course, she’s had some very low times too – neuroblastoma is a tough cancer to fight and requires a lot of treatment because it’s very stubborn. Daisy had four rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour before they could attempt to remove it. This was particularly tough on her tiny body – after the second round she contracted sepsis, which made her very ill. But, thankfully, it was during this difficult time that the Giggle Doctors from Theodora Children’s Charity stepped in.

    Daisy’s treatment took place over six months as an inpatient at The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Brighton, where she was hooked up to the chemotherapy machine on the oncology ward. Every Thursday afternoon, if Daisy was in her room, one of the Giggle Doctors would appear wearing a white coat decorated with funny prints and carrying books and a teddy. You knew when they were coming, as there would be a ripple of delight from the children on the ward. Daisy loved it when the Giggle Doctor sang nursery rhymes and read her stories in an animated voice – her face would break into a grin and she would giggle, before they even started to interact with her properly. They’d always ask her, “Is it OK if I come in?”, as it’s their policy never to approach a child without permission. Of course, Daisy always said yes!
     
    The Giggle Doctors are so professional and committed to entertaining the children. Daisy might be feeling grumpy and upset, but as soon as she saw them coming through the door, her little face would light up. They would sing silly songs, blow bubbles and make balloon animals. I could nip and have a cup of tea and a bit of a break, knowing Daisy was a in good hands and having fun. A nurse would also be present, so I didn’t have to worry at all for a little while.
     
    This was incredibly important to my well-being – I stayed with Daisy in hospital through all her treatments, and being away from Ryan and Theo, sometimes for several months, was so hard. And the worry about her never stopped, of course – we just never knew whether she was going to get through the treatment and what the final outcome would be. So a visit from a Giggle Doctor gave us both a break and a chance to forget our situation for a while.
     
    The Giggle Doctors travel around hospitals up and down the country with the sole purpose of making very sick children happy. They’re very dedicated and play such an important role in helping families with desperately ill children at various stages of treatment.
     
    Thankfully, the chemotherapy did its job for Daisy and shrunk the tumour. After recovering from a second bout of sepsis, on 4 August last year she was able to have surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital to have the remainder of the tumour removed. It was a very difficult procedure and Daisy crashed during the operation when her blood pressure plummeted and her kidney deflated, leaving her on life support for 24 hours. After four weeks in hospital, she was finally discharged at the end of August.
     
    Now approaching her second birthday, Daisy is doing well and has check-ups every three months to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned. It’s too soon for us to fully relax and accept that she is going to be OK, but we take every day as it comes. She has on-going issues and is tube-fed through her stomach, but she continues to be our happy little girl with a sunny nature. She chats away and loves to sing; her favourite song is Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Who knows – maybe we have a future X-Factor contestant in our midst!”
     
  • A new Giggle Doctor programme at St George’s Hospital!

    We are very excited to announce that a brand new programme will begin this summer at St George’s Hospital in London. Soon even more sick and disabled children will experience the joy and laughter of magical Giggle Doctor visits.

    Two Giggle Doctors will be visiting St George’s Hospital every other week, brightening the wards with music, magic, laughter and play. 

    Dr Bananas and Dr Whoopee arrived for the first time on the wards last week to meet the staff, children and parents, who they will soon be giggling with reguarly. The Wandsworth Guardian captured the moment and you can read all about it on their website here

    We are truly excited to be visiting a new hospital and to be working closely alongside the incredible staff at St George’s Hospital. A new hospital means a lot more giggles and we can’t wait to share exciting news and stories when our programme begins!

  • The difference we make: Jack’s Story

     
     
    Only four years old, Jack was in hospital for his second open heart surgery when he met Dr Teapot. His 
    mum Laura kindly agreed to share Jack’s Giggle Doctor visit and how it helped Jack feel like a normal
    child again.
     
    “My son Jack, who is four years old, was in the hospital to have his second open heart surgery 
    for a sub aortic membrane. It was in July that he met Dr Teapot for the first time.
     
    Jack had just had drains and cannulas removed plus bloods taken and scans carried out. He 
    was also not eating or drinking, so he was exceptionally lethargic and upset. 
     
    Dr Teapot helped to distract him from the environment he had been living in for over a week. 
    They helped him to feel like a ‘normal child’ again. 
     
    Jack’s favourite part of the visit was when the Dr Teapot was pretending to pull fluff balls from 
    his favourite blanket and then finding them behind Jack’s ears. This made Jack laugh more than
    I had heard him laugh in weeks. 
     
    Play in hospital is crucial to help children remain children. Being in a hospital environment can 
    really affect a child’s self-esteem and psychological well-being. The visit has helped Jack to realise
    that not everything that happens during a hospital stay has to be negative. Jack is looking at more open
    heart surgery in the future and it helps to remember the fun times of Dr Teapot’s visit.”
     
  • Dr Ding Dong features on BBC Radio Bristol!

     
    “I visited one child recently who’s been in hospital for quite a few weeks and will be for a good few months. He loves playing with ball games and I do close up magic. There is a lot of very interactive stuff and over the weeks I’ve been seeing him, it’s turned in to a really lovely friendship” – Dr Ding Dong
     
    On Saturday 26th August, Dr Ding Dong was delighted to speak with Dr Phil Hammond on his BBC Radio Bristol show. During the interview, Dr Ding Dong tells us about what made her decide to become a Giggle Doctor, what it is like to give joy and laughter on wards and some experiences of the children she has met and the giggles she has given!
     
    You can listen to the whole interview on the BBC website here.
     
  • The difference we make: Eden-Rose’s Story

     
     
     
    Five-year-old Eden-Rose is a regular patient on the children’s day care ward at Leeds General Infirmary. Ness, Eden-Rose’s mum, shared with us that her daughter often has monotonous and distressing hospital experiences where she will sometimes have to fast for twelve hours or more and wait for hours at a time for surgery. However, Giggle Doctors have provided Eden-Rose and Ness with a welcome escape through laughter and play, so Eden-Rose now only wants her hospital appointments to be on days when the Giggle Doctors are there! Below is Ness and Eden-Rose’s story:
     
     
    “Eden-Rose first met the Giggle Doctors when she was extremely frustrated and hungry after her surgery had been delayed from the morning till the afternoon, and she hadn’t eaten since midnight the night before. Two of the Giggle Doctors came in and just completely changed her mood from being fed-up and about to kick off to being really happy and having a good time! I was so thankful that they turned up at just the right time to preoccupy her. 
     
    For a child that’s constantly in hospital keeping a happy environment is the most important thing. I particularly push for keeping her involved and part of the decision making. Eden-Rose is in and out of hospital all the time, she’s constantly having multiple operations and probably will do throughout her life, so keeping everything really pleasant is important. As soon as she has a bad experience, that’s it, it cannot be erased. So we always try and ensure she’s happy and we make things play-based so that she understands everything.
     
    As parents, we can sometimes become Eden-Rose’s worst enemies. We try to promise her things to keep her happy but the situation does change, so we can’t always keep those promises. For example Eden-Rose doesn’t like cannulas (a thin tube inserted into the body to administer medication or drain off fluid), so we will promise her there’ll be no cannulas until she’s put to sleep. Sometimes there’ll be complications, maybe if she’s too dehydrated she’ll need a cannula while she’s still awake. Then we’re just the ‘baddies’ and I can’t make her smile after that. As much as we try to be the ‘goodies’, sometimes as parents it’s not always possible. Eden-Rose doesn’t always want to be our friend after we’ve broken a promise like that, we do want to play with her and cheer her up but sometimes it’s a losing battle.  
     
    Luckily, the ward Eden-Rose is on does have a fantastic play team, but as it is a large ward she doesn’t always get too much time with them. It’s great having extra people like the Giggle Doctors, as it really breaks up the day and gives Eden-Rose something to look forward to. Eden-Rose’s favourite moment was when she had a Sleeping Beauty doll with her and the Giggle Doctors said, ‘Who’s that? Is that Sleeping Beauty?’, and every time she said ‘Sleeping Beauty’ one of the Giggle Doctors fell asleep and she would have to try and wake them up! Then Eden-Rose got really into it and started falling asleep when they said ‘Sleeping Beauty’! It was a really sweet moment, everybody was watching Eden-Rose and it really just captured everyone’s imagination. She had a fantastic time, her and the Giggle Doctors. 
     
    Giggle Doctor visits definitely have a lasting impact for Eden-Rose. The first thing she mentioned was going back to the hospital whenever the Giggle Doctors would be there. Normally she doesn’t remember moments too well, generally only remembering what’s happened yesterday, but she’s definitely remembered the Giggle Doctors. Overall it was just lovely how they involved everyone else around Eden-Rose and talked to them. Even the way that they left Eden-Rose to go and see other children was really well explained; they sang a song to leave and were lovely so Eden-Rose didn’t feel like they’d just up and left. Instead she felt like she was helping them go and help other children. They were just fantastic.”
     
  • Autumn / Winter Newsletter 2017

    “When Dr Ding Dong visits, you can see that Giggle Doctor

    there is a special bond between the two of them.”

    View our latest newsletter here.

     

     

     

     

  • The difference we make: Rosa’s Story

    After what was thought to be a minor car crash, 14 year old Rosa didn’t seem to have any serious injuries. Some time later, whilst walking with her mum, Sadie, Rosa’s legs stopped working and she had to be rushed to hospital. Worried and upset when Dr Easy Peasy stepped on to the ward, Sadie and her husband didn’t really want to be visited by a Giggle Doctor. Sadie kindly agreed to share her story about how glad she was that Dr Easy Peasy visited and how she went on to take part in Rough Runner to raise money for more giggles…

    “My daughter Rosa was in the back seat when a car crashed in to the back of the car directly behind, that then crashed in to us. After the accident, she said her back was a bit sore, but that was it and we didn’t think anything of it.

    The next day at school, the pain got worse. We went to see a doctor, who recommended we take her for a scan. At the hospital, they didn’t think she had a broken back, so didn’t scan her and we were sent home. Then one day she could barely move and had to take the day off from school.

    When I came home from work, I encouraged her to go for a walk with me to keep her mobile. Around 500 metres from the house, her legs just seized up, her body was shaking and she couldn’t walk. We live on the back of woodland, so my husband and my son had to come and somehow carry her back to the car, so that I could drive her to the hospital.  

    They kept her in for six days to try to work out what was happening. It turns out she had pre-existing slipped disks and the whiplash caused by the accident had caused her body to shut down when the back pain kicked in. The doctor said it was the most severe case of whiplash he’d ever seen and she still has relapses. She will recover, but they can’t tell us how long it will take.

    On the ward at Evelina, we felt sad for all the other sick children and my daughter got really upset. She doesn’t have a terminal problem, so it was daunting for us being on a ward where there were children with lifelong problems. When you’re on ward with a lot of sick people around you, you’re right in the thick of it. You feel sorry for them, you feel sorry for yourself and you just think, “I don’t want to be here.”  

    When we saw Dr Easy Peasy come on to the ward, I was thinking “please don’t stop, we’re really not in the mood”. She did stop thankfully and she changed the whole mood for the three of us. It was wonderful.

    It was fantastic how she spoke to parents on an adult level, then quickly changed to Rosa’s level, who was 14 at the time, and then she moved on to the little boy opposite, who was 3 or 4 years old. You can definitely see the change and the happiness that the Giggle Doctors bring to the ward.

    My twin brother, friend and myself took part in Rough Runner – it was great fun and we had a thoroughly enjoyable morning! It was activities we hadn’t tried before and all different fitness levels were there. Some people walked it and there was a 5k and 10k option available. We would have to queue at the majority of obstacles, so we ended up meeting and chatting to people taking part. It was a fun time!

    We had already entered Rough Runner, but after the Giggle Doctor visit we wanted to raise money for Theodora Children’s Charity to give something back for what they did for us. My friends and family were really moved by what happened to Rosa. I put our fundraising page on Facebook and am really pleased with the amount we raised.

    I think it’s a wonderful charity and I next want to fundraise at Rosa’s school. Rosa would like to do a bake sale for Theodora Children’s Charity! Dr Easy Peasy changed our whole outlook, that’s what made us want to give. It takes the child out of the situation and makes them forget everything.

    Dr Easy Peasy was very nice and really funny. Both me and my husband felt so glad that she stopped. We didn’t speak to each other, but we were both thinking “please don’t stop, please don’t stop” when she first arrived. How wrong we were.”

     

    Thank you Sadie for sharing your story and raising an incredible £590, which will help us give giggles to more children like Rosa.

  • Theatretrain celebrate their 25th Anniversary with a charity single in support of our Giggle Doctors!

    Since 1992, Theatretrain has offered classes for young students, to gain skills in acting, dancing, singing and performance. Over the years thousands of pupils have trodden the boards of world famous theatres and many have gone on to careers in the professional theatre.

    We have been so grateful to receive the support of Theatretrain groups for many years and together, they have helped us to give giggles to so many poorly children who need it most.

    This year, Theatretain celebrated their 25th anniversary in style – by releasing a stunning charity single that features over 3,500 voices from all of the different Theatretrain groups! Written specially for this event and with talented young performers from across the country, this single is a wonderful opportunity to own something special and help our Giggle Doctors reach children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres.

    Download your copy here: https://gingerdog-records.myshopify.com/products/somewhere-mp3-download-and-video

  • Baroness Thornton Hosts a Drinks Reception at the House of Lords

    On October 3rd, we were honoured to hold a reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Thornton.

    The evening was a chance to bring together some of our wonderful supporters to thank them for their incredible contribution and share plans for the future. Our guests even got the chance to meet Dr Snug and Dr Geehee, two amazing Giggle Doctors, and learn more about their work.

    There were three speeches to start the evening, the first being from our host Baroness Thornton, who has supported the charity for over fifteen years. Baroness Thornton spoke about how she learnt about us through a friend whose child was visited by a Giggle Doctor and why the laughter and giggles they bring to children means so much to her.

    Then Derek Berry, of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, explained why they have chosen to support us as part of a three year partnership and how he hopes the Livery can help us reach even more hospitals and children.

    To conclude our founder, André (who had flown over from Switzerland) discussed why he and his brother, founded Theodora Children’s Charity in memory of their mother, Theodora. From one Giggle Doctor visiting Great Ormond Street in 1994, we now plan to reach 43,500 children by the end of 2019.

    The evening was a wonderful success in a stunning venue with guests leaving inspired and motivated by the work that we do. 

  • The difference we make: Rosie’s Story

    We recently received this incredibly heartfelt message from a parent, Jane. Although upsetting, it is also an uplifting story of the joy and happiness that can be experienced in even the most difficult times… 

     

    “I wanted to get in touch to say thank you to the Giggle Doctors at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, who made such a difference to my daughter’s time in hospital.

    Rosie (aged 7) arrived at the Marsden in December with stage 4 liver cancer… She was acutely unwell and very traumatised by the amount of intrusive interventions she had had to undergo in a previous hospital. It had been a complete whirlwind and we arrived at the Marsden within a week of the diagnosis. Rosie stopped talking, and our typically happy chatty daughter withdrew into herself. It was heartbreaking to see, and then just after Christmas she met two of your amazing Giggle Doctors, Dr Yo-Ho and Dr Bananas. I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched with amazement as Rosie started smiling, laughing and talking again and for a while she was able to escape the pain and the grim reality of cancer. I hadn’t heard her talk in over a week and hadn’t seen her smile since before Christmas. The weekly visit of the Giggle Doctors became a real highlight in our week and something for Rosie to look forward to.

    We were also lucky to meet Dr Dotty and  Dr Geehee who, in addition to Dr Yo Ho and Dr Bananas, were outstanding. Their ability to adapt to the ever changing situation of a hospital environment and Rosie’s health was impressive to watch and they would always tailor their interactions accordingly.

    Devastatingly Rosie never got to leave the Marsden and she died in May after being in hospital for almost 5 months. We continue to struggle with our loss of Rosie which has left a massive void in our lives but I wanted to express how grateful we are for the joy and laughter that the Giggle Doctors brought into Rosie’s last few months of life. It is a wonderful charity which has an amazingly powerful impact on children and indeed on their families too.”

  • We are recruiting a Corporate Partnerships Executive

    Job Description

     

    Job Title:       Corporate Partnerships Executive

    Reports to:    Fundraising and Communications Manager

    Hours:            37.5 hours per week (we offer a flexible working hours)

    Salary:            £30,000-£32,000 per annum

    Holiday:         28 days

    Closing Date: 9am 6th November

    Interview Date: 7th November

    About Theodora Children’s Charity

    We are a fast-growing and inspirational children’s charity. We improve the health of children in hospitals by sending professional performers called Giggle Doctors to bring magical moments of fun. We want to double our impact over the next three years by reaching 43,500 children, and we want you to play a key part in this growth.

     

    Purpose and Scope of Job

    • Responsible for securing partnerships with companies.
    • Identify and pitch to corporate prospects.
    • Work with the Fundraising and Communications Manager to grow corporate partnerships.

     

    Fundraising

    • Research and identify top corporate prospects.
    • Develop partnership ideas for corporate prospects.
    • Create simple action plans to secure meetings.
    • Work with colleagues to secure prospect meetings.
    • Develop powerful and tailored pitches.
    • Deliver brilliant meetings with corporate prospects.
    • Write compelling, creative and inspiring proposals tailored for the corporate prospect.
    • Follow up corporate prospects with enthusiasm and tenacity.
    • To participate in the wider work of the Fundraising Team, to share ideas and develop strategic alliances.
    • Process donations and ensure timely thanking.
    • Maintain and share a tracking system of all project proposals and their status.
    • To keep up to date on best practice developments within the charity sector, including fundraising regulations and codes of practice.

     

    Administrative

    • Coordinate and offer support at charity events.
    • Represent the charity at external functions.
    • Assist with collecting feedback and monitoring programme impact.

    ·      Offer support to the team as required.

     

    General Responsibilities

    ·       A commitment to equal opportunities.

    ·       A commitment to child protection.

    ·       A commitment to health and safety.

    ·       A commitment to data protection.

    The Theodora Children’s Charity is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees for job applications on the basis of race, sexual orientation, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, disability or any other status or condition protected by applicable law.

    Benefits

    • 28 days annual leave allowance
    • Time off in lieu for extra hours worked
    • Contributory pension

    Person Specification

    Experience

    • Experience of working in corporate fundraising, sales, marketing or recruitment.
    • Experience of securing new partnerships/customers.
    • Experience of achieving targets.

    Skills and Abilities

    • Strong verbal and written communication skills.
    • Strong presentation skills.
    • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build instant rapport.
    • Ability to build relationships at all levels.
    • Creative and problem solving.

    ·       Excellent organisational skills; planning, prioritising and the proven ability to manage. several projects simultaneously, bringing each to completion on time.

    ·       High standard of numeracy and the ability to understand projects budgets.

    ·       High standard of computer competency and literacy.

    Knowledge

    ·       Good knowledge of the corporate sector.

    Personal Attributes and Other Requirements

    • Enthusiastic and self-motivated.
    • Willingness to travel.
    • Team player.
    • Willingness to work outside normal hours if required.
    • Commitment to equal opportunities.
    • Eligible to work in the UK.

    To apply please send an up to date CV and covering letter to theodora.uk@theodora.org; your covering letter should clearly demonstrate how you meet the person specification with examples.

     

     

     

  • Scott Bartlett on running the Berlin Marathon

    style=”width: 500px; height: 280px; float: right;” />Retired marathon enthusiast Scott thought he had hung his running shoes up for good, but on a whim decided to put his name in the ballot to run the Berlin Marathon 2017. Defying the odds, he got a place and decided to fundraise for the Giggle Doctors, who he had met whilst working at Lewisham Hospital. Scott shares his marathon journey and why he chose to support the Theodora Children’s Charity: 

    “I had technically retired from marathon running. I always thought though, that if I did one more, it would have to be somewhere different.  

    On a whim I applied for a place in this year’s Berlin Marathon. Kind of a no-win-no-fee deal. If I didn’t get in then it didn’t matter – if I did, which was surely very unlikely, then it would be one last marathon adventure for the old man.  

    Then I got an email saying I had a place! 

    As I thought about training plans and flipping between excitement and worry, excitement and panic, excitement and even more worry, I also considered whether to try and raise money for a good cause. From the moment that thought came into my head only one name went along with it: The Theodora Children’s Charity.   

    I work in the communications team at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and had met Alice and Louise through our play specialist at Lewisham Hospital, Sharon. We started planning some general promotion for ‘Giggle Week’, a week of social media activity and promoting the work the charity does with our staff. 

    The team all seemed so nice, and the more I saw the Giggle Doctors at work the more I wanted to try and help in some small way.  

    One afternoon I went with my colleague Louise to get a photo with Dr Snug and Sharon to add to my Just Giving page. As we were waiting, Dr Snug was making a balloon animal for a little girl.  

    As the Giggle Doctor blew up the balloon, and drew a face on it, the girl was mesmerized. Dr Snug encouraged her to stroke the balloon mouse, and as she did, pulled the tail and the mouse flew into the air – the little girl screamed with laughter – she laughed and laughed, and in those moments wasn’t thinking about being in hospital, or seeing the grown up Doctor, but in being carefree and happy in that amazing way that children should always be. 

    This was a perfect example of the moments I have seen the Giggle Doctors entertain a patient or calm them down. Their whole focus is on helping those children to be just that, children. Helping them laugh, and helping them – and their parents – smile and get through some tough times.  

    I’m really honoured the charity let me represent them and hope it helps in some small way, even if it is just to buy some magic wands, or fund a visit or two. 

    Thank you to all of my friends and family for sponsoring me, AGAIN – they are incredibly kind and generous as always – and for putting up with me coming out of retirement, AGAIN.

    The marathon itself was great – I’d highly recommend it, and Berlin as a place to visit. It was a freezing day but a great atmosphere. I think I’ll hang up my marathon kit now. Maybe.”

  • Volunteering at Theodora Children’s Charity – Natalie’s Story

    “As a student of The English College in Prague, I was given an opportunity to come to London for work experience over the half term break. Being interested in charity work and setting up my own charity project in my school inspired me to apply for a job in a non-profit organization. I learnt about Theodora Children’s Charity for the first time from a classmate, who had volunteered there last year and had a really great time. I knew immediately that this would be a place I would love to volunteer at and learn more about how an English based charity is run.

    On my first day, I learnt about the aims of Theodora Children’s Charity and how the Giggle Doctors help to create a relaxed and playful atmosphere in the sterile hospital environment. While volunteering in the office I was amazed by the dedication and excitement of the team to make children smile. The friendly and inclusive atmosphere in the office encouraged me to work hard on the research tasks I was given and do my best to fulfil them. Even though I found them quite challenging at the beginning, gradually I was able to try and experiment with various ways to acquire the data needed. This was particularly useful as I became aware of the value research work can have on addressing concerns connected to hospital care and the constant need on improving it.

    Working for Theodora Children’s Charity was an extremely valuable experience as it gave a chance to become a part of the team who work hard to change children’s perception of doctors and hospitals. The idea of doing something as simple as making children and parents laugh during their difficult times in hospital is truly wonderful. Completing research on the role of laughter in hospitals made me realise how many benefits humour can bring into ordinary days spent in hospitals, not only to patients, but also their relatives and doctors. While filling in spreadsheets of Giggle Doctor hospital visits, I could see the passion and commitment they have to improve the mood of children and make their moments in the hospital more enjoyable.

    After only one week in the office I was able to observe the huge impact Theodora Children’s Charity is making and will make on the lives of families and children across the country in the future.”

    Thank you Natalie for all of your hard work and the support you offered by volunteering. 

    If you are interested in volunteering in our London office, please contact us at theodora.uk@theodora.org. 

     

  • We’ve been selected as a Co-op Local Community Fund charity!

    Theodora Children’s Charity has been selected as a Co-op Local Community Fund charity. Until the 27th October 2018, whenever Co-op members shop online or instore, they can help us fund visits at Leeds General Infirmary.

    It’s easy to become a Co-op member – just follow this link. Membership costs just £1 and comes with a range of benefits.

    You can only vote for your local cause, so if you live in Leeds, we need your help! Select us as your chosen charity when you log in here and help us provide magical Giggle Doctor moments for children receiving treatment in Leeds.

    You can help us raise money until 27th October 2018. Every £10 funds a magical Giggle Doctor visit and we are very excited to have Leeds’ community support over the next 12 months!

     

     

  • Giggle Doctors join the Lord Mayor’s Show!

    On Saturday 11th November, four of our Giggle Doctors took part in the Lord Mayor’s Show alongside the Worshipful Company of Butchers.

    Dr Snug, Dr Fab, Dr Bananas and Dr Geehee walked alongside The Company float, blowing bubbles to the crowd and stopping to talk to the children who had come out to watch the parade. The Giggle Doctors even enjoyed a brief appearance on TV, as BBC One was covering the event.

    The parade was a great chance to promote our partnerships with the Worshipful Company of Butchers, who are supporting us over three years. In addition to raising awareness of our work through events such as the Lord Mayor’s Show, The Company are also making a yearly donation of £20,000, which will allow us to visit 6,000 sick and disabled children.

    The Worshipful Company of Butchers has supported the Theodora Children’s Charity for a number of years and has made a huge difference for so many children. Ian Kelly was kind enough to choose the Theodora Children’s Charity as his nominated charity during his year as Master in 2013/2014 and since then The Company and its members have continued to offer their support.

    We are so grateful to the company for all of their support and the opportunity to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

  • The Candis Big Give Christmas Challenge Raises £75,462!

    We want to say a really big thank you to everyone who donated during the Candis Big Give Christmas Challenge. By supporting us you didn’t just double your donation but also the amount of giggles. The money raised will help us reach over 7,500 children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres across England.

    Parents often tell us that the magical moments our Giggle Doctors bring to children can have a lasting impact for the children:

    Because of the Giggle Doctors my daughter actually looks forward to coming to hospital for chemotherapy

    The Giggle Doctor visits have helped my son to interact as he has developed a phobia of medical staff and the Giggle Doctors have helped him be less scared of people on the ward

    Thank you for helping us to give more smiles and making children’s experience of hospital a positive one. 

  • Dr Dovetail is a National Lottery legend!

    Our very own Dr Dovetail is has been featured in a video by National Lottery Good Causes!

    Click here to watch Dr Dovetail at Evelina Children’s Hospital and see what it is like to be visited by a Giggle Doctor. Watch how she can make even the most serious environment one filled with joy and laughter.  

    Our National Lottery legend Dr Dovetail is highly trained to bring music, magic and laughter to children in hospital. A stay in hospital can be incredibly distressing, especially for children. They will be frightened, have limited opportunities for play and sometimes be away from friends, family and loved ones for long periods of time. That’s why Giggle Doctors, like Dr Dovetail, are so important.

    Watch the video and help us provide more National Lottery Legends by donating via our campaign page. Every £10 we receive funds a magical Giggle Doctor visit for one child and we are aiming to raise £1,000 to visit 100 sick and disabled children at a time when they need it most. Your gift will make sure children are given the chance to giggle at a time when they need it most.    

    “It was an extremely stressful time, but as if by magic the Giggle Doctors would always arrive on the ward at the right time and brighten everyone’s day.  The children would perk up, parents would have their minds taken off the awful and often harrowing situations they were finding themselves in, and even the staff would smile!” – A Parent

  • Our Corporate Partners sing for giggles at Marylebone Station!

    Our Corporate Partners sing for giggles at Marylebone Station!

     

    Our Corporate Partners sing for giggles at Marylebone Station!

     

    On Monday 18th December our Corporate Partners came together at Marylebone Station to carol sing for us. Equifax, GSK & Lendlease staff volunteered their voices to provide laughter for sick children in hospital. We are delighted to announce that staff collectively raised £547.80 for Theodora Children’s Charity; which will fund visits to 54 poorly children this Christmas.

    Over 30 of our partners grabbed their coats and fundraising buckets and entertained commuters with their festive tunes. Carols ranged from Silent Night to Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas.

    We are very grateful to Equifax, GSK and Lendlease for using their voices to bring joy to children in hospital. We will be providing Giggle Doctor visits to poorly children throughout Christmas and really appreciate this extra support.

    Alix from GSK said: “We’d like to say thank you to the team at Theodora Children’s Charity for helping us to arrange a fun afternoon of fundraising. We really enjoyed getting in the festive spirit and raising awareness for this fantastic cause.”

    Lucy from Equifax said: “Carol singing for the charity was a fantastic opportunity for our company to have fun and get in the festive spirit; whilst most importantly raising vital money to fund Giggle Doctor visits for children in hospital this Christmas.”

    Thank you to everyone who joined us and gave so generously – the funds raised will help the charity to continue to provide laughter for children this Christmas. We would also like to thank the team at Marylebone Station for their support.

     

  • Volunteering at Theodora Children’s Charity – Beth’s Story

    Volunteering at Theodora Children's Charity

    Beth has been volunteering for Theodora Children’s Charity as Fundraising and Communications Volunteer in our office, using her many skills to help with various tasks that help us fund Giggle Doctor visits. Not only that, but she also decided to take on the Santa Run and raised an incredible £285 to help us reach poorly children! Beth shares what it is like volunteering at Theodora Children’s Charity: 

    “I graduated from University this summer with no idea what I was going to do next. All I knew was that I wanted to be part of a charity that works towards something I felt passionate about. I therefore decided to do some volunteering for a charity that I felt strongly towards so I could learn about the ins and outs of how great causes come to life. 

    Instantly the idea of becoming a Fundraising and Communications volunteer for Theodora Children’s Charity stood out to me. I found it so lovely and heart-warming that there were people like the Giggle Doctors that dedicated their time to making a child’s hospital experience that little bit brighter.

    From my first day as a volunteer I have felt so welcomed by this small team with big hearts, whose passion for what they do is evident through everything that happens here. It was fascinating for me to see how such a small team raises so much money each year. I have been provided with an extensive variety of tasks; from writing news articles for the charity’s website to researching and applying for grants from trusts and foundations. These tasks not only improve my knowledge of how offices work in the charity sector but make the vast amount of work which this small team do a little easier. Alongside spending time with the office staff, meeting other supporters of the charity who come into the office like Dr Snug and Trustee, Ian, has shown me into an ever-growing community of people who all share the same goal of making poorly children’s lives happier though laughter and play.

    I felt honoured to have the opportunity to be a part of the charity’s reception at The House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Thornton. I got the chance to hear one of the charity’s founders, André, talk about why the work of the Giggle Doctors means so much to him, alongside trustees of the charity discussing why they have chosen to support Theodora Children’s Charity. It was an amazing evening in a magnificent venue that made me feel extremely proud to be considered part of what the charity does.

    The event at The House of Lords left me so inspired I felt compelled to try and do more for this great cause. I therefore signed up for the Do it For Charity Santa Run in December on behalf of Theodora Children’s Charity. It was something I was really excited about because it meant I could share with my friends and family what I do and raise awareness about this small charity that makes a big difference.

    It’s safe to say the one day I spend each week volunteering for Theodora Children’s Charity is my favourite day of the week. Witnessing so many people’s pride in the mission of Theodora Children’s Charity is extremely motivating and I feel that the selfless nature of all those involved in this charity’s work is a notion which only the charity sector can provide.”

    Thank you so much Beth for all of your hard work and for raising an incredible £285! 

    If you are interested in volunteering in our London office, please contact us at theodora.uk@theodora.org.  

  • The difference we make: Max’s story

    At two years old Max was diagnosed with cancer. What followed was over three years of intensive chemotherapy. Today thankfully Max’s condition has improved, although he still has to attend regular hospital appointments for check-ups. Below Max’s mum shares the difficulties of having a young child spend so much time in hospital and how visits from Giggle Doctors helped to keep Max smiling during his treatment:

    “When Max was younger he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Max pretty much grew up in hospital – he was two when he was first diagnosed and nearly six by the time his treatment finished. Max has had over three years’ worth of chemotherapy and steroids. Fortunately as Max’s condition has improved, we now only have to return to the hospital for regular check-ups to ensure there isn’t any damage left from the treatment.

    Spending  long periods of time in hospital is challenging to say the least. Sometimes Max wouldn’t be able to leave his room; which you can imagine would be a very long and boring day for a young boy. My options to keep Max amused were very limited and I had no choice but to rely on ipads & laptops. Like any other parent, I don’t want my child to spend all their time using gadgets. Unfortunately, when you’re stuck in a hospital environment your options are limited. That is why the visits from Giggle Doctors made a real difference to Max’s day. 

    It was just after Max was diagnosed when he met the Giggle Doctors for the first time. Max was receiving treatment for an infection and a Giggle Doctor came into his ward and blew bubbles that wouldn’t burst.  Max thought it was the best thing ever – he couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t burst! He had been very quiet and sullen for days and the visit brought him out of himself a little bit. 

    Since then, Max has seen the Giggle Doctors lots of times. One of the Giggle Doctors Max sees a lot is Dr I-Spy. He especially likes it when she does magic tricks!

    As a parent with a child in hospital, you are constantly trying to find ways to keep your child amused and happy; which can be really tough. Then the Giggle Doctors visit and for that moment in time you can just sit back and see that your child is happy. It’s taking their mind off of what they are waiting to do and face, whether that be a test, a scan, or seeing a doctor. It alleviates the worry for that little while.” 

  • The difference we make: Amy’s Story

    The difference we make: Amy's Story

     

    The difference we make: Amy's Story

     

    Six-year-old Amy has been in and out of hospital since she was born. Understandably, she struggles during her visits, sometimes not speaking for days – that is until Dr Snug arrives on the ward! Heidi, Amy’s mum, kindly agreed to share Amy’s story and how she has formed a close friendship with Dr Snug. The feelings are mutual and Dr Snug also shares a memorable visit and what it’s like to be friends with such a brave little girl… 

     

    Heidi: “Amy has difficulties with her bowels and also has sensory issues, which means she has various eating and drinking phobias. This doesn’t help, as the two go hand in hand. Amy’s been in and out of hospital since she was born and has appointments several times a year. She finds them scary and she does struggle with them – it can be very difficult. However, there are certain little things when she’s in hospital that she really looks forward to and obviously Dr Snug is one of them! 

    Amy first met Dr Snug two years ago and immediately the atmosphere lifted. Amy loves magic and Dr Snug gets her to perform magic tricks with her. She always zones in to what each child likes and what’s around their beds. With Amy, she saw her wand and started doing magic. Another child had a sticker book, so they played with the stickers. She’s able to do lots of different things depending on what the child has around them and what they like. 

    Dr Snug’s visits give us a little break and also gives us hope. When Amy was last in hospital, she was having her tube out and hadn’t spoken for a day. She went all that time without speaking and went in to herself emotionally. When Dr Snug visited, she actually started smiling and talking. She helped to bring her back. 

    Dr Snug does so much. You can see that she really cares about all of the children she visits. She has so much love to give them. It’s also the little things, like how she makes sure everything is clean. Children don’t notice it, but she’ll wipe something that drops on the floor. It’s not just that she’s there for the kids, she’s also protecting them as well, making sure everything is ok and done properly, which is fantastic. 

    We can say the words thank you, but it isn’t enough. Dr Snug does so much more than a word can be. It’s so difficult being in there and then she comes along and it’s like Christmas – that magical feeling that children get when there are no worries and everything is magical. That’s Dr Snug all wrapped up. She comes in, the children are excited, the atmosphere changes. What she does for the parents by taking that pain away – the word thank you just doesn’t add up.” 

     

    Dr Snug: “As a Giggle Doctor, I have the privilege to meet the most amazingly and courageous children and families. Sometimes you meet a child whose independent spirt and strength of character just radiates from them. Amy is one of these children. We have played together on a number of occasions and Amy has become very good at magic. We chat like old friends now. 

    Last week Amy and I had had a lovely happy time and I had said goodbye and continued my round on the ward. A little later, as I was leaving the ward, I walked past Amy’s room and I could hear her crying and distressed. I put my head round the curtain to see if I could help. 

    Amy was on her mum’s lap and the nurse was just starting to remove her cannula. With an “ok” nod from the nurse, I asked Amy if she wanted me to come and be with her, to help her be brave and she said yes. 

    I quickly sat down in front of her and together we acknowledged that it hurt but that we could blow the pain away. It might help if we did some lion roars! We did some blowing and then Amy did the biggest Lion roar I ever heard…and the cannula was out. 

    “Now we just need to remove the tube down your nose and then you can go home” said the nurse. 

    “Yes and I’m going to do that myself” said Amy bravely. “You’d better back off Dr Snug, as there might be snot flying”. Amy had done this before! 

    I quickly wrapped myself up in the curtain and in a flash she had pulled the tube out! 

    “ahh,” she said “that tube has been stopping my smile, you know my big smile, but I can do that again now”. 

    We did a dance to celebrate and she showed me that big amazing smile…wow…

    What a privilege it is to share these moments with courageous and wonderful children like Amy, and what a gift that big smile was for me!” 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Dr Ding Dong Features on BBC Points West

    Last Monday (8th January) Dr Betty Ding Dong was joined on her rounds by reporter Ali Vowels. Ali was there to capture the happiness and joy Dr Ding Dong brings to the children on the wards. Dr Ding Dong shared some of her favourite jokes with the young patients who were in fits of giggles!

    The piece was shown on the evening news for BBC Points West and a shorter video was filmed for the BBC Bristol Facebook page which you can see online here

  • Volunteer with our Fundraising Team!

    Are you looking for voluntary experience to help launch your career in the charity sector? Then this is the role for you. 

    We are looking for an enthusiastic student or graduate who is passionate about our work and wants hands-on experience working in a fundraising team.

    We are an inspirational and ambitious team bringing smiles and laughter to children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres by sending professional performers called Giggle Doctors to bring magical moments of fun and laughter at difficult and challenging times. 

    As a volunteer we offer you the chance to get involved in all elements of our fundraising by researching and sourcing potential funders, writing applications for support and offering general administration support. Previous volunteers have had the chance to write applications to Trusts (raising funds of up to £5,000), supported the charity with events (including a drinks reception at the House of Lords) and have produced content for our website and newsletters. 

    In return we can help you get your dream job in the sector by giving advice on writing CVs and cover letters and help you prepare for job interviews through coaching and trial questions. Our past three volunteers have all left us to start full time roles within the charity sector. Here is what they said about their time with us:

    ‘It’s safe to say the one day I spent each week volunteering for Theodora Children’s Charity was my favourite day of the week.’

    ‘When I first began volunteering at Theodora Children’s Charity I thought I would simply receive some valuable experience, yet the skills I’ve learnt and developed here are truly invaluable, in addition to the tremendous sense of purpose I’ve found in working here; it’s nice being around people that make an effort to create smiles on young faces across the UK who are suffering from illness or disability.’

    We are offering the volunteer role as a part-time position and all applicants should be available to give a minimum of 4 days of their time each month.

    No prior experience of working in the charity sector is necessary but applicants should have strong written and spoken communications skills, a confident telephone manner and a ‘can do’ attitude. 

    If you would like to join our team then you can apply online here or email alice.barley@theodora.org

  • Dr Ding Dong Interviewed on BBC World Service

    On Tuesday 17th January the wonderful Dr Ding Dong featured on BBC World Service sharing her experience of being a Giggle Doctor. In the interview Dr Ding Dong explains how she became a Giggle Doctor 18 years ago, shares stories of some the children she has visited and explains how being a Giggle Doctor has taught her to celebrate life. You can listen to the full interview online here.

    Dr Ding Dong Interviewed on BBC World Service

  • The difference we make: Megan’s story

    Since we’d got back from our holiday in August 2016 Megan had been very quiet and down. She was very lethargic and had no energy or appetite. I thought she was just turning into a teenager at that point because she just did not want to do anything! We went to the local doctor’s, who thought it was a virus that she had picked up whilst we were on holiday.

    Suddenly things took a turn for the worst, as Megan’s breathing began to suffer and she developed a really fast respiratory rate. We were seen by an out-of-hours team who started her on antibiotics over the weekend but she was not getting any better. When I went back to work the following Tuesday my husband took her back to the doctor’s and she was then admitted to hospital with low oxygen levels. It turned out she had a chest infection in both lungs.

    The day she was admitted was the day we saw one of the Giggle Doctors on the pediatric admissions ward. Fortunately it was only an acute illness, and now Megan is absolutely fine, but she had to spend three nights at the hospital. At the time Megan was so poorly, I think she just went along with the idea of being in hospital. However, looking back afterwards we realized how poorly she’d been. The medical team was great, which was some comfort, but it was the first time she’d been in hospital since she was a baby, so there was some fear.

    Megan was relieved when she saw the Giggle Doctors. There was a lot of waiting around on the admissions ward, as it was a long process, so she was really bored. Then suddenly the Giggle Doctor arrived and we were like, ‘who is he?!’ It was Dr Bungee, who was hilarious, funny and engaging. He entertained her, broke some of the boredom and made her laugh.

    We remember that he had a broken bucket on his foot, a little guitar on his side, and he was telling jokes. Then he gave her a little note which said, ‘If you read this you owe me £100’, which she kept and now uses as a bookmark.

    Although it was a brief intervention, it lightened the atmosphere. When you’re waiting in hospital you’re anxious and worried. The Giggle Doctor visit does lighten things for that moment in time. Megan has not forgotten her visit from Dr Bungee and still talks about it a lot.

    At school on the council, Megan has talked about trying to get the school involved with fundraising. She’s still got the postcard which she talks about and uses as a bookmark. Megan talks about being poorly, having the cannula, antibiotics and oxygen, but she will also talk about the Giggle Doctor visit as well.

    Thank you, our Giggle Doctor visit really lighted the moment and has given us lasting memories.

  • Superhero Run 2018

    Superhero Run 2018

    Date: 13th May 2018

    Location: Regents Park, London

    Registration Fee: £25

    Minimum Sponsorship: £100

    Distance: 5k or 10k

     

    Make 2018 a super year by taking on the Superhero Run! 

    Taking place on 13th May, you can raise vital funds for Theodora Children’s Charity AND dress up as your favorite superhero! 

    This year will be the run’s 9th year, with thousands of runners taking part. It’s an event that is perfect for everyone and is great fun for the whole family or a group of friends to take part in. There is even a free children’s run (400m) before the main race, taking place for all superheros under 8 years! Everyone can get involved and the route is also wheelchair and pram friendly.

    You can choose your challenge – whether you want to take on a super 5k route, or really push you powers and take on the 10k race. You can run, jog or walk and no experience is required. You even get a free superhero costume!

    It’s just £25 to register and we ask for a minimum sponsorship of £100. All money raised will go towards our Giggle Doctor programme, helping us to bring smiles and laughter to children who need it most.

     

    Book your place here to unleash your inner superhero! 

    If you have any questions about this event, please feel free to contact alice.barley@theodora.org  

  • Cam Braves The Shave

    In January Cam shaved his beard to give giggles to poorly children in hospital. We would like to say a big thank you to Cam, who fundraised £137. Every £10 funds a magical Giggle Doctor visit to a child; with Cam’s support we able to fund 13 visits to unwell children.

     

    Cam was drawn to supporting us due to his own experiences as a former Primary School teacher:

     

    ‘As a teacher I’ve seen children go into hospital and it’s a tough time for them, I think what the Giggle Doctors do makes a big difference. It’s nice to be able to donate to a cause which promotes fun!’

     

    Vibe Teaching loves to support charities because of their own family, health and happiness values; thank you for helping us bring more laughter to children who need it most.

  • We’ve been selected for Tescos Bags of Help!

    Theodora Children’s Charity has been selected for the Tescos Bags of Help Scheme.

    From 1st March to 30th April customers visiting Tescos stores in Bradford will be able to vote in store everytime they shop. We are one of three charities selected and every customer will be handed a token at the end of their purchase which they can use to vote for their favourite charity.

    Any money raised will help us to give magical Giggle Doctor moments to children at Bradford Royal Infirmary. Every £10 funds a magical Giggle Doctor visit and we are very excited to have the support of Tescos Bags of Help over the next two months!

  • Dr Hip Hap features in the Birmingham Post

    To celebrate International Day of Happiness the Birmingham Post decided to follow Dr Hip Hap on her visit to the patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. In the video Dr Hip Hap can be seen bringing smiles and giggles to the children being treated. You can watch the full video online here

    Dr Hip Hap at Birmingham Children's Hospital

     

  • Dr Glow is Interviewed on BBC Radio Solent

    Our Giggle Doctors were busy on International Day of Happiness, raising awareness of the importance of laughter up and down the country. 

    Julian Clegg, a presenter on BBC Radio Solent, spoke to Ann-Marie whose daughter Emily has been visited many times by the Giggle Doctors and to Dr Glow who regularly visits children at Southampton General Hospital. 

    Ann-Marie explained:

    ‘Emily has had 40 admissions to hospital in the last three years so we do see the Giggle Doctors a lot… it makes a huge difference to her time in hospital’

    The Giggle Doctors never know who they are going to meet when they visit hospitals and Dr Glow talked to Julian about the training all Giggle Doctors go through. The intensive training helps Giggle Doctors to prepare for the unknown situations they may face in hospital and to make sure that laughter, and all the benefits, are available to all children regardless of how unwell they are. 

    You can listen to the interview online here at 55 minutes in

    BBC Radio Solent

  • Dr Fab is interviewed with a parent on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    To celebrate International Day of Happiness, Dr Fab was interviewed on Radio BBC Cambridgeshire with Charlotte, whose daughter Maisie has met the Giggle Doctors many times. 

    Charlotte spoke about how the difference to Giggle Doctors make to Maisie and all the children being treated:

    ‘On Thursdays Maisie knows it is is Giggle Doctor Day… when the Giggle Doctors come round it is nice to see the smiles they put on children’s faces. The children have a little light in their eyes when the Giggle Doctors leave’. 

    You can listen to the whole interview online here at 50 minutes

    Maisie with some of her favourite Giggle Doctors

     

  • Lendlease Hold A bake Sale for Giggle Week

    In honour of Giggle Week, our friends at Lendlease thought it would be fitting to host a bake sale and managed to raise £157.73

    Louisa Downs, Branch Secretary for the Lendlease Guvnors Club said:

    I hadn’t heard of Theodora Children’s Charity before and it was through our Lendlease Guvnors Club that I was given my first introduction to the Theodora team and their fantastic group of Giggle Doctors. I have had the honour of meeting some of the Giggle Doctors and think it takes a truly wonderful person to be able to do what they do. I believe the charity deserves all the support it can get to continue sending their super smiley Giggle Doctors to cheer up children currently sick in hospitals and hospices across England. Our first bake sale for the charity was a resounding success and we look forward to continue our support in the future and expanding our relationship with the team”.

    Each Giggle Doctor visit costs £10, the money raised will fund 15 Giggle Doctor visits to poorly children in hospitals across England.

    Thank you to Lendlease staff for helping us give more giggles during Giggle Week!

    Lendlease staff enjoy their bake sale

     

    One of the delicious cakes on offer
  • ZEAL Creative share their smiles for Giggle Week

    The amazing team at ZEAL Creative lived up to their name this week by getting creative in their support for Giggle Week. Using our orange heart as their inspiration the team created a photo montage of each of them holding orange heart-shaped biscuits, replacing their own smile with our logo. 

    The team also showed their fun side through a series of boomerang videos of the team laughing which you can see on our twitter page

    ZEAL Creative have long been supporters of our work and have supported Giggle Week from the very beginning by designing the Giggle Week logo. Thank you so much to everyone at ZEAL Creative for all the ongoing support and being such an important part of our Giggle Week campaign. 

    ZEAL Ceative support Giggle Week

     

  • Thank you for making Giggle Week so much fun!

    From chuckles and snorting to belly laughs, our social media pages were filled with people sharing their giggles. The campaign also caught the attention of celebrities. Judge Rinder shared his support for the campaign and GB Paralympic swimmer, Becky Redfern, filmed a video of her giggling to show her support. Dr Miriam Stoppard also supported the campaign online. 

     

    Giggling is hungry work and lots of you held cake sales to help raise money for our work. From chocolate cakes to heart-shaped biscuits it is clear that many of our supporters are also keen bakers!

     

    In addition to all of our amazing supporters we want to say a special thank you to some of the companies who helped to make Giggle Week a reality. As a small charity we don’t have a lot of resources, so support from partners who can help us create and elevate our fundraising campaigns is invaluable. Thank you to those people who helped make it all possible.

     

    Luminous PR: Luminous PR have supported us for a while, lending their expertise and skills to help us raise the profile of Theodora Children’s Charity. When we approached them with the idea of Giggle Week we were met with enthusiasm and lots of ideas on how to make Giggle Week a success. The team work tirelessly supporting our social media channels and securing media coverage for the campaign. Thank you to whole team!

     

    ZEAL Creative: The amazing team got involved at the very beginning when Giggle Week was just an idea. They took the concept and created our bright and colourful Giggle Week logo. The team also lived up to their creative name by creating their own Giggle Week videos and photo montages.  

     

    Giggle Group: The Giggle Group share our passion for laughter and joy. The team visited several hospitals during Giggle Week to film the Giggle Doctors visiting children. They managed to capture the value and importance of the Giggle Doctor visits and some truly magical moments. We can’t wait to show you the finished films once they are ready.

     

    Thank you to all of our Giggle Week 2018 partners and supporters who made the campaign such a success. We can’t wait to spread even more laughter and happiness in Giggle Week 2019!

     

    Thank You!

     

  • #Fun4All

    We are delighted to announce that we will be partnering with Fundamentally Children on their #Fun4All Campaign.

     

    The campaign, which runs from April to October, aims to remove the barriers that can prevent children from accessing play and all the benefits that come with it. Each month the campaign will share information to overcome some of the barriers that prevent children from accessing play.

     

    Founded by Dr Amanda Gummer, Fundamentally Children is dedicated to promoting the value of play in healthy childhoods and want to help create a world where children are able to fulfil their potential and develop – during a safe, happy and playful childhood – the skills they need to thrive throughout their lives.

     

    Amanda said:

     

    “We’re delighted to have partnered with Theodora Children’s Charity for our #Fun4All Campaign. Play, humour and imagination are fantastic tools for helping children manage their anxiety while in hospital, because this lets them escape into a fantasy world. The Giggle Doctors make sure that the personal and emotional wellbeing of these young patients is looked after during a potentially very scary time, so they can just enjoy being children.”

     

    We are really pleased to be partnering with Fundamentally Children on the #Fun4All campaign. Our Giggle Doctors are highly trained to be sensitive to the child’s needs; whether it’s a joke, a song or simply companionship. All of our Giggle Doctors are trained in ‘intensive interaction’, a technique which has been shown to improve communication skills of disabled children who have severe communication difficulties. This means that our Giggle Doctors ensure that play, and all the benefits that come from it, are accessible to all children regardless of how unwell they are.

     

    You can follow the campaign online via twitter and Facebook.

     

    #Fun4All

     

  • Dr Caspar Addyman explores the health benefits of a Giggle Doctor visit

    We have all heard the phrase ‘laughter is the best medicine’  but Dr Caspar Addyman has set out to investigate that. As a developmental psychologist interested in learning, laughter and behaviour change he looks to explore the science behind laughter. As part of his research he launched The Baby Laughter Project to find out why babies laugh so much. 

    In Dr Addyman’s latest article for The Conversation he talks about the amazing work the Giggle Doctors do and the potential health benefits for the children they visit: 

    ‘As a researcher interested in the benefits of laughter, I am fascinated by the work giggle doctors do and how it might make a difference to sick and disabled children.’

    Read the full article online here

  • Dr Hip Hap helps Loki on the road to recovery

    Dr Hip Hap’s visits have been helping a family in Birmingham after their 17 month son, Loki, had to have his leg amputated due to sceptic shock. Loki’s mum, Naomi, has told the Birmingham Post the difference the Giggle Doctor visits have made to the family as they support Loki post-surgery:

    ‘I can always see a difference in Loki when he’s been with the Giggle Doctors and the play therapists. He’s in such a good mood afterwards… The Giggle Doctors have not only helped Loki on the road to recovery through their work, but they are also medicine for Rob and I too, as every time we see Loki smile, laugh and be happy we grow stronger and stronger together.’

    You can read the full article online here

    Dr Hip Hap visiting Loki

     

  • Mental Health Monday

    Spending time in hospital can be really frightening for children, having a big impact on their mood and causing feelings of anxiety or boredom. 

    During Radio City Talk’s special programme, Mental Health Monday, our Chief Executive Emily spoke about how the Giggle Doctor visits can help improve a child’s mood. The Giggle Doctor visit improves a child’s experience of hospital as Emily explained: 

    ‘The visit gives them a chance to just be a child, to play and have some fun and just be silly. The Giggle Doctors are able to facilitate that … it just transforms the mood for the children and if the family are there as well it transforms everyone’s mood’

    You can listen to the interview online here from 31 minutes. 

    Mental Health Monday

     

  • Our Giggle Doctors feature in the Mail Online

    Dr Caspar Addyman, developmental psychologist and laughter researcher, recently wrote an article discussing the health benefits of a Giggle Doctor visit. The article explored how laughter can improve both physical and psychological health. 

    We’re very excited that Dr Addyman’s piece has been included in the Mail Online, raising awareness of our amazing Giggle Doctors and the work they do. 

    You can read the full article online here and donate online here to help us to give more magical Giggle Doctor visits to children. 

     

  • Dr Bananas Interviewed on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    On Friday 13th April, the fantastic Dr Bananas featured on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, sharing his experience of being a Giggle Doctor.

    In the interview Dr Bananas talks about his experience of being a Giggle Doctor. He explained how the role of the Giggle Doctors is to empower children in hospitals. He also explained how the visits impact the whole family.

    You can listen to the full interview online here. The interview starts 22 minutes into the show. 

    Listen to Dr Bananas on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

     

  • Dr Hip Hap and Dr Flowerpot are interviewed on BBC Radio Nottingham

    Dr Hip Hap and Dr Flowerpot featured on the Alan Clifford show on BBC Radio Nottingham to talk about what it is like to be a Giggle Doctor. 

    Dr Hip Hap explained:

    ‘It is the most amazing job in the world! We have fabulous training in lots and lots of different areas to equip us with the tools we need to improvise out on the wards and to connect with kids of all ages, from babies right up to teenagers… We’re here to make a connection in a positive way’

    Dr Flowerpot added:

    ‘It is fabulous, it is fun and it is silly. But it is also really sensitive. Our intention is to make lighter moments for children in hospital and let them be children again’

    You can listen to the interview, which starts at 2 hours 7 minutes, online by clicking here.

    BBC Radio Nottingham

  • Meet our Marathon Runner

     

    With just under two months until the Virgin Money London Marathon 2018, training is already well under way for this year’s runners!

    We’re lucky enough to have a runner taking part on behalf of Theodora Children’s Charity. The lovely Ian Reynolds, Managing Director at the KBH Group, is running his first marathon this year to support our work.

    We caught up with Ian to hear about how he’s feeling about his first ever marathon, and find out what attracted him to support Theodora.

    Ian Reynolds, Managing Director at the KBH Group

    Q: Hi Ian! So, what attracted you to Theodora Children’s Charity?

    I have known about Theodora, and the positive work it does for many years. I think it’s a simple but marvellous idea that must really help children when they most need it. The Giggle Doctors’ work just really strikes a chord with me – even more so, now I have children of my own.

    Q: How did you end up running for Theodora?

    I have always wanted to one day run a marathon, both as an opportunity to support a worthy cause and as something to do for myself. I remember talking about this many years ago with Theodora, so when the opportunity came up via ballot I accepted!

    Q: How are you feeling about running the marathon?

    This is my first marathon, and having ramped up my training in the last 4 weeks I realise that it will not be easy at all! But I love a challenge, and even though I’m nervous I hope I can get myself to the level required to finish!    

    Q: How’s your fundraising going?

    I have reached out to family and business contacts via email and shared my online donations page. I have also held a money raising and fun ‘Bogan Bingo’ night on the 1st March. So far, I have over £3,000 in donations.          

    Q: Why should people sponsor you?

    Theodora is a great charity, which when competing against many much larger charities needs all the help it can get to deliver what it wants. I and my company have also spent many years sponsoring other people, so it’s a fair return of favour!           

    Q: What would you say to someone else thinking of running the London marathon for Theodora?

    I would encourage them to say ‘yes’ – and to get started on the training and fundraising ASAP!

    Thanks, Ian. Good Luck!

    It costs £10 to fund a Giggle Doctor visit to one child. Fundraising efforts – like Ian’s – help us to bring smiles and giggles to even more poorly children.

    If you’d like to sponsor Ian on his marathon journey, please click here.

  • Volunteering at Theodora Children’s Charity – Nikki’s Story

    Nikki has been volunteering in the office for the past three years. Everyone in the team looks forward to the days Nikki is in the office and really values her help. Here Nikki explains how she first got involved and what she enjoys about her days volunteering with us:

    I first heard of the Theodora Children’s Charity many years ago when I attended a charity presentation at work, Coutts & Co Private Bank, when one of the Trustees was speaking about the work of the charity.  She was so passionate about the charity and I was really inspired by the Giggle Doctors and the joy they bring to children and their families whilst they are in hospital and how this can make such a difference to their wellbeing and recovery. 

    I made a donation that day and then continued to make donations when the newsletters arrived and remained interested in the development of the charity.  However it wasn’t until my employer offered staff the opportunity to volunteer for up to five days a year with a charity that I was able to offer much more of my time. The Theodora newsletter dropped through my letterbox just at the right time and I emailed to enquire about volunteering opportunities.  I was delighted to hear that I could offer my skills at the London office where I have now been volunteering for over 3 years.

    It is a pleasure to work with the team, who are so welcoming and I enjoy each day I spend here and feel that by the end of the day I have made a valuable contribution. I work on various projects; spending time researching fundraising opportunities, preparing letters for schools and clubs to request their help with fundraising, finding locations for collections, updating the supporter database and many other things and it’s great to hear when this research has resulted in donations bringing more smiles to children’s faces.”

  • Dr Dovetail and Dr Whoopee put a big smile on Jack’s face

    As part of the #Fun4All campaign, we are partnering with Fundamentally Children to highlight the ways in which our Giggle Doctors remove some of the barriers that prevent children from accessing the benefits of play. 

     

    Jack’s Story

    Jack has complex epilepsy and is unable to talk.

    Recently his mum got in touch to tell us about his experience with the Giggle Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

    “Jack has been in and out of hospital since he was four months old, most recently following brain surgery in 2016. Although now 16 he has a mental age of 2 with little understanding of danger. 

    Jack at GOSHHe wears a helmet to prevent injuries from falls caused by his frequent seizures. This makes moving around in the hospital environment, with all its equipment, very dangerous for him.  To keep him safe he spends long periods of time restricted to a cot bed or his wheelchair. During a recent admission for complex tests he needed to stay in his cot or immediate area for five days, so he was delighted to see Dr Dovetail and Dr Whoopee as you can see in the photo!

    Jack had previously met the Giggle Doctors in several hospitals, Southampton, Brighton, and of course Great Ormond Street. They’d also visited his school, Young Epilepsy. Over the years he has got to know and trust them which is great as he can be nervous around new people, especially in a hospital setting.  It’s incredibly difficult to keep Jack entertained in hospital, particularly as he’d prefer to be outside watching buses, so seeing Dr Dovetail and Dr Whoopee’s familiar and friendly faces was hugely appreciated.

    Jack is especially partial to rude noises so was delighted to have a competition with the Giggle Doctors where everyone took turns to make the silliest noises! 

    I think his smile shows just how much he enjoyed it, it was just the biggest smile!

    To visit the rest of the ward the Giggle Doctors then had to walk past his window and every time he spotted them you could see he was watching them, thinking ‘Me, Me, is it me again?!’

    So, I just wanted to pass on my heartfelt appreciation for the Giggle Doctors. They really do make a difference and help brighten up what can be very long and worrying days.

    From all of us, thank you”.

  • We have been shortlisted for the Charity Awards 2018!

    We are very excited to announce that we have been shortlisted in the Children and Youth Category for the 2018 Charity Awards.

     

    The Charity Awards is Civil Society Media’s annual awards programme held to recognise organisations doing exceptional work in all areas of charitable activity.

    The awards are judged by a respected panel of voluntary sector heavyweights, each of them leaders in their own fields with years of experience of leading and managing civil society organisations. Awards are given out in ten categories and an overall winner is chosen from the winners in each category.

    Our Chief Executive Emily Swords said: ‘We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for the Charity Awards. The whole team, including our Giggle Doctors, work so hard and deserve this recognition for the amazing work they do. To have been identified as a charity that demonstrates the Charity Awards’ Hallmarks of Excellence is a moment of immense pride’.

    The winners of each category will be announced at an event on 7th June, so watch this space to find out if we are announced the winner.

  • Volunteer with our Communications Team

    Are you looking for voluntary experience to help launch your career in the charity sector? Then this is the role for you. 

    We are looking for an enthusiastic student or graduate who is passionate about our work and wants hands-on experience designing and creating communication materials for a charity.

    As a volunteer we offer you the chance to get involved by creating fundraising packs, finding creative ways to design materials that talk about our work and supporting our social media channels. Previous volunteers have had the chance to design thank you cards for supporters, create videos and infographic images and have produced content for our website and newsletters. 

    In return we can help you get your dream job in sector by giving advice on writing CVs and cover letters and help you prepare for job interviews through coaching and trial questions.  Our past three volunteers have all left us to start full time roles within the charity sector. Here is what they said about their time with us:

    ‘It’s safe to say the one day I spent each week volunteering for Theodora Children’s Charity was my favourite day of the week.’

    ‘When I first began volunteering at Theodora Children’s Charity I thought I would simply receive some valuable experience, yet the skills I’ve learnt and developed here are truly invaluable, in addition to the tremendous sense of purpose I’ve found in working here; it’s nice being around people that make an effort to create smiles on young faces across the UK who are suffering from illness or disability.’

    We are offering the volunteer role as a part-time position and all applicants should be available to give a minimum of 4 days of their time each month.

    No prior experience of working in the charity sector is necessary but applicants should have strong written and spoken communications skills, experience of using design software, a confident telephone manner and a ‘can do’ attitude. 

    If you would like to join our team then please do get in touch with alice.barley@theodora.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

  • The Language of Play

    Our Giggle Doctors are trained to work in many ways to ensure that play and all the benefits that come from it are available to children, no matter how unwell they may be. Often they may visit a child who doesn’t speak English or is non verbal and the Giggle Doctors have to find another way to build trust and rapport with the child. Here Dr Nic Nac explains how she recently visited some children who didn’t speak English and how they found their own way to connect and play.

     

    Dr Nic Nac

    “It was clear from the start that none of us could speak each other’s language. But as I come from a physical comedy background I instantly settled into play within the environment I was in.

     

    I quickly connected with the children through expression, touch and sound. Soon I realised I was very comfortable in this environment and not being able to speak the same language did not make a difference to my ability to play and interact with these children. 

     

    I took time to connect with each child individually, adjusting my energy and style to the needs of each child. I played with my percussion instruments, did ridiculous dancing and got the children playing with all my silly nic nacs. Soon I felt like one of them. I was in their world. I was a friend, someone who they could relax with and be wildly creative and playful with. The children seemed to forget any language barriers  and felt safe and able to express themselves. With each child, I developed a unique connection.

     

    I feel happiest, when I make other people feel like this. It is the most important gift I can give that goes beyond anything physical. The memory of that day will make my heart smile for many years to come.

     

    It is experiences like this that constantly remind me that being a Giggle Doctor has to be a personal thing that goes beyond the need for income or great skill. It is about having an unselfish desire to love and connect with those around us who need it most. We are not doing it for any applause or recognition. It is very often an unnoticed thing, unique moments made everyday for the children who receive them. 

     

    As Giggle Doctors we are never fully able to witness the long term impact of our visits. But sometimes a child refuses to stop following you or to let you go, or a parent thanks you sincerely for changing their day. Other times members of staff find their spirits lifted when you enter the ward and they tell you tales of how happy everyone was last time you visited. It is only then that you realise that you are doing a good job. Being a Giggle Doctor has defined who I am in life, I love it and would never want to be anything else!”

     

  • Triple your donations with Amazon Smile from 15th to 29th June

    Amazon SmileAmazon lets shoppers donate to their favourite charity just by doing their shopping on Amazon Smile (the same website as Amazon). There is no cost to you as the shopper an the donation comes directly from Amazon. 

    All you need to do to raise money for us is sign up and choose us as your chosen charity. Then every time you shop using the Amazon Smile link, we will receive a donation. 

    As an added bonus, from 15th-29th June Amazon Smile are tripling their donation amounts!

    So please sign up and know that each time you shop with Amazon, you will be helping to bring joy and laugher to sick children in hospital. 

  • Why the Giggle Doctors, and play, are so important in the healthcare environment

    Two Giggle Doctors visits Leeds Children’s Hospital at Leeds General Infirmary every Monday afternoon. Neoma Jacobs, Play Leader at the hospital, explains why she thinks the Giggle Doctors and play are so important in the healthcare environment: 

    “Play in hospital gives children the chance to forget about what they are going through and makes situations that could be scary and worrying more fun, creating happy memories. Play stops children getting bored and takes their mind away from what is going on around them. Children who have access to toys and activities in hospital tend to have a more positive experience which helps if they have to visit hospital again. Play in hospital makes both children and families more relaxed and helps to stop boredom.

    The Giggle Doctors visits always bring lots of joy and laughter to not only the children but parents and staff within the hospital.  During their visits they are able to make children relax and feel happy, taking their mind away from the hospital environment they are in and creating smiles which parents treasure.”

    Giggle Doctors at LGI

  • Be inspired by eight year old Chloe

    Chloe has recently turned eight years old. At just two years old, she met our Giggle Doctors whilst having chemotherapy in hospital. She recently decided to cut her hair off, raising money for our Giggle Doctor programme and donating her hair to the Little Princess Trust. What an inspiring young girl!

    We spoke to Chloe’s mum to find out more about Chloe’s story and how the Giggle Doctors had inspired her.

    “When Chloe was diagnosed with cancer, she had just turned two. She had to undergo 18 months of chemotherapy at Addenbrookes Hospital. Most weeks, we would go for chemotherapy on Thursdays which is the day that the Giggle Doctors were there, so we used to see them quite often.  

    It was very hard for Chloe. It took quite a while to get used to and was very traumatic at first. It is hard to explain to a two year old everything that is happening and why and that you are trying to make them better. They see things happening to them that aren’t very nice. They don’t really understand why they can’t go and do all the normal things that they did before.

    Once Chloe was diagnosed, everything happened very quickly. I think it all happened within one week. She had an operation on the Tuesday and then on the Thursday she had her first chemotherapy.  We first saw the Giggle Doctors on that first chemo day and it was lovely because they made her a little balloon bracelet, blew some bubbles and made some jokes. When we came away all she talked about, was the balloon bracelet and seeing the Giggle Doctors and the rest of it had almost been forgotten. It was a bit like a magic wand, almost wiping away all the bad stuff. It was really lovely on a very hard day.

    It was lovely for us to see a smile during the bad times. It sort of gives you hope for the rest of the treatment. When the Doctors tell you that your child is going to need treatment for 18 months, possibly more, you can’t see the end of the tunnel. It just seems never ending.  But when you have something like the Giggle Doctors that puts a smile on your child’s face, you think ok, there will be days where it’s a bit better or a little bit easier and it’s not going to all be completely awful. It was very reassuring.

    Dr Fab was one of Chloe’s favourite Giggle Doctors. They met quite a few times. She gave Chloe a postcard picture of her with a signature on the back which to this day, Chloe still has stuck in her bedroom. She definitely loved Dr Fab. She’s famous in Chloe’s eyes. There’s no Little Mix posters on her walls, just Dr Fab.

    There was one particular time when Chloe was being fed by a tube as she had stopped eating whilst she had her treatment. The tube had come out and the nurse was trying to help her get it back in. Chloe hadn’t spoken to us for most of the day. She was lying there quietly when Dr Dotty came by. She made her a little balloon lady bird very quietly and put it on Chloe. She let her stroke it then blew some bubbles. Chloe started to smile and interact with her. After that Chloe lay there quietly still but she was talking again and she seemed much happier and calmer. It definitely made a difference to her mood after the traumatic experience of trying to get the tube back in. It just kind of reassured her and made her feel a bit happy again.

    TheodoraChloe recently decided to cut her hair off and donate it to charity.  We had heard about the Little Princess Trust charity but not until after her hair had started to grow back so she didn’t have a wig. Chloe has often mentioned that one day she wanted to help children who didn’t have any hair. When Chloe was going through her treatment, she was very much into all the Disney princesses, who all have long flowing hair, so her hair is very important to her. This is how I knew that this was something she really wanted to do as soon as she mentioned it. We recently went to the hairdressers and it was very spontaneous. She suddenly said “Can I chop my hair off and donate it?” So we did it there and then. Then we talked about her favourite charity and who she wanted to fundraise for and she immediately said the Giggle Doctors.

    We truly appreciated the Giggle Doctors during our time in hospital and what a difference they made not just to Chloe but to us, the parents too. To see your child smile during the tough times really means a lot”.

    Chloe has raised a fantastic £190 for the Theodora Children’s Charity from cutting her hair off. We want to say a huge thank you to her from everyone at the Theodora Children’s Charity.

  • Theodora Children’s Charity bags from Tesco’s community grant scheme

    We are delighted to announce that we bagged £3,452 from Tesco’s Bags of Help community grant scheme. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us in store.

    The money raised will help us to provide 345 Giggle Doctor visits to sick and disabled children at Bradford Royal Infirmary. One Giggle Doctor visits Bradford Royal Infirmary every Tuesday afternoon providing them with magical moments of joy and laughter.

    Bags of Help is run in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork, and sees grants raised from the sale of carrier bags awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. Since launching in 2015, it’s provided more than £52 million to over 16,000 local community projects.

    Alec Brown, Tesco’s Head of Community, said:

    “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from customers. It’s such a special scheme because it’s local people who decide how the money will be spent in their community. We can’t wait to see the projects come to life.”

    Voting ran in stores throughout March and April with customers choosing which local project they would like to get the top award using a token given to them at the checkout.

    Thank you so much to everyone who voted on our behalf!

  • NHS’s 70th Birthday

    On 5th July the NHS will be turning 70 and we wanted to take the opportunity to say a really big thank you to the NHS and all of its amazing staff! Our Giggle Doctors work throughout England and get to see the amazing work NHS staff do everyday. We are so thankful for everything they do and are incredibly proud to work alongside them in the hospitals we visit. 

    To show our thanks and appreciation we wanted to do something very special to celebrate the NHS’s Birthday. So our Giggle Doctors created this short video to show how much we appreciate all of the people who work in the NHS. We hope you all enjoy the video and will join us in saying a really big THANK YOU to the NHS!

    {“preview_thumbnail”:”/sites/theodora_uk/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/3YAe1S_E8NI.jpg?itok=FAb1MM-k”,”video_url”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YAe1S_E8NI”,”settings”:{“responsive”:0,”width”:”790″,”height”:”385″,”autoplay”:1},”settings_summary”:[“Embedded Video (790×385, autoplaying).”]}

  • Roll up! Roll up! Circus Starr raises money for our Giggle Doctor visits

    Theodora Children’s Charity has been selected as a charity partner for the Circus Starr autumn tour. Profits from the tour will be donated to Theodora Children’s Charity to support our Giggle Doctor visits.Cirus Starr

     

    Circus Starr is a touring circus boasting world-class, professional artists from across the globe. It was first founded in 1987 and provides free seats for thousands of disadvantaged, disabled or vulnerable children, whilst helping to raise much needed funds for local charities. Through its unique network of partner charities and local businesses, Circus Starr provides over £1.3 million worth of free tickets to children, their families and community groups throughout the UK every year.

     

    Michelle Crossley, Director of Circus Starr, said:  

     

    “We share Theodora Children’s Charity’s commitment to bring joy and laughter to children whose lives revolve around daunting medical tests, operations and hospital stays.  

     

    We know from touring our inclusive circus shows to many children with life limiting conditions that laughter is often the best medicine helping to build resilience and lower stress. So we are delighted to be able to support the Giggle Doctors doing their rounds providing a wonderful distraction not only for young patients, but also their anxious mums and dads and hard-working medical staff”.

     

    We are so grateful to Circus Starr for their support and look forward to partnering with them this autumn. The tour starts on 5th September and you can see the full schedule online here 

  • How our Giggle Doctors helped Alfie

    “Alfie was 5 when he was diagnosed with burkitts leukaemia. He spent nearly 4 months on the ward at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

    Giggle DoctorWe met Dr I-spy during our first week on the ward she made us all smile and laugh which we hadn’t done for a long time. As the weeks went on Alfie knew when the Giggle Doctors were coming and would be ready and waiting for them to come. As soon as he saw Dr I-spy he would run up to her and make jokes with her.

    The Giggle Doctors are so important for not only the children but the parents as well. They make it all seem so much easier and make you remember that it’s ok to laugh when things are rubbish.

    We can’t thank you all enough for what you do. Alfie would like you tell Dr I-spy he loves her and misses her lots”. 

  • Equifax raise money to bring smiles to over 500 children!

    We want to say big thank you to the staff at Equifax who raised an incredible £5,501.45 during their recent summer staff party.

     

    Dr Dotty joined staff and clients for the afternoon to thank them for their incredible support. Whilst staff embraced the summer heat wave and Hawaiian theme with colourful shirts and leis, three members of staff went the extra mile to raise money for our Giggle Doctor visits. Sales Directors Zowie, David and Ben took part in the annual costume challenge and were sponsored to come dressed as Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach from Mario Kart. 

     

    Equifax have been supporting our Giggle Doctor visits since 2015, helping to bring smiles and giggles to thousands of children throughout England. From bake sales to bike rides, fun runs to marathons the staff have shown huge passion and commitment for our work.

     

    It costs just £10 for a Giggle Doctor to visit a child which means that over 500 children will benefit from the money raised at the summer staff party!

     

    On behalf of all the children we visit, thank you so much to everyone at Equifax for the amazing support.


    Equifax Boat Party

     

  • Dr Easy Peasy’s visit to Issy

    “We are foster carers and we fostered Issy when she was five months old and then officially adopted her about four years ago. She had contracted meningitis a couple of days after being born which attacked part of her brain and left her disabled.

    Dr Easy PeasyShe met Dr Easy Peasy for the first time last week at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. She has sleep apnoea where she can’t breathe properly whilst sleeping and she was in hospital to take part in a sleep study. But on the second day, she became unwell and she was transferred to the high dependency unit. That’s where she met Dr Easy Peasy.

    When we saw Dr Easy Peasy coming around, we thought oh no, but as soon as she started talking and saying ‘do this and do that’, it was great. Issy loves all that. She was feeling fairly well at that point so it was great timing. She’s got that same sort of sense of humour as Dr Easy Peasy. It was really good to see her laughing and smiling so much after her being so ill for the last few weeks. It was nice to see Issy back to the old Issy.  I’ve got so many videos of her just laughing and laughing and laughing.

    It must have gone on for about 10 minutes and then Dr Easy Peasy said I’ve got to go now and as she walked away, Issy started to get upset but she kept coming back in little bits at a time. It was brilliant. It really did perk up her day. It’s just so nice that the Giggle Doctors spend time talking to the child. Some people talk over or past the child so the Giggle Doctors are great. Issy really loved it. I’ve not seen her laughing and smiling so much for a long while”.

  • Emily’s experience as a Theodora volunteer

    Emily“I applied to volunteer for Theodora Children’s Charity to get summer work experience. It immediately jumped out as something I wanted to get involved in because the goal of the charity was so positive and specific so I knew exactly what I would be involved with. On top of that, I was a patient at Great Ormond Street when I was younger so recognised how much help Giggle Doctors could be due to personal experience. After being in that environment you recognise how important it is to bring light into scary situations and I was really excited to get to help the charity.

    I have now volunteered from June through to August and could not recommend it more. The team is so friendly and patient which is definitely helpful when you’re going in with no proper office experience. I feel like they really cared about me having a positive and meaningful volunteer experience, so I was given a range of tasks to get the most out of my time. I got to be involved in the full fundraising process from research tasks to sending out fundraising letters. This is knowledge I can now take forward into future job applications as well as using my fundraising experience to help raise money for societies I’m involved in at university.

    After being involved I hope my work will bring in funding to the charity and plan on keeping in touch to see what happens after I am gone. I have come to really care about the cause and will to continue to support the charity in other ways once my time as a volunteer is over”.

    We want to say a big thank you to Emily for all her hard work during her time volunteering with us and wish her lots of luck as she enters the next year of her studies. 

  • Ambassador of Smiles

    Here Ken, tells what fist inspired him to support our work:

     

    Ken

    “Having seen the ‘Giggle Doctors’ at work in hospitals I am convinced that laughter is the best medicine.  My expedition work is made all the more worthwhile when I see the smiles the ‘Doctors’ generate and the fun they have with them. I am delighted to have been offered the opportunity to act as an Ambassador for The Theodora Children’s Charity and look forward to supporting them in many different ways in the future.”

     

    He went on to say “The past President of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, Peter Davey, has donated £600 from the annual conference fundraising raffle which is a great support of our fundraising and we are most grateful for the generosity of the conference attendees”.

     

    If you are a member of the Rotary or any local club and would like to support our work please get in touch with ellen.blessington@theodora.org

  • We have been shortlisted for a Children and Young People Now Awards!

    We are very excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for the the Play Award for the 2018 Children and Young People Now Awards 2018.

    The Children and Young People Now Awards have become the gold standard for organisations working with children, young people and their families. The awards provide recognition for people who work hard to improve the lives of others and aim to recognise excellence, innovation and impact. 

    The winners of each category will be announced at an event on 21st November, so watch this space to find out if we are announced the winner.

  • Theatretrain Dance for Giggles

    13

    Theatretrain provides professional training in the performing arts for children and young people across the UK.

    They are big supporters of our Giggle Doctor programme and have raised thousands of pounds for us over the last few years through various fundraising events. Last year, they even recorded a charity single with all profits coming to the Theodora Children’s Charity! Their fantastic efforts have brought fun and laughter to many poorly children in hospital and we are incredibly grateful for their ongoing support.

    This year, they have decided to go all out and do a sponsored Dance-for-Giggles, involving over 3000 children from all 70 centres. We are so excited to see their plans coming together and can’t wait to see the event live steamed on the day. 

    On Saturday 3rd November, children from all Theatretrain centres will be taking part at the same time on the same day and getting sponsored by family and friends. 

    We wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who is working hard to make this event a big success and are so excited to see how many Giggles are made possible from their dancing!

  • Dr Flowerpot Features on the Great British Menu

    Earlier this year, during the filming, Ellis Barrie, one of the Great British Menu contestants in the North West Category took some time out of his job as a chef to be a Giggle Doctor for the afternoon alongside Dr Flowerpot. Ellis’ brother was treated in hospital as a child so he knows first-hand how difficult it can be for children in hospital. This is what inspired him to learn more about our work and how the Giggle Doctors help to make a hospital stay that little bit better.

     

    Here Dr Flowerpot tells us what it was like to have Ellis working alongside her. 

     

    “I had a great day working with Ellis. We did a pre-interview outside the wards and told him he was going to come on the wards with us. He was given a Giggle Doctor coat and we also gave him a Giggle Doctor name but I can’t remember what it was.     

     

    He was very funny. He had a great energy about him which was brilliant for working with children. He was a little nervous but looking forward to spending some time with us.

     

    To start with, we went to see a young lady who is 15. She had been coming into hospital for about the last six months. She was in isolation so we knocked and put our aprons and gloves on. I already knew her a bit which is good but Ellis had never met her before. We had a bit of teenage banter and then we decided to play a game that is a bit like snap but more complicated. That was fun and then I did a balloon challenge with both of them so I made a balloon and then Ellis had to copy it and she had to decide which was the best. She chose his which was very kind.

     

    What I didn’t know at the time was the balloon I had chosen spontaneously was actually a fish shaped balloon. Guess what his course was on the great British menu… It was fish. It wasn’t until later that he told me this. What a coincidence.

     

    After this, we went to the physiotherapists room where they were having a dance session in the room. This was not easy for Ellis as he was on crutches but he gave it a good go. That was great, though he said it was too much like hard work for him. It was great as a lot of the children with cystic fibrosis were on that ward. Dancing is much more fun than having to do proper exercise.

     

    After that, we went and did a final how did it go interview. I just really enjoyed being with him. I think he laughed more than anybody I’ve ever worked with. We just had such a lovely time. He was so open to playing and being silly with the children and that was great.

     

    I think Ellis would make a great Giggle Doctor. He was a new dad when we were at the hospital. He had just had his little boy and I think that was one of the motivations for him. Once you have a baby you quickly get switched on the needs of children. He is going to make a fab dad. He is very silly, light and bubbly. He would definitely make a good Giggle Doctor.  

     

    He just had a really smiley, positive, fun personality. Him and his brother run their own restaurant together and I can imagine they have lots of fun and great banter.  

     

    He had lots of bad dad jokes and lots of laugher. I’ve found over the years of working as a Giggle Doctor, the more you’re enjoying it and having fun, the more that transfers. If you’re having to make it feel like your acting, it’s not fun, it’s not spontaneous and you’re having to do things you know don’t work. But if you’re free and able to go with it, and giggle along with the kids, actually giggling is infections, so if you giggle and laugh a lot, it tends to transfer over to them. Ellis was really easy going like that. He wasn’t too self-aware or concerned with getting it right. He just let himself have fun and that’s what you need”.Dr Flowerpot and Ellis

  • Dr Flowerpot attends the BBC’s Great British Menu Banquet

    You can find out all about the day here and catch up on the episode on BBC iplayer. Ellis’s visit begins at about 18 minutes in. 

    At the end of his visit, Dr Flowerpot was surprised with a very special invite to the Banquet. This was a lovely gesture and a great way to thank someone who has brought fun and laugher to so many sick children.

    Here’s what Dr Flowerpot said:

    10“At the end of the day, following his visit, Ellis surprised me because I said to him that as he’d worked with me all day, maybe I should come and help him in his kitchen for the day. At this point, he pulled out a gold card from his jacket and said well, ‘we would like to invite you to the banquet’. I was genuinely surprised.

     

    So about a month later, I went down to London. The production team were fabulous. They picked me up from the station and the hotel was over by St Pauls cathedral. I didn’t have very long to jump into posh clothes and do my hair before we met for a whole evening of filming. I’ve never had that kind of food before. Some of it was lovely and some was ok. The experience was fabulous. I had Matthew, one of the judges to the left of me. He was a lovely man, very warm and friendly and to the right of me I had a lady who had set up the NHS choir who performed on the night as well. I met some really interesting people. It was a great night”.

  • Postcode Community Trust helps fund training of new Giggle Doctors

    1

    Thanks to the support of the Postcode Community Trust, we have now begun training our new Giggle Doctors and we are very excited to see them beginning to develop their Giggle Doctor skills. By increasing the number of Giggle Doctors, this will enable us to carry out more Giggle Doctor visits, bringing fun and laughter to even more sick children in hospital. Our goal is to give giggles to over 43,500 children a year by the end of 2019. 

    How does the Postcode Community Trust work?

    The Postcode Community Trust is a grant giving charity funded entirely by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

    Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery have the chance to win prizes everyday. Players sign up with their postcode and pay £10 per month. They are automatically entered into every draw and prizes are announced every day of the month. 32% of the ticket price goes to charities, helping lots of amazing causes every single day.

    2

    Thank you so much for choosing to support our Giggle Doctor training programme. 

  • The Difference We Make

    GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are one of our longest standing supporters. They’ve not only helped to fund our Giggle Doctor visits but they have also helped to support the charity to grow over time. Recently, Margeaux, a member of staff from GSK has joined our team for six months to help us improve our impact measurement. Here Margeaux explains the project in more detail:

    “I am very excited to be working with Theodora Children’s Charity on this project. Impact measurement is about showing how the Giggle Doctors help to bring about positive, meaningful changes for children in hospital. Before I joined the charity, they had already started to measure the benefits of a Giggle Doctor visit, but being a small team they needed some extra help to really capture the impact of the visits.

    In order to improve our impact measurement, I split the project into three steps: 

    • Firstly, I worked with the team to develop a formal ‘Theory of Change’. With help from the Giggle Doctors we discussed the charity’s goals, the need they are trying to address (improving children’s experience of the medical environment), and how the Giggle Doctor visits aim to achieve this.   
    • The second step is to understand more about the children, parents and hospitals that we are working with. This will help us better understand the needs of the children our Giggle Doctors visit. To do this we will be setting up a survey on our website (and asking parents and children to give us their feedback on how they found the Giggle Doctor visit.
    • The third step will be to improve the ways we measure the impact we are making.  We know that being in hospital can cause anxiety, boredom and isolation for children. We want to make sure our Giggle Doctor visits are helping to reduce these feelings and increase opportunities for play. We will be piloting this part of the project over the coming months. 

    We look forward to sharing more with you as the project develops and showing you the difference that your donations have on the children we visit. 

     

    If you have had a visit from a Giggle Doctor and want to complete our survey please click on the link below and you’ll have the chance to win a £50 gift voucher.

     

    survey link
  • Equifax raise over £50,000 to support our Giggle Doctor visits!

    Equifax have been supporting Theodora Children’s Charity since 2015. They were looking for a small charity which focDr Snug at Equifaxused on providing services to children, that they could make a difference to.

    Almost four years and over £50,000 later, Equifax employees have certainly made a difference! From fancy dress boat parties to Great British Day fundraisers, running half marathons, Easter raffles, tube collections and Christmas carolling! Lucy who heads up the Charity Committee with Laura and Wayne explains why our partnership has been so successful:

     “Equifax CarollingWe are in awe of the amazing work the Giggle Doctors do to brighten the lives of children in  hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres. We are able to raise the sums of money we do as all  of our colleagues believe in the great work they do and the difference they make.”

     Last year a team of 16 employees sung carols to Marylebone commuters to collect donations on our  behalf.  This year  they will be singing at Paddington Station on 17th December, so listen out for them if  you’re  catching a train that day. 

     

  • Growing Our Giggle Doctor Family

    We’re very excited to welcome a new team of Giggle Doctors to the Theodora family! They were selected from over 150 applicants to join our current team of 24 Giggle Doctors.

    The new Giggle Doctors will now complete a one-year comprehensive training programme which covers everything from infection control to the impact of illness on the family.  Trainees will also shadow experienced Giggle Doctors on visits to help them learn the practicalities of being a Giggle Doctor. The job of a Giggle Doctor is highly skilled and the training is designed to prepare our trainees for their new role and ensure a high level of professionalism.

    Being a Giggle Doctor is such a unique and wonderful job but it takes someone very special to be able to do the role. It is not just about being funny or telling jokes. A Giggle Doctor is someone who is sensitive, able to improvise and has the ability to put the child at the centre of what they do.

    Our Programme Manager, Louise, said: ‘We were overwhelmed with the number of applications and are extremely excited about all the new Giggle Doctors and the artistic talents and passion they will bring to the team!’.

    We’re hugely grateful to GlaxoSmithKline, the Postcode Community Trust (funded by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery), the Headley Foundation, the Sir Jules Thorn Trust and the 29th May 1961 Trust for enabling us to be able to do this.

    In addition to growing the Theodora family, we are also growing the number of children our Giggle Doctors are visiting. This October we’ll be increasing Giggle Doctor visits at Evelina London Children’s Hospital from one Giggle Doctor a week to two. This means our Giggle Doctors will be doubling the number of children we visit at the hospital to over 2,400!

    With lots of new Giggle Doctors in the team we will be able to visit even more children and hope to be able to expand in to more hospitals once their training is complete.

    We’ll be sharing lots of updates about our new trainees on our website and social media over the coming months.

  • London Marathon 2019

    There is no route more sought after than the world famous London Marathon. Over 30,000 people take part every year raising thousands for charity.

    We do not have any places available for the 2019 London Marathon but if you were lucky to get your own place we’d love you join Team Theodora. where we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.

    If you have your own place in the marathon, there is no minimum fundraising target, you can decide what your sponsorship target is. You’ll receive lots of support from our fundraising team including:London Marathon

    – Your own Theodora running vest

    – Support from our fundraising team to help you reach your chosen target

    – Help and advice setting up your online giving page

    – Posters, leaflets, collection tubs and other fundraising materials you may need

    – A cheering station on the day to support you on the 26.2 mile route. 

    If you have your own place and would like to join our team and help us give more giggles and opportunities for play to children in hospital, please get in touch by emailing theodora.uk@theodora.org 

  • The Big Give Christmas Challenge

    This Christmas you can give the gift of a Giggle Doctor visit to even more children by doubling your donation through the Big Give Christmas Challenge.

    Giving through the Big Give allows your donation to have an even bigger impact on our work and give double the giggles!

    A donation of £100 could be doubled to £200 – that’s Giggle Doctor visits for 20 children!

    Doubling your donation is easy:

    Visit www.biggive.org.uk from 12pm on 27th November

    Give a donation for the opportunity for it to be doubled by the Big Give

    Make sure you donate before 12pm on 4th December

    Our Giggle Doctors will be working throughout the Christmas period, visiting children who are too poorly to go home and bringing festive magic to their bedside:

     

    “It’s so difficult being in hospital and then Dr Snug comes along. It’s like Christmas – that magical feeling that children get where there is no worries and everything is wonderful. That’s Dr Snug all wrapped up. She comes in and the atmosphere changes. What she does for the parents by taking that pain away – the word thank you just doesn’t add up.” A parent

     

    Last year we raised over £75,000 and with your help we can raise even more giggles this year!

    Dr Bananas Big Give
  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Jamie-Lee

    “My oldest son, Jamie-Lee has a condition called Marfan syndrome. It is a connective tissue disorder and he needed open heart surgery. He was in ICU for 2 days and then went on to HDU. He then had 24 hours on the wards but had to go back into HDU. One day, whilst on HDU, I was talking to a member of staff when a Giggle Doctor came through. It was Dr Nic Nac. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was ‘washing her egg’. Then she came over to my son and started talking to his teddy. She got some balloons out and blew them up and drew all over them. It was the first time since his operation I had seen him laugh. I’ve never seen something so funny. It was absolutely hilarious.

    The hardest thing about being in hospital 13for long periods of time is the boredom. Jamie-Lee was there for about three weeks but he had nothing to do. Although he had his phone and could play he just wanted to go home to his own bed. He was so fed up in there. The Giggle Doctors just brightened up his day.  It was a new face that wasn’t a nurse or a doctor. Dr Nic Nac wasn’t prodding or poking. She just did silly things like blowing up balloons. She brightened up my day too. I think I would have gone stir crazy otherwise.

    After Dr Nic Nac’s visit, Jamie-Lee was in really high spirits. The minute he got out of HDU the second time, he just wanted to go home and I think Dr Nic Nac just gave him a boost of ‘I can do this, I know I can and I will be home soon’. It gave him the boost to carry on fighting. He got home within about a week which was good.

    The Giggle Doctors are just brilliant”.

  • We’ve been shortlisted for a National Happiness Award

    We are very excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for a National Happiness Awards in the Happiest Team category!

    The National Happiness Awards are the UK’s boldest and brightest honours scheme, where happiness pioneers in the workplace and in education are rewarded for making the world a happier place. 

    The winners of each category will be announced at an event on Friday 16th November, so watch this space to find out if we are announced the winner!

  • Cherubs Nurseries choose to support our Giggle Doctors in 2019

    We are delighted to have been chosen as the Charity Partner for Cherubs Nurseries in 2019. Throughout next year Cherubs Nurseries will be organising fundraising events to support our Giggle Doctors to bring play and laughter to more children in hospital. 

    Founded in 1993 Cherubs Nurseries incorporates ten nurseries and five kids clubs, based in and around Nottinghamshire, caring for thousands of children each year. 

    Susan Mills, managing Director at Cherubs Nurseries, commented on the partnership saying “After being introduced to Theodora Children’s Charity at the Nursery World Awards in September 2018 we were all touched by the amazing and worthwhile work they do. It’s going to be a really wonderful partnership and I am so glad we have been given the opportunity to continue to make such a positive difference to the hospital experience the children in our local communities receive”

    Our partnership with Cherubs Nurseries will help us give magical Giggle Doctor moments to so many more sick and disabled children. 2019 also marks our 25th Anniversary and we are so excited to be partnering with Cherubs Nurseries during such a special year.

    Thank you so much to Cherubs Nurseries for the support and we can’t wait to see what 2019 holds for our work together! 

     

  • We’re on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

    On Friday 16th November, Charlotte, the Mum to one of the children our Giggle Doctors visit featured on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire alongside our CEO. 

    In the interview Charlotte talks about her daughters experience of our Giggle Doctors. 

    You can listen to the full interview online here. The interview starts about 53.48 minutes into the show. 

    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
  • We Won A National Happiness Award!

    The National Happiness Awards are the UK’s boldest and brightest honours scheme, where happiness pioneers in the workplace and in education are rewarded for making the world a happier place. 

    The winners were announced at an event on Friday 16th November and we were very excited to discover that Theodora Children’s Charity won the Happiest Team award! The entire team was thrilled to win and receive recognition for all the hard work we do to spread laughter and happiness to sick and disabled children. 

    The awards are judged by an independent panel of experts and recognise happiness heroes from business, the public sector and education. They are the only awards of their kind in Britain.

    A huge thank you to the judges for choosing us! 

    National Happiness Awards
  • How the Giggle Doctors helped George

    “George went into the Royal Marsden in January 2015 and we were there for six months. We went home for short periods of time in-between but on the whole, we were at the hospital for the majority of those six months.  At one point, we had a run of 40 days there without going home. He was just four years old when he went in, and had his 5th birthday in hospital.

    It was a very long time and there were phases where we couldn’t see anyone else. Either George wasn’t well enough or they weren’t well. We had long periods by ourselves.

    George was really miserable in the beginning when he first went into hospital. He wasn’t one of these run around and put on a show children. He was really poorly and not interested. When anyone came to visit he showed exactly how he felt. He wasn’t planning on putting on a brave face for anyone.

    12It was hard going but the Giggle Doctors didn’t give up on him. When it was just me and him he found it a bit much but he loved watching them with other people. They kept trying to involve him. They wouldn’t be in his face or over the top but they did things that made him curious and eventually they won him over which was great.

    That first time they really got him involved, they made his toys squeak and then all of a sudden, he was there with them and enjoyed it all. He realised that it was fun and that there was no pressure on him which was really great. A lot of the children were happy to go along and join in with the Giggle Doctors and I think he felt like he had to do that too but when he realised he could just sit there and watch without feeling under pressure he was really happy.

    At the beginning of our stay in hospital, we were so grateful for the Giggle Doctors as it was a bit of light-hearted relief. It’s an amazing thing and we love them. It’s such a long stretch of time to be in hospital. They are one of the only nice experiences so we have fond memories of them but not the rest of it.

    George is now able to remember some of the good parts, rather than just the bad parts. He remembers the Giggle Doctors; Playing snowballs with cotton wall or paper. It was lovely to see him smile. He was so unhappy so just to see him smile for a little while when they were there was nice.

    When they first came around we were like oh my gosh, this is brilliant. Each of the Giggle Doctors have their own way of making everyone feel happier because it’s not just for the children, it’s for the whole family. It’s a wonderful feeling. Every visit made you feel euphoric”.

  • Thank You for helping us raise over £105,000 through the Big Give!

    We want to say a really big THANK YOU to everyone who donated through the Big Give Christmas Challenge this year. With your amazing support we were able to surpass our target and raise over £105,000! This is an incredible amount and we are so very grateful to every single person who took part.

    As a small charity, every donation makes a real difference to our work. We receive no government funding, so it is thanks to our wonderful supporters that our Giggle Doctors are able bring fun and laughter to so many children in hospital. The amount raised through the Big Give is the equivalent to over 10,000 Giggle Doctors visits! 

    Thank you again to everyone who took part and helped to make this year the best ever Big Give Christmas Challenge!

    Giggle Doctor Thank You
  • Raise money whilst shopping

    Amazon lets shoppers donate to their favourite charity just by doing their shopping on Amazon Smile (the same website as Amazon). There is no cost to you as the shopper as the donation comes directly from Amazon. 

    All you need to do to raise money for us is sign up and choose us as your chosen charity. Then every time you shop using the Amazon Smile link, we will receive a donation. 

    So please sign up and know that each time you shop with Amazon, you will be helping to bring joy and laugher to sick children in hospital. That’s two presents for the price of one! 

    Amazon Smile
  • Thank you to Experience Days!

    1It will be auctioned at our corporate partner, Equifax’s, Christmas party tomorrow night and we’re hoping it will raise lots of money towards our Giggle Doctor visits in 2019. If you’re a last minute Christmas shopper or are still looking for that perfect gift for a family member, why not have a look at the Experience Days website to see if you can find anything there! https://www.experiencedays.co.uk/

    About Experience Days:

    Experience Days has been bringing you the best in UK experience gifts ever since their launch in 2006. They are dedicated to bringing you a wide selection of the very best experiences and activity days that the UK has to offer, from the most blissfully relaxing spa days to the most high-octane extreme experiences. They believe that the best gift you can give to a loved one is the gift of a wonderful new experience and a lasting memory to treasure!

  • How the Giggle Doctor visits helped Pippa

    “Pippa was diagnosed with Burkitts Leukaemia las1t September when she was seven years old. We’re from Brighton but she only spent four days there before being transferred to Southampton. Pippa was coming to the end of her treatment but unfortunately during her end of treatment tests, they discovered that she had relapsed. That was in July. Because she had relapsed, she couldn’t have the same sort of Chemotherapy that she had been having, so she had to have a stem cell transplant. Pippa has 3 sisters and thankfully, her eldest sister was a 100% match and was the donor.  She had the stem cell transplant at the end of October and we are currently in the Royal Marsden and just waiting for everything to show signs that it’s worked and then hopefully that will be it.

    Pippa first met the Giggle Doctors at Brighton Hospital when she had just been diagnosed. She has also seen them at Southampton and at the Royal Marsden. I can’t tell you how much she has enjoyed their visits. It’s made a big difference to her time in hospital. Every single Giggle Doctor without fail has made her laugh. They have lifted her spirits 100%.

    No matter how rubbish she is feeling, she immediately perks up when she sees the Giggle Doctors, even if they are not in her room. Then obviously when they do come in, it’s just amazing. The impact that they have on her even if she’s feeling rubbish, she totally changes. It gives her a buzz. I get in tears of laughter from it. I think they are brilliant too. I could sit for hours with them.

    Being in isolation is very hard for Pippa as she is quite a spirited young kid and she likes to be out there. Being away from home is also difficult. Whilst she is in isolation, the Giggle Doctors can’t come into the room but they can stand at the door and talk with her. This really cheers her up.

    2Last week there was a Halloween party for all the children on the ward but because Pippa’s in isolation, she couldn’t go to the party. It got to the middle of the afternoon and she’d seen the Giggle Doctors but they hadn’t been in to see her yet so I went and looked for them. I saw Dr Dotty and I asked if she could come and see Pippa. About half hour later Dr Dotty and Dr Bananas both came in and spent a good 20 minutes with her. Pippa made them have a sing off which was brilliant. She was just full of smiles then. It was lovely.  Dr Geehee and Dr Dotty also remember her from when they met her at Brighton too which is nice.

    I’ve got no other words apart from they are fantastic. Please keep doing what you’re doing”.

  • Thank you to the Chipstead Players Theatre Group

    We want to say a huge THANK YOU to the amazing cast and crew of the Chipstead Players Theatre Group who took part in the production of Wendy and Peter Pan during January.

    They were able to raise an incredible £2,001 for our Giggle Doctor programme. This will bring fun and laughter to 200 poorly children in hospital at a time when they need it most. 

    Thank you to everyone at Chipstead Players Theatre Group for making so many smiles possible!

    1
  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Georgia

    1“I had an experience a couple of weeks ago of being on the other side when I bought my daughter into hospital for surgery. Georgia sometimes struggles with anxieties, primarily about new things, new people and changes of routines. I anticipated she would find surgery tricky and, being a Play Specialist, did lots of preparation!! All went really well until Georgia’s nurse bought over the BP machine, she panicked and clung onto me whilst crying and unable to engage. At this point I thought it would be impossible to calm her down, as it often is at home!

    However, Dr Snug arrived at just that point and skillfully won Georgie over to a point where she was happily interacting with the magic and giggling! Dr Snug even helped to get her interacting with her lovely nurse so she could apply the local anaesthetic cream and ID band. The rest of the morning went really well and her anaesthetic induction was calm and controlled, she drifted off to sleep happily (much to my surprise!)

    I can’t thank Dr Snug enough for her help in calming Georgie down and helping her manage what was potentially a very tricky morning for her. THANK YOU Dr Snug and all the Theodora team for making these visits possible.

    Georgia still talks about Dr Snug now, she was definitely the high point of her hospital adventure”.

  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Katie

    “Katie has juvenile arthritis. The doctors have struggled to get her arthritis under control so she has been spending a lot of time at the hospital.

    KatieWe first saw the Giggle Doctors last March, when Katie was first admitted to the hospital. Since then we have seen them pretty much every time.

    Going back to the hospital is always hard for Katie. I think the most difficult part for her is the very beginning, when she gets her medications administered, the needles and everything.

    The Giggle Doctors really helped. They take her mind off things and put a smile on her face. She was quite shy around them at first, but she has become much more comfortable now. She really enjoys it.

    Each visit impacts her for ages. She has been asking constantly to see the picture of her with the Giggle Doctors. Her good memories don’t just stay in the hospital, she remembers it all at home as well.

    The Giggle Doctors have a massive impact on the children. They make what’s difficult more fun.‘’

     

  • The difference the Giggle Doctors made for Sophie

    ‘’Sophie is 7 years old. When she was 20 months old, she had an accident and suffered a grave brain injury. Because of the severe oxygen deprivation, she now has several disabilities. She is non-verbal, for example.

    Sophie has to spend a lot of time in hospital. Because she requires some specific care, she has been to numerous different hospitals and sometimes she has to stay for a very long time, as long as 8 weeks in a row. It’s also very difficult for the rest of the family. Sophie is not independent at all so we have to constantly make sure she has all she needs. No one fully understands her, not even the doctors. So I have to be there.

    1I remember the first time we met the Giggle Doctors. It was in Surrey’s Children’s Trust. Sophie and I were really tired as she had just been transferred from Lincoln Hospital, after a 5-hour journey. In the evening we went to the big living room where all children gather, I was cuddling Sophie on a sofa when they came in. They started singing. It was really fun and engaging for both the children and the parents.  But most importantly, I could see that the Giggle Doctors were all assessing the various needs of each child to make sure they were doing the right things. For example, Sophie does not like sudden loud noises. The Giggle Doctors noticed that quickly and I really appreciated it. I spend so much time repeating it, so for them to notice it naturally was really good. It was really lovely for me.

    Sophie’s interactions in hospitals are usually not personalised. The doctors, the nurses, they don’t have time to create a real rapport with her. They need to be efficient so they just talk to me really. But when the Giggle Doctors come, it’s all about Sophie. They are here for her, just for her. That’s amazing,

    Sophie is non-verbal, but you can still understand a lot from her face. Most of the time we spend in hospitals is dull and monotonous and Sophie rolls her eyes. But when the Giggle Doctors are here, her face lights up. Having some fun in this overall negative experience is a real breath of fresh air’’

     

  • The difference the Giggle Doctor visits made for Indira

    “Indira is 16 and has severe Learning disabilities. She is blind, epileptic and abnormally small for her age so she has to spend a lot of times at hospital.

    IndiraBeing in the hospital is hard for Indira because she knows she is not at home. Being blind, she always senses it right away. She feels in a hostile surrounding. Sometimes, she gets really tired of being at the hospital she starts saying ‘’home’’ repeatedly. She is non-verbal so it’s not always very clear but you can still understand it. Especially after enduring surgery, she stops smiling. She is not her usual self in the hospital

    But when the Giggle Doctors come in, it’s amazing! She smiles and laughs! I’m really surprised how well she interacted with them. After each visit from the Giggle Doctors, she seems happy for a few days.

    We mainly meet Dr GeeHee. Indira loves her visits. It helps her forget about her worries and why she is at the hospital.

    At the hospital, you’re in an environment you don’t want to be in. Even as parents, you don’t want to see your child suffering, so when you get to see them smiling and having fun with the Giggle Doctors, it’s a really nice experience. Now when we see them at the hospital, I have a smile on my face as soon as I see them.

    Indira used to be really distressed when we she knew that we had to go back to the hospital. But now, thanks to the Giggle Doctors, she is good’’.

  • The Balancing Play Campaign

    We are delighted to announce that we will be partnering with Fundamentally Children on their Balancing Play CampaignPlay Diet Pyramid

    The campaign raises awareness of the Play Pyramid. Just as good nutrition means balancing the different food groups, the Play Pyramid encourages parents to give their children access to a healthy balance of play activities. 

    Active free play and imaginative play, like the type of play our Giggle Doctors provide, is at the top of the pyramid. It is the ‘fruit and veg’ of the pyramid as it helps children develop important skills such as problem solving, creativity and making friends.

    Anna Taylor, researcher at Fundamentally Children, said of the campaign:

    “We‘re thrilled to be partnering with Theodora Children’s Charity again this year for our Balancing the Play Diet campaign. Their Giggle Doctors make a huge difference to children’s lives every day and this is real proof of the power of play. We hope that as well as promoting the importance of getting a good mix of activities during play time, our campaign will raise awareness of this special charity and the wonderful work they do.”

     

    We are so pleased to be partnering with Fundamentally Children for this campaign. Our Giggle Doctors visit sick and disabled children and use music, magic and storytelling as part of free and imaginative play to improve their experience of hospital. Our Giggle Doctors visits contribute to the different types of play available to children in hospital and we want to ensure that play is accessible to all children regardless of how unwell they are.

  • The impact of our Giggle Doctor visits for Jessica

    “Jessica had a really rare blood condition, which is called HLH (hemophagocytic lymphohistisiocytosis. She was diagnosed in St George’s Hospital but was quickly moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where we first came into contact with the Giggle Doctors. Her treatment lasted six months, but Jessica stayed initially only for three weeks in hospital. We then went there regularly overnight for her chemotherapy.

    12At the time she was diagnosed, Jessica was 7. It was hard for her to be away from her friends and her older sister Emily. At 7 you’re used to the routine of going to school, so by being at the hospital she was kept away from the normality of life.

    The Giggle Doctors improved her experience significantly. It is really amazing how much a person coming and laughing can do. Whenever we went to the hospital she would ask ‘are we going to see the Giggle Doctors today?’ We have been able to see them quite a lot so now when we have to go back to the hospital for a check-up, it’s like going to a friend’s house for her!

    Doctor Geehee in particular made a lasting impression on her. I remember the moment Dr Geehee arrived in our rooms. I cannot remember exactly what she said, but it was silly and really funny. She did a lot of balloon modelling and bubble blowing and Jessica really loved it.’’

  • The impact of the Giggle Doctor visits for Chiara and her family

    ’We met Dr Dotty really early on in Chiara’s diagnosis. I remember it was the first day we arrived at Southampton Hospital for her biopsy. Doctors had diagnosed a brain tumor and she had been transferred to Southampton Hospital for treatment.  We were still very much in shock from her tumor diagnosis and we were waiting anxiously for the biopsy results. At this moment the Giggle Doctors came in. Dr Dotty came over and asked if I thought Chiara would like them to come across. I looked over at Chiara and her eyes were popping out, mesmerised, wondering who this Doctor was. So I said, ‘yes, sure!’ She sat on Chiara’s bed for a while and played games with her. Chiara was so happy!

    Chiara’s health deteriorated rapidly after that, as she suffered a haemorrhage that damaged her brain quite severely and sadly she passed away a few months later. But I still have this lovely memory from the biopsy day, the day we received the news that her brain tumor was terminal. Obviously, the results were horrific. But having this image in my head of Chiara, all smiles, and laughter, having fun with Dr Dotty is really helpful and a good memory to look back on from such a difficult time.

    After Chiara passed away, I received an email from Dr Dotty, telling me how much Chiara had touched her. It really moved me. Dr Dotty sees so many children, I was really amazed and moved that she had remembered Chiara in particular.’’

  • Justine tells us what inspired her to volunteer at the Theodora Children’s Charity

    1“With university graduation approaching, I felt the need to dedicate some time to volunteering. I wanted to make good use of the skills I had gained at university and during various internships and apply them to a cause I cared about.  A volunteer position in a charity office seemed like the obvious choice. I looked at numerous job advertisements but Theodora Children’s Charity immediately stood out. Bringing laughter to sick children in hospitals is an amazing cause and I wanted to be a part of that.

    I volunteered with the fundraising team of the charity along my studies from January to March 2019. The tasks were very diverse and allowed me to fully experience what it is like to work in the charity sector. I carried out a lot of research tasks to help the charity find new potential sources of funding.  What I enjoyed the most was writing blog posts about families who met the Giggle Doctors. Learning about the parents’ unwavering strength and optimism in the face of such difficulties was a life lesson.

    I hope my research will bear fruits in the future and allow Theodora Children’s Charity to raise more money and awareness about what they do. I have grown to care even more for their cause and hope to be able to find new ways to be helpful in the future.”

  • Dr Geehee’s Story

    Dr Geehee has been a Giggle Doctor at the Theodora Children’s Charity since January 2001. We recently asked her about her experience of being a Giggle Doctor:Dr Geehee and George

    “Being a Giggle Doctor is special as your whole focus is on the child. It’s about creating something that reminds them that they are still a child, despite their situation. Young people experiencing joy and creativity in the hospital environment is so important as that can be the thing that they hold onto to get them better. It can really help improve their hospital experience and turn something so hard into a good memory rather than a bad memory. 

    One of the most important things about being a Giggle Doctor is the little things that we find that help us connect with a child. For children who are in hospital long term, we get to know what they like. We learn more about these children so that the next time we visit them, we can sing them their favourite song, or play their favourite game with them.

    Our work is so important and will always be needed as there will always be sick children and they will always need to be reminded that they can smile and be empowered in that situation.

    It’s not always about getting them belly laughing. Sometimes it’s just about empowering them to take a little control in one aspect of their lives. Even if they say ‘no thank you’ to our visit, that might be for them the first time they have been able to say no whilst in hospital.

    It is such a pleasure to be able to bring some fun and laughter to sick children in hospital”.

  • The Story of Théodora

    As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary, we would like to take a moment to remember a very special woman who inspired it all.

     

    Theodora Children’s Charity was founded by Jan and André Poulie in 1994, in memory of their mother Théodora Poulie. When André was hospitalised for many months as a child, Théodora brought joy, laughter and storytelling to his bedside through her regular visits. Theodora inspired her sons to bring magical moments to all sick and disabled children. Now our Giggle Doctors give laughter to thousands of children across the country receiving medical treatment.

    Théodora had an amazing sense of humour. Her spontaneity, her availability and her overwhelming cheerfulness were always associated with her generosity. In its own way, Théodora has managed to keep this positive energy alive and give us her most beautiful recipe for happiness”. André Poulie

    To look back at all we have achieved in Théodora’s memory over the past 25 years, click here

    Theodora Poulie
  • Joyce Shares her Memories of 25 Years of Giggle Doctors

    Although the charity has grown over the years, there is one person who has known our Giggle Doctors from the very beginning. Joyce Stebbings is the Play Services Manager at Southampton Children’s Hospital and has worked with our Giggle Doctors at several hospitals throughout her career.Joyce Stebbings

    “I first met the Giggle Doctors when I worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1994. At the time they never really came to my ward because it was such a big hospital but I would see them around the hospital making people laugh.

    When I moved to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Brighton in 2003 I got in touch with Theodora Children’s Charity to see if the Giggle Doctors could come to our hospital. We didn’t really have anything at that point in time, we needed the Giggle Doctors to come and make a difference. The Giggle Doctors started visiting the children and it was amazing!

    There is one memory of the Giggle Doctors which has stuck with me over the years and I can still picture it now. There was a little girl who was in palliative care and had significant special needs. We didn’t really see her interact that much with other people. Then one day the Giggle Doctor was visiting and came into her room with his little ukulele and sat down and sang to her and such huge smiles started spreading across her face. The Giggle Doctor must have spent half an hour singing her different songs and it was so magical.  It meant so much to the family, they took their camera out and were taking pictures.  Then afterwards the parents came up to Giggle Doctor, gave him a hug and said ‘said thank you so much!’ and the Giggle Doctor said ‘that’s why I do it’. It made me cry as well and that memory has always stuck with me.

    The little girl died not long afterwards but that moment would have stayed with the family. They have those photographs and memories to show that even though it was a sad time, it was a happy time. The laughter from that day has stuck with me all these years later and that’s why I have been a true believer in the difference the Giggle Doctors make.

    Now I work at Southampton Children’s Hospital and the impact the Giggle Doctors have is still as significant as it was back in Brighton and back at the very beginning at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. If I could, I would bottle the laughter because that’s what it is all about – the laughter the Giggle Doctors bring. They are just something magical!”

  • The difference the Giggle Doctors made for Eliza

    Eliza’Eliza has juvenile arthritis, which means that her immune system attacks her joints and her eyes. Because of that she regularly has to go to the hospital for appointments. She can still see, but that is thanks to painful treatment and medication that she has to receive regularly.  Eliza is very brave and gets on with it all, but the treatment is heavy and leaves her exhausted and nauseous. So even though all the nurses are incredible and make us feel welcome, the time she spends in hospital is quite difficult for her. As a mum, it is also tough for me too, see her going through this.

    The Giggle Doctor visits were amazing. We have met both Dr Teapot and Dr Nic Nac. I particularly remember the first time we met Dr Teapot. We saw this man coming in our room with a teapot on his head! Within 30 seconds we were crying with laughter. He wasn’t just telling jokes, but fully entertaining us. We were hysterical. Even after he had left the room we were still laughing! It really cheered Eliza up and me too. It was a really special treat. It has also given her a positive memory of her time in hospital. Every time we have to go back to the hospital for another appointment, she asks if she will be able to see the Giggle Doctors again. It really does make a difference to children who are having treatment of any sort, but especially those with long term, chronic illnesses.’’

  • The impact of the Giggle Doctor visits at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

    “My link to the Giggle Doctors goes back many, many years to 1997. At the time I had heard of them but I was at a conference one day where people were talking about the Giggle Doctors from Theodora Children’s Charity. Not long after that they started visiting RMCH.

     

    Over the years we have gotten to know the Giggle Doctors who visit us every week and there have been some new faces too and we think they are wonderful. They’re fantastic with the staff, parents and the patients. It is nice that they each have their own different characters, the children really like that each Giggle Doctor has a theme and you can see it in the clothes they wear.

     

    Some of the children here are very poorly and can’t leave their bed to go to the Play Room or leave the ward and they really enjoy the visits. It is something they look forward to and often say ‘ooh it is Giggle Doctor day today’ and they will just be smiling waiting for them to come round. Their faces just say it all and the faces of the families, they just respond with smiles and giggles and it is great to see them interacting with the Giggle Doctors.

     

    The Giggle Doctors have a great approach with the young children and the teenagers. Even some of the children who are a bit quieter, I’ve noticed them working with the children who are a little bit shy and they are always welcomed over to the bedside.

     

    I remember that one day we had a Dad who was feeling down in the dumps. He was fed up of being in hospital and going backwards and forwards. Then the Giggle Doctors came and he was laughing with them for over half an hour! He told me that he had never laughed so much and he said ‘It is therapy for Dads as well!’. We see that a lot with families, the Giggle Doctors are the whole package and are there for everyone.

     

    We do surveys and the feedback always shows us how much the Giggle Doctors are welcomed here on our wards at RMCH. It goes both ways because we also get feedback from the Giggle Doctors and they always tell us that they feel welcomed and part of the Play Services team and that’s really important as well.’

  • Read about the impact our Giggle Doctor visits had for Harry

    ‘’One day, Harry’s eye started to swell abnormally. We rushed to the hospital in a panic, wondering what was wrong. In the end, it was an eye infection and he was able to leave the hospital after 5 days. But we met Dr Nik Nak on our first day at the hospital and she managed to distract us. She came in, made jokes, blew some balloons and it immediately made us feel safer.

    I think it made Harry feel a bit more human in the hospital environment, which often feels very dry and scary. Nurses and doctors are so overstretched that they don’t have a lot of time to speak to you about anything more than medical care. You feel so vulnerable. But the Giggle Doctor is here for you. She directly engaged with Harry and quickly built a good rapport with him. Harry kept talking about her for days. The balloons that she made were great to. We were able to keep the one she made Harry for the entirety of our stay. It just started to deflate as we left the hospital. They brought a bit of life and color to the room too and left a physical memory of our encounter with Dr Nik Nak. This small touch of humour and humanity was really lovely.’’

  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Craig

    ‘’Things are difficult for Craig. For us parents it’s really important to do all we can to keep him involved and get him to smile. It’s not always easy but the Giggle Doctors help a lot. They always manage to give him this gorgeous grin on his face. When they are around you’re lost in a bubble of laugh.

    He adores all the Giggle Doctors but his favourites are Dr Geehee and Dr Snug. Dr Geehee in particular has known him for a very long time and they have built a great rapport. Obviously, given his condition, Craig has been in and out of hospital for many years and has seen the Giggle Doctors a lot. Over the years, the Giggle Doctors have grown to understand him very well. They know what makes him tick and how to help him forget the hospital environment.

    What’s really brilliant is that the Giggle Doctors not only help the children but boost the parents as well. I remember when Craig suffered a nasty fractured femur and had to have surgery. It was really scary because in Craig’s condition, surgery is always risky. The Giggle Doctors came in his room and were really disappointed to see that Craig wasn’t in there, since he was in surgery. But instead of leaving they cheered me up! They told me jokes, we made a video for Craig and they left him a lovely message. I don’t know how I could have got through this day without them.

    The Giggle Doctors are just amazing people. I just wish they were here more often!’’

  • The difference the Giggle Doctors made for Leo

    ’I recently took Leo to the hospital for an appointment. Leo is autistic and has severe learning disabilities. He has very limited communication skills but I could see that he was quite scared being in the hospital.

    Whilst we were in the waiting room, Dr Snug came in. She went around and interacted with each of the children individually. Obviously she could not stay too long with each child but it was still a lovely moment. She came over us, blew a giraffe balloon and gave it to Leo. Leo was absolutely delighted. I could see how fascinated he was with what she was wearing and he loved his balloon.  It was also very nice because she was discreet and quiet to make sure she would not frighten or upset any of the children. It really lifted Leo’s mood so I can only imagine all the good it can do for children staying longer in hospital. ‘’

  • Introducing Judi, our new CEO!

    Judi has spent her entire professional career within healthcare settings in both the NHS and charity sector. 

    I am thrilled to have started with Theodora Children’s Charity as CEO for the UK.  The Giggle Doctor programme is so special and makes a tremendous difference to the lives of children and their families during the most difficult of times. Since arriving, I have been so impressed by the sheer commitment and enthusiasm of everyone I meet to bring joy and laughter when it’s needed most.

    It’s a very exciting time to be joining the charity in its 25th year and a great opportunity to build on excellent foundations to grow our Giggle Doctor programme. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the coming months and years. 

    Judy meeting the Giggle Doctors

    Judi has already been busy visiting the Giggle Doctors and we are so excited for all the laughter and giggles she’ll help bring to sick and disabled children over the course of the next few months.

  • The difference the Giggle Doctors made for Nell

    We recently spoke to Gail about her Daughter Nell’s experience of hospital.

    “Nell is three years old. We live in Brighton and Hove but we were transferred up to Evelina Children’s Hospital because she had quite a serious infection. Nell was in PICU for 6 days then moved to a surgical ward for 7 days. This was where we met Dr Whoopee.

    Although Nell is very little, she was quite traumatised by the whole experience, especially what she saw whilst on the wards. She has fully recovered physically but emotionally it’s taken longer. I think she felt she wasn’t in control. She was saying no to people and they were doing it anyway.

    They ended up putting us into a private room on the surgical ward which was a lot better. However, she shut down a bit then. If someone came in to the room, her bed was her safe space and she didn’t want to engage with anyone then. As soon as someone walked in, she would turn away and pretend she was asleep. Then she would open one eye to look and see that they had gone. She was just totally fed up.

    The first time that she had positively interacted with anybody or let any interaction happen was when Dr Whoopee came into the room. She didn’t initially interact with her, she just kind of closed her eyes as she had been doing but Dr Whoopee was brilliant and really knew how to draw her out, along with my encouragement. Dr Whoopee played with the machine that measurers your SATS and Nell really loved that, she really liked the kind of slapstick comedy and as it went on you could tell that she was showing interest. She was following Dr Whoopee’s movements whereas before she was just ignoring everything. I think she even spoke to her which she hadn’t done to anyone else. Dr Whoopee gave her plenty of time in terms of one to one attention too which Nell really liked.

    Other lovely things had happened whilst she was in hospital but she just wasn’t engaged at all. Dr Whoopee really helped her. It was the first time I had seen her laugh since she had been in hospital (about ten days into her stay). She had been in a lot of pain and hadn’t really moved. She was very sad. Her personality had just disappeared but I saw a glimpse of it coming back when Dr whoopee was there.

    She also met Dr Snug in Brighton. We had nurses coming in to see her at home for the first week and they suggested we went to a stay and play day at the hospital which was mainly for children with additional needs or children who had gone through trauma to help them have more positive experience of hospital. That’s where we met Dr Snug. It also helped my middle daughter who had also been affected by her sister being in hospital. She loved Dr Snug and meeting her really helped her too. Now they have more positive images in their head of hospital.

    When you are in hospital you have a lot of awful things to talk about but there are also a lot of happy memories and we think it’s important to try and talk about those. We often talk about when Dr Whoopee came as one of our positive memories. Our other children like hearing about it too.

    As a parent Dr Whoopee’s visit helped me too. It made me smile and I was so happy to see her smile. I work for an arts education company so I’m from that world too. Me and my husband both work in theatre so I know the benefits that it brings and it was great to see that first hand”.

  • André shares the story behind the Theodora Children’s Charity

    “Théodora was a happy, funny, always optimistic person. She exuded this positive energy which she would give to everyone she met. She was open to everyone and comfortable with everyone. And always incredibly kind-hearted.

    I’ve always tried to replicate that; everyone is a VIP. We try to do this in the charity too: if someone rings we always try to stop everything, listen and be available.

    Jan and I had a wonderful childhood – always allowed to just be kids. We were allowed to play, be silly, come home covered in dirt. My mum always encouraged us to live in the moment – pointing out joy in very simple things.

    One day we decided to cut the lawn… but I cut my foot. Very badly as it turns out. My dad rushed me to the hospital – where they narrowly saved my life and my foot but only through many months of hospitalisation and 14 operations over the span of two years.  

    My mum would come to see me every day – from the first to the very last minute of visiting hours. She entertained me with games, with singing, and, most importantly, by sparking my imagination. She transported me – allowed me to escape from that hospital bed. For those three short hours, my mind was somewhere else. 

    Those were truly magical moments. She had such an immense positive energy that would remain in the room and sort of float around it even after she’d gone. That helped me so much because as visiting hours ended, the medics had to work on my wound – cleaning, re-bandaging… It was awfully painful but I had the best possible painkiller: an imagination fired up by the enthralling stories that my mum had left behind.

    Jan and I wanted that positive energy to live on, so we decided to use some of the money our parents had left us to start a charity in memory of our mum. We’d had such a lovely childhood, and we wanted to share that and give joy to children who need it.

    We recruited the artists we needed to be our Giggle Doctors, and they carried out the first special visits to children in a Swiss hospital. This was followed by the first official visits to children in Great Ormond Street Hospital. These took place on our mum’s birthday, on 20 April 1994, and marked the moment the charity officially began.  

    I’m always in awe of our Giggle Doctors. They work in a challenging setting, full of crucial rules that need to be respected around hygiene and safeguarding. But within those parameters, they actually have an amazing amount of freedom to transport children away from their hospital bed and into a magical world.

    Because it’s not just about laughter – it’s about opening a window in a child’s imagination and enabling them to escape for a while; to take their mind off the time they have to spend in hospital. For some children, it might be the first time they’re spending a night away from home. And their senses are bombarded by the bleach, beeps, and lights of the hospital bay – strangers are prodding and watching them. It’s scary and intimidating.

    I feel so honoured to have some wonderful people surrounding me in this adventure. The children we help – who join in with us on this journey so willingly and with such heart-warming joy. The Giggle Doctors themselves – who confront their own emotions in order to change lives. And you – our amazing supporters. Because of you, we’ve been able to reach out to more than a million people over the last 25 years. We couldn’t have done that without you.

    Please stay with us to keep this positive energy spreading and growing. With your help, we know we can reach so many more children who need us.”

    If you would like to support us, click here.

  • Ken’s Cycle Challenge: An Update

    Many of you would have seen our news story and social media posts about our Ambassador, Ken Robertshaw, who was due to take part in an incredible challenge on our behalf this summer. Ken was planning to cycle the length of US Highway 1, covering 2,500 miles over two months, to mark our 25th Anniversary. In addition to all the peddling, Ken was hoping to raise £10,000 on our behalf.

    Unfortunately, we are sad to report that Ken has had to cancel his challenge. In order to take on such a challenge, Ken had a specialist bike which was due to be shipped over to America to meet Ken at the start line. Due to errors beyond our control, the shipping company was unable to deliver Ken’s bike to the USA. Whilst Ken was ready and waiting for his bike in America, he received news from the shipping company that due to errors there would be a severe delay to his bike being delivered.

    Without his bike Ken had to make the difficult decision to cancel his trip.

    After a year of planning, this was an incredibly hard and decision to make. We are frustrated on Ken’s behalf and know he has put so much time and energy into organising this challenge. We are so grateful for everything that Ken has done and his utter commitment to our Giggle Doctors.

    Thank you so much Ken. You are still a hero in our eyes!

    Ken’s fundraising page is still open, if you’d like to show him your support you can donate online here

  • Listen in to give a giggle!

    On Sunday 14th July 2019 at 7:54am chef Ellis Barrie will be presenting an appeal on our behalf on BBC Radio 4. This is an incredible opportunity to raise awareness of our Giggle Doctors and the amazing difference they make for children in hospital.
    Ellis, Linds and Alice

    During the appeal Ellis will talk about the first time he met a Giggle Doctor at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and why he supports our cause. 

    For one week after the appeal has gone live, you will be able to donate online, through the post, or via the phone to the BBC Radio 4 team to help our Giggle Doctors give more smiles and laughter to sick and disabled children. 

    You will also be able to listen to the recording using BBC iPlayer and again on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, 18th July at 3:25pm, don’t forget to ask your friends and family to listen in!

    We’ll be sharing more news about the appeal and how you can get involved over the coming weeks.

  • Dr Dotty’s Story

    Dr Dotty has been a Giggle Doctor at Theodora Children’s Charity since February 2012. We spoke to her to learn about her experience as a Giggle Doctor:

    “Being a Giggle Doctor with Theodora Children’s Charity is such a privilege. As Dr Dotty, I meet many wonderful children and their families, who unfortunately find themselves in a not-so-wonderful situation- being in hospital. Many children I meet are going through a very uncertain, distressing time, and can be extremely poorly. As a Giggle Doctor, I get to be part of something much more positive for these children- joy, hope, and laughter- despite being in hospital!

    One of the places I visit is Demelza Children’s Hospice, and I am always amazed and inspired by the staff, parents and incredible children. I have many special moments from my time there. In particular, I was honoured enough to meet a beautiful 3-week old baby, who was sadly in the hospice to receive ‘end of life’ care, and her parents. The staff checked with the parents if they would like a Giggle Doctor to visit, they agreed, and I went to their room. So much love was in the room. I played music, sang, used sensory lights and sounds for the beautiful little girl. We spoke of all the things any parent wants to share- how much she weighed, how beautiful she was, her little head of hair, and her newly made blanket. I met them again a few weeks later, just before Christmas. We spent more time together, and again many photos were taken. I later learned that the baby passed away shortly after, just a few months old. I was so privileged to have those moments with that family, and I will always remember them. What an honour it is to be Dr Dotty.”

  • Volunteering at Theodora

    With a small team of just five people, we sincerely appreciate the hard work and dedication of those volunteers who give up their time to support us in the office with admin, fundraising and communications tasks. 

    One of our volunteers this year is Danielle who joined us for eight weeks during the summer all the way from California, USA. Danielle shares what it is like to volunteer with our Fundraising and Communications team:

    “My favourite part of my entire experience of volunteering here at Theodora is coming in and knowing that I will be working with a team that is super passionate about their work! It is truly incredible to see such a small team do so much amazing work to bring the Giggle Doctor’s impact to thousands of children across the UK. 

    Danielle Ngo

    I genuinely admire everyone’s passion, tenacity, kind soul and big heart. The team actively works to make me feel included and welcomed in every way possible, and I appreciate it so much! I find my experience incredibly rewarding and valuable because I have some power in shaping my own role within this charity and I know that I will be supported by Alice and the rest of the team.

    I have been given many opportunities to learn about the inner workings of a small charity and the different roles needed to run a charity, to apply the skills and knowledge I have developed in previous experiences, and to gain an understanding about my own personal and professional goals.

    I know that when I leave soon, I will be leaving with not only the invaluable knowledge and skills I have gained from my time here but also a stronger sense of what I want to do once I graduate from university.”

    Once again, we want to say thank you to all of our amazing volunteers who help to make our work possible.

     
  • A message from our Chief Executive Judi Byrne

    “Dear friends of Theodora Giggle Doctors,

    The spread of coronavirus has meant that we are facing unprecedented times. For Theodora Giggle Doctors this means that we have to take a break from our hospital visits at the request of NHS teams. This is totally understandable, our primary concern is the safety of the children we visit as well as protecting our Giggle Doctors from infection risks, whether in hospitals or travelling around the country.

    Instead, we are now working with our very creative Giggle Doctors to use social media and on line opportunities to showcase our work and keep supporting children and their families, especially at this time. We have lots of ideas that you will see coming out in the next few weeks and months. Keep in touch with us, share the stories you have of the joy and laughter our Giggle Doctor visits gave to your child and please continue to support the work of Theodora Giggle Doctors. 

    Sending everyone virtual Giggle Doctor hugs and best wishes, and thank you for your continued support”?

  • Spring Newsletter 2020

    Take a look at our latest newsletter to see how far we have come over the last 25 years and find out how you can help us bring more magical Giggle Doctor moments! Read about our new digital venture, Lily’s story, and latest updates from our Chief Exec Judi Byrne.

    You can also read about what we have been up to recently at the Theodora Children’s Charity here 

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  • Miles for Smiles – The Latest Chapter!

    Last year many of you would have seen our news story and social media posts about our Ambassador, Ken Robertshaw, who was due to take part in an incredible challenge on our behalf. Ken was planning to cycle the length of US Highway 1, covering 2,500 miles over two months, to mark our 25thAnniversary. In addition to all the peddling, Ken was hoping to raise £10,000 on our behalf. Unfortunately, we were sad to report that Ken had to cancel his challenge after a delivery company failed to deliver his bike in time, which you can read about here. Nevertheless, Ken is not one to give up and decided to give it another go in 2020 – this time making sure his bike would not get delayed in transit!

    “After the disappointing termination of the planned bike ride from Fort Kent, Maine down US Highway 1 to Key West, Florida last summer and the subsequent struggles to get my equipment back I was beginning to despair that my latest fund raising expedition would ever happen.

    Then came the lightbulb moment!

    Why not go the USA just before Easter in 2020 and travel the other way round? And a certain airline that has red planes allows bikes as sports equipment and flies from Manchester direct to Florida.  No more delivery companies!

    GREAT. Things were planned and everything was set in motion and then…this virus appeared and travel was stopped.  Fortunately I hadn’t actually confirmed the flights so no costs had been incurred.  Yet another blow to the fundraising.

    ken

    So here I am with my touring bike all ready to go and nowhere to take it other than to keep training in the hills of Yorkshire.  As it happens I also have a Road Bike that was just waiting for its chance to be used and was feeling lonely as she watched me go out every day without her.  Completely out of the blue I was contacted by a friend of my son’s wanting advice about expeditions and then one thing led to another and as he left he gave my road bike a new home, leaving behind £300 that has now found its way to the Theodora Children’s Charity.”

    Just to add a twist to the tale – I had a series of talks and fundraising appearances booked for after the expedition (the original) which has resulted in a total (so far) of £11,780 being raised for the charity.  Not bad for something that hasn’t happened. Twice!” – Ken Robertshaw

    ken

    Even though Ken has been unable to cycle the length of US Highway 1 (for now!) we are incredibly grateful for his support over the years and amazing fundraising efforts. Thank you to everyone who has donated towards Ken’s expedition, your donations will help bring joy and laughter to thousands of children in hospital at a time when it is needed most.

  • Showtime Photo Booth and Equifax support us this summer

    A big thank you to London based photo booth hire company Showtime Photo Booth who will be providing a photo booth at several of our events this year! We’re looking forward to having their Hashtag Printer  at our corporate partner, Equifax’s, Summer Party in July.

    Equifax have been supporting our work since 2015, raising over £50,000! Their Summer Party is one of the highlights of their fundraising calendar and Laura Hales, who is part of the Equifax Charity Committee organising the Summer Party, thinks the photo booth will really add that special touch to their event:

    ‘Thank you so much Showtime! This will make our fundraising party extra special and hopefully raise some more money for Theodora!’

    Hear at Giggle HQ, we can’t wait to see the photos!

  • Live Virtual Visits with a Giggle Doctor- Coming Soon for Play in Hospitals Week!

    As our Giggle Doctors are currently unable to visit children in hospital due to Covid-19 restrictions, we have adapted our Giggle Doctor Programme to be available on your screen. With our Giggle Doctor Live Calls, we can provide the same service for your child, but through a screen instead of in person. Starting in October, our Giggle Doctors will be on call  throughout the week online, and parents will be able to visit our website and book a time slot to connect with the Giggle Doctor using WhatsApp Video Call on their phone or tablet.

    “My 2 1/2 year old daughter absoulutely loved her live video visit from Dr Flowerpot.  We had lots of laughing and play together and it was really easy to do the online booking and visit.” – A parent

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    “Everyone at Theodora Giggle Doctors charity is glad that with our Live Visit Programme we will be able to visit children who we know have been missing us.  We have been missing them too and are working hard to be able to visit in person. Until then hope we that lots of you will get in touch and book a live visit.  Many thanks for all your support.” – Judi Byrne, Chief Executive

    Our Giggle Doctors can also deliver Giggle-a-Grams, which are personalised Giggle Doctor videos that you can request for your child.

    If you would like to book a Live Call or a Giggle-a-Gram for your child please click here.

    GDs

    While our videos are free for children we need your help to continue to spread joy and laughter to more children at a time when they can feel scared and isolated. Your support will help continue to spread joy and laughter to children in hospital and will have a lasting impact for many children.

    If you would like to donate to our Live Call Programme please click here to make a donation. Thank you for your support!

     

  • Happy Play in Hospitals Week from the Giggle Doctors!

    The importance of play and fun in the hospital is vital as it helps reduce stress, anxiety and the feeling of isolation for a child in hospital. This is where Giggle Doctors play an important role. Whilst medical staff treat the illness, Giggle Doctors focus entirely on the children. Wearing their very own white ‘doctor’ coats, which represent their character, a Giggle Doctor spends time one to one with the children, creating opportunities for children to play and interact through a range of musical, magical and fun activities. Sometimes they will make balloon animals and blow bubbles and at other times they will sing a funny song or just speak to a child one on one. The play is always child-led with each interaction being unique to the child and their needs. 

    So to celebrate Play in Hospital Week, our Giggle Doctors are here to celebrate it with you!

    Happy Play in Hospitals Week from everyone at Theodora Children’s Charity! You can also celebrate Play in Hospitals Week with a Giggle Doctor by booking a Live Virtual Visit or a Giggle-a-Gram for your child in hospital! 

  • Happy Halloween from all of the Giggle Doctors!

    Happy Halloween from all the Giggle Doctors!

    Dr Whoopee, Dr Geehee and Dr Teapot each have a huge pumpkin – can you colour it in for them so they can take it with them when they go trick or treating?

    You can be as creative as you like – we’d love to see your coloured-in pumpkins! You can send these into us at theodora.uk@theodora.org, by tagging us on Instagram or sharing on Facebook at @Giveagiggle! We’ll share your creations on our social media pages!

     

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    Geeheewhoopee

     

    Illustrations of the Giggle Doctors by Yap Books.

  • Giggle Doctor Colouring in Activities!

    Giggle Doctor Colouring in Activities!

    Today is the first day of Lockdown in England and our Giggle Doctors have been thinking of activities children can do at home or in hospital over the next month. Dr Whoopee, Dr Teapot and Dr Geehee have some drawings which need to be coloured in – can you help them? We’d love to see your creations so remember to share them with us/tag us! Have fun! 

    Giggle doctors
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  • The Big Give is here!

    Double your Donation and Double the Giggles! 

    This Christmas you can give the gift of a Giggle Doctor visit to even more children by doubling your donation through The Big Give Christmas Challenge. 

    From 12 noon on the 1st December –12 noon on the 8th December, when you donate to us online via the Big Give website you have the opportunity for your donation to be matched. This means double the donation, double the impact and double the amount of smiles you can bring to poorly children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres!

     Click here to make a donation!
    Dr Teapot and Dr Bungee
  • The Giggle Doctors make a special appearance on the BBC!

    Recently, we had the privilege of being interviewed by BBC London for their special good news segment. Dr Easy Peasy tells us about their transition into their Giggle Doctor character and how important our work has been, especially during the pandemic. 

    Thank you to @BBCLondonNews for sharing our work!

    from BBC News at bbc.co.uk/news

  • Update from Theodora Children’s Charity

    News from Theodora Children’s Charity

    November 2020

    Dear Supporters,

    As we go into the second Lockdown across England our office is closed and the team are working from home to bring play and laughter to children in hospitals in a new, exciting way. 

    For understandable reasons we’re not able to visit children in hospitals and hospices in our usual way. We know that a Giggle Doctor visit for a sick child makes such a difference and we have created a wonderful new way to still do that.  You can now book at Virtual Giggle Doctor visit!

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    So please continue to support us in any way you can – whether by donating towards our Giggle Doctor Programme or by helping us raise awareness of our virtual visits on social media.

    Your support always makes a difference to children in hospital – especially in these challenging times. Thank you from everyone at Theodora Children’s Charity!

    -Judi Byrne, Chief Executive

    Judi

     

  • Design you own festive Giggle Doctor coat!

    Design you own festive Giggle Doctor coat! All you need to do is print out the coat drawings and then start getting creative! Watch Dr Dovetail’s video for some top tips on how to make your coat super festive!

    Have fun and remember to share your Giggle Doctor characters with us – we love seeing your creativity! Tag us @GiveaGiggle or email us your pictures at Theodora.uk@thodora.org

    Giggle Doctor Coat
    Giggle doctor coat 2
  • Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon!

    LM

    On Sunday 3 October 2021, 50,000 runners will have the chance to be a part of the biggest marathon ever staged anywhere in the world.

    The virtual Virgin Money London Marathon will return this year, giving participants the opportunity to take on the world’s greatest marathon on the course of their choice.

    Runners in the virtual event will join a record 50,000 participants who will run the traditional Virgin Money London Marathon from Blackheath to The Mall.

    The virtual Virgin Money London Marathon was held for the first time in 2020, when more than 37,000 runners, from all corners of the world, completed the race. 

    Applications for a place with Theodora Children’s Charity in the 2021 Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon  are now open.

    Please email ellen.blessington@theodora.org to receive an application form to complete.

    join our team
  • Our 2021 Impact Report

    2021 Impact Report

    If you are interested in finding out about our Giggle Doctor training, supporting evidence of our work, and our exciting plans for 2022, you can read our Impact Report here

    Click here
  • We are recruiting!

    Giggle Doctor Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser

    We are looking for a candidate with experience managing high level commercial partnerships. Your experience may come from corporate fundraising in the charity sector or commercial account management.

    You will enjoy working in a small team where you can input into strategy. You will have the ability to think creatively about Theodora’s partnership proposition and connect them with a diverse range of corporates who are inspired to support the unique nature of their work.

    We are looking for a confident candidate, someone who is truly motivated by Theodora’s cause and who wants to take their corporate fundraising to the next level.

    To find out more please click here.

    Giggle Doctor Trust Fundraiser 

    We are looking for a candidate to build on Theodora’s success with trusts and foundations and to develop further opportunities for funding. You will nurture relationships with existing funders and successfully manage their funding priorities. You will also grow the program.

    This is a role that will require you to submit compelling funding applications to a diverse range of funders giving a different levels. You will identify opportunities to submit and secure larger, longer term funding applications and develop those new relationships.

    To find out more please click here.

    Dr Bungee and Dr Teapot
  • Our Giggle Doctors are back at Young Epilepsy!

    Dr Easy Peasy at Young Epilepsy

    Friday 14th May marked a very exciting day for Theodora Children’s Charity, as two of our Giggle Doctors made their first visit to children at Young Epilepsy since March 2020.

    Dr Easy Peasy and Dr Bananas took over the Creative Arts Room to play and have fun with the primary children, using their range of Giggle Doctor instruments, props and games.

    Giggle Doctors have been visiting Young Epilepsy for 7 years, providing magical interactions for the children. The Giggle Doctors’ visit was enjoyed by children all over the school, even though we were only physically able to see a few children in person. Dr Easy Peasy visited children from some of the residential houses from the door, and the Giggle Doctors were able to lead some fun and music with the whole school via the online assembly too. Dr Dovetail, Dr Bananas and Dr Flowerpot had also created some special Giggle-a-Grams for the children in the residential houses that were enjoyed at lunch time, and many times afterwards.

    Our Giggle Doctors are looking forward to our next visit to Young Epilepsy on 2nd July!

    The Giggle Doctors were so wonderful last week. It was lovely having them back on site! The Giggle-a-Grams were really well received and the general school and residential ones were hilarious, so thank you for those
    — Ginnie Batten-Evatt, Quality of Practice Leader, Young Epilepsy
    We were delighted to have the Giggle Doctors in school for the first time since the pandemic struck. The Giggle Doctors were able to inject a massive dose of fun into the day, and dolled out large prescriptions of humour in their customary, zany style. I was extremely impressed with the versatility and flexibility of the Giggle Doctors to adapt in light of our technical difficulties on the day. Thank you for helping us to reach the students on our residential houses and giving them a well deserved treat.
    If the peels of laughter echoing around  the drama studio from our students were anything to go by, it’s obvious that the day was a massive success and we can’t wait for the Giggle Doctors to do their rounds again.
    — Colin Armour, Young Epilepsy, Drama Specialist
  • Donations doubled in Charity Extra campaign

    We are excited to share the news of a new fundraising campaign we are running for just 36 hours!

    During Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd October when you donate via https://www.charityextra.com/giggledoctors, your donation will be doubled!! 

    Whats not to love? One donation for double the giggles!

    Even if you can’t donate to the campaign you can help our work by sharing our special page with your contacts, to spread the word about the amazing work of our Giggle Doctors.

  • Meet Charlie and Dr Dotty!

    “Charlie’s face lights up when he sees the Giggle Doctors, and you can see he forgets for a while that he’s having treatment. Having gone so long where the Giggle Doctors weren’t on the wards, they make so much effort with every child in the hospital (and adults) and bring so many smiles to faces. Charlie’s mind is instantly taken away from what he’s facing in hospital.

    Charlie

    They are silly and fun, just what children like. They are so friendly and kind, very approachable and make such a difference to treatment days. Charlie spots a Giggle Doctor from the other end of the corridor and makes sure he gets their attention…one week, Dr Dotty and Charlie were daring each other to do silly things and had parents and nurses in fits of laughter. Amazing people doing an amazing thing that children, and families, will never forget.” – Kirsty, Charlie’s mum

    Dr Dotty shares what it’s like being back in hospital

    dr dotty

    “After 15 long and difficult months for the whole world, it has been absolutely wonderful to return to hospitals in person and visit the children once again. Everyone knows how challenging and isolating the pandemic and lockdown has been, and none more so than the brave children and their families who are undergoing treatment in a now even more restricted hospital environment. Dr Geehee and myself have been able to create playful connections once more, and to be able to find joy and silliness in even the most difficult of times has been amazing.

    I am thrilled to hear so many lovely comments from staff about having laughter back on the wards, and one nurse in particular expressed how glad they are to have us back, because the children haven’t been able to have anyone visit at all. We always wear the necessary PPE and continue our rigorous infection control procedures and hand hygiene- a mask won’t prevent us from playing and remembering the importance of fun- now more than ever before!” – Dr Dotty 

    You can help more children like Charlie enjoy a visit from a Giggle Doctor by clicking below

    donate
  • See the Giggle Doctors in animation

    Our wonderful partner Yap Books have created some fantastic Giggle Doctor animations for their App! 

    Children in hospitals, specialist care centres and at home will be able to enjoy a voice-activated Giggle Doctor stories featuring Dr Teapot, Dr Geehee and Dr Whoopee through digital play and voice technologies. The stories are appealing to children of different ages and interests, and Yap Books created 3D scenery and objects to bring brand new immersion to each and every word, allowing any child to explore a new world of fun and adventure.

    Thanks to Yap Books’ generous support, with each download and purchase of the ‘Giggle Doctor’ story we receive 100% of the proceeds helping to bring joy and laughter to children in hospital when they need it most.

    All you need to do is download the Yap Books app on your Apple or Android tablet, head over to the Yap Books Library, and choose the ‘Theodora’ folder.

  • Celebrating 1 Year With A Giggle Doctor Takeover!

    Anniversary of our Virtual Visits and Giggle-a-Grams

    Virtual Visit Giggle Doctors
     “I love it as not all seriously ill kids are in hospital but still having a very difficult time” – A Parent
    For the first time, we’ve been able to reach children with a personalised interaction no matter where they are. We’ve delivered 242 Virtual Visits and Giggle-a-Grams to children all over the country – not only in our partner hospitals but also those receiving care, recuperating at home or self isolating.
    “Thanks so much. That was fantastic. We’ve not heard him laugh like that for a long time. You are doing something so special here!”
    80% of parents surveyed said their child enjoyed their Virtual Visit or Giggle-a-Gram ‘a great deal’ and 85% of parents said it made their child’s experience of hospital ‘much better’

    It is almost Pay in Hospitals Week

    From the 11th – 17th October, Play In Hospitals Week aims to raise awareness of the benefits of play in the treatment of poorly children across the UK. Next month, we want to celebrate and thank all the amazing people who work hard to bring opportunities for play to children in hospital, particularly the Hospital Play Teams and of course our fantastic Giggle Doctors. The Giggle Doctors will be doing a social media takeover to celebrate that week, so make sure you follow us online to see the mischief they get up to!
    Facebook
    Instagram
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    Theodora Team is back in the office

    Dr Snug
    It has been over a year and a half since the Theodora Office team have worked together in person, but we are excited to say that we are back! Our new Fundraising and Communications Manager Holly explained “It was lovely to join the amazing Theodora Head office team in August this year, it’s so great to work side by side with my colleagues for a few days of each week and not just see their faces on my screen at home (I am sure my cat would not agree!) Along with the team here and all the hard working Giggle Doctors I am excited to see our Virtual Visits continue into their second year, as well as see visits happening more and more in person. To achieve this and so much more, you can help us by gifting a donation here or set up a fundraising page on JustGiving. Thank you for your continued support. We all look forward to seeing you soon- whether in person or virtually.”
    Donate
  • Why play is vital for children in hospital

    It is Play in Hospital Week and Isabel Squires, our Programme and Quality Coordinator, shares the importance of  play and why it is vital for children

    Isabel Giggle Doctor coordinator

     

    To me, coming from a background in primary school teaching, play means exploring, making friends, imagining and fantasising, telling stories and becoming someone else. It means investigating and problem solving, and it means the laughter and silliness of losing yourself in the moment.

    Every child needs this – so much so that the right to play is protected by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. When a child is in hospital, they are isolated from many of the things which naturally bring out playfulness – their friends, their siblings, nature and animals, so it’s even more important that opportunities for play are created. We are so lucky in this country that hospitals have a team of play specialists looking after children’s right to play, and they connect our Giggle Doctors with the families whose children need them most. In my role as Programme and Quality Coordinator, I talk a lot about how highly trained the Giggle Doctors are and how impressive their professional credentials are, but when it comes down to it, what makes them so special is that they are all tuned in to children and to what children want from play.

    Giggle Doctors can combine completely childish humour and absolute nonsense with a nuanced reading of how ready for play a child is emotionally – it’s this combination which means that children who meet a Giggle Doctor don’t just come away feeling more playful, they also show reduced signs or stress and anxiety and feel less isolated.

    child in hospital

     

    This year, the theme for Play in Hospital Week is “Playing through the pandemic –a narrative of positive interventions” and I can’t think of anything more appropriate at a time when children in hospital are more isolated than ever. Throughout the pandemic, our Giggle Doctors have been carrying out Virtual Visits and recording ‘Giggle-a-Grams’ for children in hospital or receiving treatment and recuperating at home. It’s been a wonderful way to stay connected to families and bring a bit of play into children’s lives. What’s been unique about our virtual work has been that we can reach children anywhere, not just in the hospitals we visit! Although we are slowly making our way back into hospitals now, we are still carrying on with Virtual Visits and Giggle-a-Grams. They are free to book, so if you know a child who needs a drop of playful Giggle Doctor joy, please do click here to book.

    We couldn’t do the work we do without the generous support of your donations, so if you would like to help us bring play to children in hospitals up and down the country, click here to donate.

    Dr Fab
  • It is almost that time of year again!

    It is almost that time of year again!

    big give giggle doctors

     

    This Christmas you can give the gift of a Giggle Doctor visit to even more children by doubling your donation through The Big Give Christmas Challenge. 

    From the 30th of November to the 7th December, when you donate to us online via the Big Give website you have the opportunity for your donation to be matched. This means double the donation, double the impact and double the amount of smiles you can bring to poorly children in hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres!

    Our Giggle Doctors are back at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital

    We are excited to share that today is the first day our Giggle Doctors are back in person visiting children in Brighton since the pandemic began. The Giggle Doctors will be visiting every Thursday and cannot wait to see all of the children, families and members of staff again!

    giggle doctor visit

    Bookbinding for the Big Give

    stars mead book binding

     

    Starsmead Bookbinding has launched an exciting initiative to support the work of our Giggle Doctors. You can purchase a wonderful personalised book for just £16.50, with £15 from the sale coming to us at Theodora! Plus, all the money raised by mid November will be doubled during the Big Give! Ursula is donating her time and materials for free and has already surpassed her original £1,000 target. As Christmas is just around the corner, this could be the perfect gift for a loved one, whilst also helping bring magical moments to children when they need it most.

     

    dr teapot
  • Why Play Matters: Meet Steph

    Steph Fairbain has been a Health Play Specialist at Addenbrookes Hospital since 2007, and Therapeutic Play Manager there since 2016. Whilst technically she’s retiring, she’s very much staying in the world of therapeutic play. We caught up with as part of our Play in Hospital Week celebrations.

    You weren’t always a play specialist, so what was it that led you into a career in therapeutic play?

    I did some volunteering at a hospital in the 90s when I was running children’s centres, and I didn’t think I could cope with the structure of the NHS! But many years later, I found myself looking for something different which involved face to face work, but which would also challenge me – I had to fund my training myself through the health play specialist qualification!

    You must have seen some changes to your profession since you started out, what’s one of the biggest?

    Our training has really developed, and our registration is now pretty much aligned with nursing registration – it’s really robust now.

    As soon as you use the word ‘play’ people don’t see a professionally qualified workforce, but there’s so much more to it!

    We work with incredibly vulnerable children and their families at their most vulnerable time. If you’re working with families at their lowest ebb, you need a robust qualification and registration to ensure you’re fit to practice and to deal with complexities that those families bring.

    You must have loads of memories of children you’ve met, but is there a story you’re particularly proud of?

    It’s hard to choose – every family is unique and they’re all important!

    One of the challenging ones I had was a patient who needed to have a bi-lateral amputation below the knee after being incredibly ill with meningitis. How do you prepare a child for waking up with their lower legs missing? It’s all very well to say “we’re going to take away your poorly legs and give you some nice new ones” – which was what was said! – and a child thinks they’re going to wake up with new legs. We know in reality that’s not the case.

    I had to think about how to prepare the child, and a family that had no words to be able to explain the situation to their child themselves because it was so difficult to get their head around. Especially as their child had just come out of intensive care.

    I saw her all the way through to discharge. She was completely resistant to even seeing a prosthetic leg at first – she wouldn’t be in the same room as one, so there was a lot of work to do!

    I ended up writing an article on the experience for the NAHPS [National Association of Health Play Specialists] journal. It’s a piece of work which stretched me and which I’m really proud of. That’s what’s fantastic about the job – it calls upon your creative skills all the time.

    We’re celebrating Play in Hospital Week. What does play in hospital mean to you?

    Firstly, children’s right to play and to access activities is enshrined in our law in the Children Act. Article 31 is that children have a right to recreation, and Article 12 is that children and young people have a right to make decisions.

    Play specialists help children understand their medical journey and be part of the process. Children and young people should have access to that, it supports their development and it supports their emotional wellbeing. Especially at the moment with all the issues we’ve had around mental health – and of course the theme for Play in Hospital Week is mental health.

    And for me personally – it’s the one job where I can use all my skills. Working with a wide range of ages, using my management skills, and going right back to my initial training in theatre – there has been an occasion where I tap danced in a treatment room as part of distraction! Bringing so many previous professional and life skills together – that’s what makes it so fulfilling.

  • Vote for us to win a Tesco Community Grant

    We’re in the customer vote for a Tesco Community Grant Customers! Customers in Brighton can vote in store from October to December, and you could help us win a grant of up to £1,500.

    To vote, you will need to make a purchase within any of these stores below. You will then receive one token, per transaction and can then put this token in the voting unit, to cast your vote. Please keep us in mind next time you shop, and show your support for the Giggle Doctors at The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital

    Tesco’s Community Grants scheme has already awarded over £96 million to more than 46,000 projects across Britain.

    Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Tesco Community Grants help support local good causes but especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”

    Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/communitygrants.

  • Personalised notebooks by Starsmead Bookbinding

    In 2021, Ursula launched a book offer making bindings with personalised spines to raise funds for the work of the Giggle Doctors. She donated all the materials and her time and managed to sell 181 copies and raise an incredible £2,715. The money raised was then donated during the matched funding campaign, the Big Give, and was doubled to £5,430!

    We are delighted to share that this year Ursula via her company Starsmead Bookbinding is offering these beautiful personal designs once again. Books cost £16.65, and £15 comes to the charity (£1.65 goes to the postage.) But there is matched funding for this, so every book you purchase will result in a massively worthwhile £30 going to the work of the Giggle Doctors!

    As Christmas is just around the corner, this could be the perfect gift for a loved one, whilst also helping bring magical moments to children in hospital when they need it most.

    Ursula says, “I learnt about the Giggle Doctors when my daughter Bella started to work for the Theodora charity. Then, talking about it to friends, everyone loved the idea of the Giggle Doctors, and I discovered that people I know had had a child with a sorrowful destiny, which I had never been aware of. 

    For me, in the tiny moment of bringing cheer to a poorly child and their family, the whole world changes and becomes a better place. I wondered how I could use my bookbinding skills for fundraising, and had the idea of creating notebooks with a personalised spine, which would make a lovely Christmas present. Lots of the books have been gifts for children which feels right too!”

    The names for the books are individually typeset using brass letters
  • The language of play

    Our Giggle Doctors are trained to work in many ways to ensure that play and all the benefits that come from it are available to children, no matter how unwell they may be. Often they may visit a child who doesn’t speak English or is non verbal and the Giggle Doctors have to find another way to build trust and rapport with the child. Here Dr Nic Nac explains how she visited some children who didn’t speak English and how they found their own way to connect and play. 

    “It was clear from the start that none of us could speak each other’s language. But as I come from a physical comedy background I instantly settled into play within the environment I was in. 

    I quickly connected with the children through expression, touch and sound. Soon I realised I was very comfortable in this environment and not being able to speak the same language did not make a difference to my ability to play and interact with these children

    I took time to connect with each child individually, adjusting my energy and style to the needs of each child. I played with my percussion instruments, did ridiculous dancing and got the children playing with all my silly nic nacs. Soon I felt like one of them. I was in their world. I was a friend, someone who they could relax with and be wildly creative and playful with. The children seemed to forget any language barriers  and felt safe and able to express themselves. With each child, I developed a unique connection.

    I feel happiest, when I make other people feel like this. It is the most important gift I can give that goes beyond anything physical. The memory of that day will make my heart smile for many years to come. 

    It is experiences like this that constantly remind me that being a Giggle Doctor has to be a personal thing that goes beyond the need for income or great skill. It is about having an unselfish desire to love and connect with those around us who need it most. We are not doing it for any applause or recognition. It is very often an unnoticed thing, unique moments made everyday for the children who receive them.  

    As Giggle Doctors we are never fully able to witness the long term impact of our visits. But sometimes a child refuses to stop following you or to let you go, or a parent thanks you sincerely for changing their day. Other times members of staff find their spirits lifted when you enter the ward and they tell you tales of how happy everyone was last time you visited. It is only then that you realise that you are doing a good job. Being a Giggle Doctor has defined who I am in life, I love it and would never want to be anything else!”

  • Our Big Give Christmas Campaign is back!

    Yes its that time of year again when we take part in a Christmas campaign with The Big Give.

    Between the 29th November and 6th December 2022 anything you donate onto our Big Give page will be doubled at no cost to you, and if you are able to tick yes to gift aid thats even more giggles! #DoubleTheDonationDoubleTheGiggles

    We love you sharing our page as well, so even if you can’t donate, please share the work of our Giggle Doctors far and wide.

    Since our Christmas campaign last year we have been able to visit over 3,500 children because of generous supporters like you, and by the end of 2023 we hope our Giggle Doctors will have seen over 8,000 children. 

    If you are able to make a gift, large or small you could be giving children and the talented Giggle Doctors:

    Thank you and Happy Holidays from our 23 Giggle Doctors, our head office team and our board members, to all the children and families we have had the pleasure to meet and to our hospital partners.

  • Why Play Matters for our Chief Executive

    The Giggle Doctors have the power to bring together people from all kinds of backgrounds. We caught up with our Chief Executive, Judi Byrne, to learn a bit more about her extensive career in the NHS and what working in the world of play means to her.

    What drew you to a career in healthcare?

    My story echoes that of our founder André Poulie: my younger brother was involved in a serious fire when he was ten and spent a great deal of time in Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, as well as in specialist hospitals. I saw the care and dedication that the clinical teams gave, and their commitment reflected the fact that my brother lived.

    When the opportunity came up to have a training role in NHS hospital management, I thought that would be a great place to start my career and it is an environment I continued to progress in. Years later, I’ve felt comfortable being in a hospital setting and I can usually support the Giggle Doctor programme from an NHS organisational and operational point of view, in a way it feels like home!

    What would you say to someone just starting out in an NHS or healthcare charity career?

    I think it’s a great starting point because you have a very strong structure and support around you with clear boundaries around role expectations, and development opportunities.

    Anyone starting out needs to recognise that resilience is the key to success, it’s how you look after yourself as well as how you look after patients. It’s about having the stamina to keep going when there are bad days and celebrating when there are good days – of which there are many!

    You’ve worked in the charity sector in hospices before, but what piqued your interest in Theodora Children’s Charity when you first heard about it?

    It was the combination of NHS work and charity sector work including a foothold in hospices. My skills and experience coming together in a perfect way really.

    That connection was one of those opportunities that doesn’t come around very often – I can use my knowledge of how the NHS works, who in the organisation we need to be working with, and how you approach people. When Giggle Doctor programme partners talk about their work, I can relate to them and aim to work collaboratively to create a successful relationship.

    It was also an opportunity for me to develop my knowledge of paediatric services a bit more because I hadn’t been involved with paediatrics before.

    Do you have a favourite Giggle Doctor memory?

    After three and a half years with the charity, I have lots of fun memories of being with the Giggle Doctors. One of the key ones is my first visit to see the Giggle Doctors working in hospital. The care that Dr Bananas took with a child who was quite unwell but still wanted to play and the way in which he judged how much was right and how much engagement there was. The parents smiled the whole way through…it was a really good experience for the child and the family and a really good experience for me and motivating in terms of okay we need to do more of this!

    Play is at the heart of everything we do here, so could you give me one reason why you think it’s so important for children?

    Spending time with my grandchildren who are six and four, I can see that through play they are developing and learning, and particularly learning about how the world works and being able to socialise with others.

    The little one is still quite shy in group situations because she couldn’t learn to play with other children during lockdown. So, the pandemic really demonstrated to me why play is so key to a child’s development.

  • Hugh James Comedy night

    Hugh James law firm is hosting a comedy night in aid of us this month, and their jam-packed line-up includes Esther Manito, Stephen Owen, Jasper Cromwell-Jones and Christian Reilly. Attend and you’ll get the chance to win raffle and auction prizes, with all of the funds going to support the work of our Giggle Doctors. To find out more or buy your tickets, please click the link below.

    Date: Wednesday 25th January 2023

    Location: Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, London

    Thank you to those who have kindly donated raffle prizes for the night in support of bringing joy and laughter to children in hospital

    Experience Days brings you a wide selection of the very best experiences and activity days that the UK has to offer, from the most blissfully relaxing spa days to the most high-octane extreme experiences. Experience Days have kindly donated a gift voucher for the evening.

  • Sharon’s experience of Dr Geehee’s visit

    I am a Senior Health Play Specialist at Chelsea Westminster Hospital, where I work on the high dependency unit (HDU) and elective surgeries wards. I would like to share a story that I observed when a Giggle Doctor came to visit our HDU area.

    I have been working with a long-term patient for the past 4 years. She has a number of very serious health conditions, as well as special educational needs.  Whilst on HDU, she found it very difficult to focus on one activity for long periods and became agitated quickly when she lost interest in the activity.

    The day before Dr Geehee visited, the patient had been introduced to a simple hand fan. I shared this information with Dr Geehee, and during her visit with the patient she took over. She quickly formed a connection with the child using simple Attention Autism techniques and managed to hold her interest for a longer time.  

    Dr Geehee is an incredible Giggle Doctor and has wide expertise in all areas of our hospital. She brings laughter onto all wards and engages with the medical team. She is a ray of sunshine in what can sometimes be a very frightening place for our sick children. The difference she makes to the mental wellbeing of all our patients who are lucky enough to spend time with her is invaluable.

    The children are often traumatised and within a short time will find smiles for Dr Geehee. She is able to normalise medical areas and show the patients that doctors in white coats do not need to be frightening.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for providing this service to our hospital, we really could not do our jobs without your Giggle Doctors.

    Sharon, Senior Health Play Specialist at Chelsea Westminster Hospital

  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Kristie

    Right at the beginning of the summer holidays, 9-year old Kristie broke her femur. Her mum Alison told us, “It was a very traumatic experience for her – she had surgery at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton and had to spend 10 days in hospital.”

    Kristie and her mum and dad were all rather shocked when Dr Fancy Pants, wearing her usual inflatable flamingo, poked her head around the curtain, followed by Dr Easy Peasy.

    Naturally, silliness ensued: “My favourite things were that they made me a balloon animal, their bubble camera that made lots of bubbles everywhere, and the hide and seek was really funny!” Kristie told us.

    Her mum agreed, “it was such an amazingly positive experience for my daughter. After everything she’d been through it was lovely to see her proper belly laughing with them and have a brief time totally forgetting the accident.”

    How a child feels about hospital can really impact how quickly they recover physically. We asked Kristie how she felt about her visit from the Giggle Doctors, and she said:

    “They made me feel a lot happier and made me laugh a lot!”

    Dr Fancy Pants and Dr Easy Peasy only spent a few minutes with Kristie, but thanks to her mum, we know the effect lasted a long time – in fact it’s still working!

    “Since meeting them the only thing she ever mentions about our 10-day stay in hospital was meeting them! She returned to school and even told her whole class when asked to name the best thing that happened in the summer holidays, that for her it was actually being in hospital and seeing them! After going through so much it is amazing that their work has had such a huge and positive affect on her and for that I am so very grateful.”

    Since she got on with them so well, we asked Kristie if she’d like us to pass on a message to Dr Fancy Pants and Dr Easy Peasy, and she said:

    “Can you tell them they are the best part of hospital, and they are the funniest people I ever met.”

  • Dr Geehee featured in MyLondon

    Did you see Dr Geehee in the news this weekend? Read the full article to see why Faith says being a Giggle Doctor is the best job in the world!


    “Faith recounted being told by another Giggle Doctor to come into a maternity ward as ‘someone really wants to see you’. There she found a woman holding her baby who asked if she could remember playing with her when she was a 12-year-old in the same hospital, adding: “You used to come and see me all the time, I never forgot you”

  • International Day of Happiness

    Did you know that the 20th of March is the United Nations International Day of Happiness?

    We would love you to join us in celebrating this day…but not just for one day – we had to celebrate for the whole week!

    Can you support us by sharing what makes you happiest on our social media platforms (share your words…or simply with a photo)- this might be of a visit from one of our Giggle Doctors, or a memory with your friends or family?

    Don’t forget to tag us and help us share the happiness during this week; together we really can create a happier and kinder world…with a little help from our Giggle Doctors!

    Tag us on social media

  • Dr Ding Dong – 22 years of being a Giggle Doctor

    Since 2001, Clare has been working as Dr Ding Dong, “I have always believed in the power of art and healing,” she says. Being a Giggle Doctor allowed her to draw on all the threads of her work in acting and drama therapy, so it immediately made sense.

    “My first shift was at Evelina, which is where I was born, I remember thinking, how lovely to be starting this in the place I was born”. Those early Giggle Doctor shifts, at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street, and later St Piers School at Young Epilepsy weren’t always easy: “Some of the biggest lessons I learned were about not working with the condition or illness, but with the essence of the person. Zoning into the eyes, sound, or movement, depending on how the child communicates – that’s the way in. It was very hard at the beginning!”

    The challenge was rewarded however, by some wonderful connections with the young people Dr Ding Dong met along the way: “There was one boy I used to see every week in Intensive Care at Great Ormond Street, he was maybe 1-year-old. And then he wasn’t there one week, and that’s when you don’t know whether to ask the question – Is he alive? Has he died? Has he moved? A few years later, I was visiting the Children’s Trust, and I was walking down the corridor with my bells on my ankles, when a mum heard and exclaimed: “Dr Ding Dong! It’s Dr Ding Dong!” – and there he was, this little lad with his mother. It was amazing, magic! We had such a strong connection. There were times he didn’t want to see anyone else, he just wanted to see me, and most of the time we farted with my fart machine. And he loved the colour yellow. That was a time I was very clear about the difference I made.”

    The connection between Giggle Doctor and child is crucial, but the other relationships the Giggle Doctor develops with those around the child can also have a profound impact: “Our job isn’t just about the children, it’s about the staff – we make a difference to them. I remember going in after lockdown and so many people were grateful that I was there. I haven’t experienced such an outpouring in hospital before, there was a huge level of appreciation.”

    “The staff love seeing children’s reactions, but I feel often the parents, families and caregivers need it desperately! And that in turn affects the child, especially the younger ones. If they see their parents/family/caregivers enjoying play with a Giggle Doctor, or even just having a conversation, there’s a sense of ease. If the parent/adult/sibling is happier and more relaxed that has a ripple effect which is crucial in the child’s healing.”

    “Some parents/families/caregivers are pretty traumatised by going into hospital with their child and that doesn’t just go away when they leave the hospital, it can continue. If I’ve been part of a healing experience for them, I hope that this will stay with them and help to ease the trauma – the memories and feelings of the laughter, of the relaxedness, of the conversations, or whatever it happened to be.”

    Over the past 22 years, Dr Ding Dong has learned a lot, but so has Clare: “I’ve really had to look at the nature of illness and wellness, of death and trauma. I see some of these patients every week, I build relationships with them, and then they’re gone. You’ve got to deal with that, I feel, because it isn’t going to go away without being given attention. I’ve really had to look at this – what do I believe? How do I allow the time for the grief and the loss and move through it, whilst at the same time celebrating the people I’ve had the fortune of spending time with?”

    Of course, there are also heart-warming stories where parting from a child means healing, rather than grief: “I saw one long-term oncology patient every week for a long time. She would barely say a work to me, but I’d always leave her with a sticker. Her mum said, “She talks about you every week as soon as you’re gone, but when you’re here she won’t say a word.” A few years later, I ended up seeing her on the outside and she couldn’t stop talking! She had lots of hair, and she was just so vibrant and well.”

    After many years in an emotionally taxing job, it might be tempting to leave the role behind, but for Clare, being Dr Ding Dong feels profoundly important: “The curiosity never stops – how I change as a person and as an artist over the years and how this informs my work in the hospital and my engagement with people. For me, the primary focus is the connection to myself and the connection to others, being present and part of the whole, of giving and receiving.” 

  • Children’s Mental Health: A Growing Priority

    Throughout 2022, Theodora Giggle Doctors saw growing numbers of children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties in hospitals nationwide. It’s an issue which has also become a familiar story for the NHS staff we work, and one which is present in the media more and more. Consequently, understanding more about this issue and how we can train and support Giggle Doctors to best help these children is an ongoing priority.

    20% of children and young people in the UK have a probably mental health difficulty (1). In some areas, prescriptions for medications to treat anxiety and sleep disorders rose 91% between 2015 and 2021 (2). With the continuing cost-of-living crisis, we can expect the situation to continue to worsen. Children from the most deprived neighbourhoods are double as likely to be affected by mental health difficulties as those from the least deprived (2), and health visitors are reporting ‘epidemic levels of poverty’ (3) as more families struggle to put food on the table.  

    While in hospital, a child’s mental health suffers due to separation from family, school, friends, and the lack of opportunities for play (4).

    Giggle Doctors help mitigate these additional risks. They help children take control of their situation through play, creating opportunities for children to take the lead and make autonomous choices (5). Crucially, Giggle Doctors always focus on the child and not their illness – they are not a mental health treatment, but rather a play intervention which supports a child’s overall wellbeing. Whilst they do see children who have a diagnosed mental health difficulty, they see many more who are at risk of their mental wellbeing deteriorating. For this group, seeing a Giggle Doctor can represent something akin to an early intervention support, helping them build up their resilience in relation to their wellbeing. Not only are these interventions significant for the young person, they also reduce future demand on already overstretched mental health services (6).

    This challenge our children and young people are facing is not going to go away and remains a key focus for us. In 2023 we’ll be prioritising training for our Giggle Doctors to enable them to give the best experience to these children and young people.

    Reference List

    1. Newlove-Delgado T, Marcheselli F, Williams T, Mandalia D, Davis J, McManus S, Savic M, Treloar W, Ford T. Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2022. NHS Digital, Leeds.
    • Ball, W.P., Black, C., Gordon, S. et al. Inequalities in children’s mental health care: analysis of routinely collected data on prescribing and referrals to secondary care. BMC Psychiatry 23, 22 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04438-5
    • Health visitor survey finds that more babies and young children are missing out on the government’s promise of the ‘best start in life’. 2022. Available from: shorturl.at/fikE0  
  • How the Giggle Doctors helped Rohan

    Five-year-old Rohan recently met the Giggle Doctors for the first time, and his mum Jenny shared that meeting Dr Geehee and Dr Easy Peasy made such an incredible difference to their time in hospital.

    “This was the first time we met the Giggle Doctors. Rohan wasn’t sure at first but he soon realised they were ‘funny’ doctors and he started smiling and laughing as soon as they started getting his name wrong! This was the first time he had really started to smile while in hospital.

    Dr Geehee bent over and pretended to let off a ‘pop pop’. Rohan giggled and then told Dr Geehee that you could ask Alexa to play farts! She used one of her instruments to pretend to be Alexa and Rohan asked it to play farts. Then there followed a series of noises and Rohan was in stitches! Dr Easy Peasy then placed a ‘poo’ on top of the bin. They then proceeded to try to clear it up, throwing it around between them and eventually throwing it in the bin.  Rohan thought this was hilarious.”

    Not only did the Giggle Doctors have a positive impact on Rohan, but Jenny shared the difference it made for her too.

    “They brought a smile to my face and it was a huge relief, compared to what I was having to brace myself for every time the ‘usual’ visitors came to our hospital room. Rohan really didn’t like any treatment or intervention and would scream the place down every time a doctor or nurse approached. He was very scared.

    My favourite thing was that they quickly learned what made Rohan laugh and played to this. They left a card, with a special message on for Rohan, and a heart balloon, which he went to sleep with holding that night. Every time he looked at the card and the message he laughed and wanted to tell his brother and Dad (and anyone else who wanted to hear!) all about the Giggle Doctors.

    Before the visit, Rohan had been very sad and scared about being in hospital. Seeing the Giggle Doctors gave us a glimpse of his usual self. The best type of medicine!

    Their visit reminded me that, no matter what hardship we were going through at the time, there was still laughter and joy to be found. If only the Giggle Doctors could be in every children’s hospital, it would make such a difference to so many people. Thank you for the service you deliver. It’s brilliant and heart-warming.“

  • Thank you to The Worshipful Company of Grocers

    As we near the end of our grant, we wanted to say a big thank you to the Worshipful Company of Grocers who have generously supported our Giggle Doctor Programme across England for the past year.

    A Giggle Doctor spends time getting to know what each child likes and then reaches for the magic, music and entertainment that will make them laugh most. For older children, sometimes they leave their tricks in their pockets and just have a great time. The play is always child-led and creates opportunities for play when these might otherwise be limited.

    “Having the Giggle Doctor visits back on the ward has felt like much needed normality. The visits have really made a difference and brought lots of smiles to lots of faces. We really appreciate their input and expertise and the calming impact their presence helps to create as well as a much-needed distraction.” – Beth, Play Assistant

    It is thanks to supporters like the Worshipful Company of Grocers that the Giggle Doctors are able to bring magical moments to families when they need it most.

  • ‘just play’? A symposium on play in children’s healthcare

    Last week we had the chance to attend “‘just’ play? A symposium on play in children’s healthcare,” co-hosted by Starlight and PEDAL (The Centre for Research in Education, Development and Learning). It was a fantastic opportunity to hear from speakers on a range of topics and to participate in discussions about the future of play within healthcare.

    From keynote speaker Professor Imelda Coyne (School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College, University of Dublin) to Charlotte Fairall (parent and CEO of Sophie’s Legacy), to Cath Hubbock (Senior Health Play Specialist and author), there was a huge wealth of experience and knowledge represented during the symposium.

    There were many fascinating topics explored on the day – one which recurred through was putting the voices and needs of children and young people at the heart of decisions about play in children’s healthcare. It was a topic we were particularly interested to hear about as we continue on our own journey to make the child’s voice more prominent within our own work (If you’d like to find out more about this, click here to read Kristie’s story).

    Catherine Hubbuck, senior health play specialist and author – @Starlight_uk

    Kelsey Graber (a doctoral student at PEDAL) presented her research into children’s perspectives on play in hospital. Her examples, taken from videos of semi-structured interviews with children as young as 3, showed clearly that children used play to communicate their experiences, feelings, needs, and wants. Children who struggled to answer questions about themselves directly were able to express their views by projecting their experiences and feelings onto an imagined character, represented through a wooden figure which Kelsey offered them for this purpose. The children became absorbed in their imagined worlds, and their enjoyment of play was evident during the interview itself. Beyond enjoyment or ‘just fun’, initially reticent children became more confident as they engaged with play and became more communicative over the course of the interviews.

    Kelsey’s research provides persuasive evidence that even very young children are able to express their needs and preferences through play (DeCosta, 2021). Feeling that adults have the time to listen to them, and that they really care about what children and young people are expressing helps children feel valued as individuals and nurtures their wellbeing. It’s easy for busy adults to assume children and young people won’t notice their inattention or rushed approach, but Kelsey’s research has given young patients the chance to speak in their own time and manner, revealing that they do indeed notice these things. If a consultant checks their watch, or stands in the doorway when they say, ‘Do you have any questions?’ children notice and feel that queries and anxieties that they may want to raise represent an unwelcome drain on time for the professionals who are caring for them.

    Our hosts, Starlight and PEDAL are both contributing hugely to the field of play in children’s healthcare – we’re so grateful for the opportunity to hear in more detail about their research and developments, and for the chance to come together and participate in the conversations about this important topic. Seeing growing attention being given to this important area of children’s healthcare fills us with hope for the future, and we’re excited to see where research like Kelsey’s takes us when it is published and available to a wide audience.

  • Christmas Big Give Challenge 2023

    Tuesday 28th November is Giving Tuesday, so what better day for our annual Christmas Big Give Double Donation campaign to start!

    Between the 28th November and 5th December 2023 anything you donate onto our Big Give Page will be doubled at no extra cost to you, and if you are able to tick yes to gift aid thats even more giggles! #DoubleTheDonationDoubleTheGiggles

    Even if you can’t donate, please share the work of our Giggle Doctors far and wide- by email, or retweeting/sharing our social media posts.

    Since our Christmas 2022 Double Donation campaign we have been able to visit over 13,500 children. This would not have been possible without the kind gifts into our campaign last year, from supporters like you. 

    If you are able to make a gift of any size, you could be giving children and the talented Giggle Doctors:

    Double my donation

    Thank you and Happy Holidays from our 22 Giggle Doctors, our head office team and our Trustee Board.

  • Equifax UK runs the London Marathon

    On Sunday the 23rd of April James Atkin, Nigel Fuller and Peter Gasiorek ran the London Marathon!

    Equifax UK supports Theodora through various fundraising initiatives, and they felt very fortunate to have been offered places in the race by TCS, Equifax’s technology partner and headline sponsor of the London Marathon. They shared:

    “We are humbled by the fantastic support you have all given to Theodora. With Equifax’s matched giving programme, this will be a tremendous boost for the Giggle Doctors. Our sincere thanks to everyone who has taken the time to contribute; we ran with immense pride. On what turned out to be a very wet day, there was incredible enthusiasm from the people of London and beyond, roaring the participants around the course

    It was a tough race, the streets packed with runners. We left it all out there, not even managing to sync our preparations or recoveries to grab team photos or share experiences. Nigel had the honour, and with an average finish time of around 3hrs 30mins we were all pleased with how things turned out.

    Nigel’s favourite moment was the crowds at Tower Bridge, the course loop allowing us to see Sir Mo in his final race. The whooshing noise the leaders made when they passed us in the opposite direction was startling.

    Peter lost his calf at mile 21, struggling home in a tremendous effort and also loving the iconic Tower Bridge. James was overwhelmed with the support of our amazing multicultural capital city, thousands of people lining the entire route with music, dancing, clapping, cheering, encouragement, food and drinks. Incredible.”

    Thank you James, Peter and Nigel for running in support of Theodora Children’s Charity and raising an incredible £2,160 online, helping us bring joy and laughter to children and their families in hospital when they need it most.

    If you would like to donate to their Justgiving page please click below

    Donate
  • Children’s Mental Health Campaign

    Last week we took part in the important nationwide discussion about anxiety, during Mental Health Awareness Week. In our 2022 Impact Report published earlier this year, we saw that 68% of parents felt that meeting a Giggle Doctor reduced their child’s stress and anxiety, and 79% of parents felt the meeting improved their child’s mood. We are proud that over the last 29 years we have continued to create magical moments for thousands of children across the country, through our bedside and virtual visits.

    So that as many children as possible can receive these unique and valuable visits, we are launching our Children’s Mental Health Campaign on 1st June 2023. Please visit and share the page between 1st June and 8th June.

    Anything you donate during that week will be doubled at no cost to you, you can even add Gift Aid on top! If you give £15, this could be £33 to Theodora Children’s Charity with Gift Aid. (Gift Aid allows us to reclaim the basic rate tax you pay as a UK taxpayer. It means that we can claim 25p of tax for every £1 you donate, at no extra cost to you!) 

    Whilst the Giggle Doctors work for Theodora Children’s Charity they are not volunteers. Every visit is completely free for parents and guardians, ensuring the visit is accessible to every child and their family.

    We plan to have at least 9,000 Giggle Doctor visits in 2023, more than double the number in 2022. This is an even more important figure when we see that it is reported mental health problems have increased five-fold over the past 20 years and will increase a further 63% by 2030. Our continuous presence will not be possible without our fantastic supporters – whether you share our work, receive a visit or donate – Thank you for #givingagiggle. 

    Holly de la Nougeréde

    Holly de la Nougeréde

    Fundraising and Communications Manager

    T: 07507 729 633

    Get in touch!
  • Theatretrain’s Dance for Giggles 2023

    Theatretrain has put theatre front and centre in a child’s performing arts training. They focus on giving their students the full experience, encouraging them to engage as part of a group while learning the fundamentals of sound, time, space, attitude, movement and storytelling. This method combines inspiring training and essential theatre practices, creating better performers and confident young people.

    We have been so grateful to receive the support of Theatretrain groups for many years, and together they have helped us bring giggles to many children living with illness, disability and serious health challenges.

    We have supported Theodora for over 10 years now. We know that many parents understand and want to support this wonderful work by Theodora. In fact, I can’t think of a better or more appropriate charity for us to support. We know that the money is much needed and will enable more of those smile-and-laughter inducing visits to take place

    Kevin Dowsett, Founder of Theatretrain
    Kevin Dowsett, Founder of Theatretrain

    On Saturday 7th October 2023, children from all Theatretrain centres will be taking part in a Danceathon at the same time, and getting sponsored by family and friends. They raised over £30,000 in their last Danceathon in 2018, which was donated during the Christmas Matched Funding Campaign: The Big Give, and so was doubled to £62,000.

    This year Theatretrain is aiming to raise an incredible £50,000, to be doubled to £100,00! We wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who is working hard to make this event a big success.

    We were delighted to welcome Kevin to our office to meet with our founder André Poulie earlier this year. It was a great day discussing the wonderful support Theatretrain has shown Theodora’s for many years, and a great opportunity to discuss their upcoming Danceathon

    Our very own Dr Princezz introduced Theatretrain to us as she is the Company Director of their branch in Solihull,

    I was so pleased we chose them as our national charity as it means so much to me as I get to see first-hand the amazing difference the Giggle Doctors make! They regularly make seriously ill children smile, sometimes for the first time since they arrived in hospital. Parents regularly cry happy tears seeing their often very poorly child blowing bubbles or trying to turn them into a frog with the magic wand the Giggle Doctor gave them.

     

    Giggle Doctors change what can seem like an intimidating and scary place, into a fun one with magic, balloons, storytelling and songs. They leave a warm trail of laughter and understanding with every family they visit.

    Sara, Dr Princezz and Company Director in Solihull
    Sara, Dr Princezz and Company Director in Solihull
  • Trainee Giggle Doctor Recruitment

    We’re looking for playful people with a performing arts background who want to use their creativity, imagination and performance skills to bring joyful encounters to children in hospitals and specialist care settings!

    How to apply

    Please click here to download the Trainee Giggle Doctor Recruitment Pack which contains full details of the role and instructions on how to apply

    You can apply electronically, by downloading and completing the following forms by email or post:

    Complete applications should be sent to giggleadmin@theodora.org by 12.00 pm on Tuesday 31st October 2023.

    Postal applications can be sent to: Isabel Squires, Theodora Children’s Charity, Suite 212 Spaces, 70 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PP

    Applicants shortlisted for the first phase of recruitment will be invited to an audition workshop on Friday 10th or Thursday 16th November. Following the workshop, some candidates will be invited to interview on Thursday 16th or Friday 17th November.

    Applicants invited to the second phase of recruitment will accompany a Senior Giggle Doctor on 2 trial hospital visits in January/February 2024.

    Following these 2 trial visits, candidates will be notified on whether they will be offered a Trainee Giggle Doctor contract.

  • Catching up with Cherubs Nurseries

    Tell us about you!

    Cherubs Nurseries is a Midlands-based nursery group with nurseries across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Our mission is to make each day even brighter than the last and we believe early years is the best place to start! For 10-years now, we have been supporting local and national charities and causes through our community life work. Every year, we ask our parents, staff and partners to nominate charities they’d like us to consider to help us choose.

    It goes without saying that we’re very grateful for your support here at Theodora Children’s Charity – what was it that drew you to the Giggle Doctors initially? 

    We were initially introduced to the Giggle Doctors at the Nursery World Awards ceremony we attended in 2018, where they had selected Theodora as the charity partner for the evening.

    We were inspired by the story and felt a real synergy between what we do at Cherubs Nurseries and the work of the Theodora Giggle Doctors. Theodora’s commitment to bringing joy and laughter for children in hospital is something that is so vital and with some of the children we care for experiencing hospital stays, we knew it was something we had to support. Even more so because the Giggle Doctors visit many of our local hospitals! 

    Over the course of 2023, Theodora Giggle Doctors have visited over 15,000 children. How does it make you feel to know that you’ve supported these visits? 

    This is exactly the reason we chose to support the Giggle Doctors not once but twice as our annual charity partner. The real life and meaningful impact their visits have is genuine and far reaching something we are so proud to have been able to support.

    Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about what it’s like to be a donor?   

    We don’t usually support the same charity or cause twice within a certain time period, however, the chance to support the Giggle Doctors again in our 30th anniversary year just felt so right.

    The opportunity to compound our initial donation in 2019 of £10,000 with another donation in 2023 of almost £17,000 (thanks to match-funding) is a massive highlight in our history books. We are such advocates for making children’s days even brighter than the last and when the going gets tough it’s charities like you that are there to make a lasting difference.

    For me, a personal highlight of the partnership was attending the charity’s 25th anniversary celebrations in London in 2019. It really cemented the impact of our work at Cherubs Nurseries and the importance of our community life work. We were also able to meet founder, André along with Dr Dovetail and Dr Easy Peasy – talking and sharing stories really bought our partnership to life.

    Interview with Harry Mills, Chief Brand Officer, Cherubs Nurseries

  • Southampton Children’s Hospital

    “I will be sat in my playroom and then I hear the jingle jangle of bells walking down the corridor – and I know it’s going to be a good day!” – Natasha Allan, Play Specialist

    Giggle Doctors have been a regular sight on the wards at Southampton Children’s Hospital for over 20 years, so it felt strange for both the Giggle Doctors and the play team at Southampton when they couldn’t visit during the pandemic.

    Play Leader Louise Oliver told us:

    “When we were able to welcome the Theodora Children’s Charity back into the hospital early this year (2023), (after Covid restrictions were lifted), it was a cause for celebration! I was absolutely delighted that Dr Ding Dong, with her familiar cheerful costume, sparkles, glitter, and jangling bells helped to fill the ward once again with laughter and happy smiles. Then recently Dr Hunky Dory has also joined the team with his wonderful guitar and singing!


    “I have always loved working with the Giggle Doctor team, and have been proud to introduce them, and explain the Theodora Children’s Charity to the patients and families on the wards.  I really look forward to their visits, and we often join forces to create fun sessions that bring happy and memorable times for children and young people in the hospital.”

    Louise Oliver and Dr Ding Dong

    Often, it’s how the Giggle Doctors connect with children who are more difficult to reach which is so special:

    “I have witnessed so many wonderful moments since they have been back, but some that particularly stand out to me are the way Dr Ding Dong interacts with my neurology patients and long-term medical patients. She always takes time to find out what she needs to know during her handover so that she can pitch her visit to the child or young person correctly, being aware of their particular needs.”

    One wonderful moment was when she visited a child who was struggling to communicate as a result of her brain injury, but then repeated “Giggle Giggle” after having enjoyed bubbles, lights, farting noises and fun songs with Dr Ding Dong. It was truly amazing to hear!”

    “Having Dr Ding Dong come to our ward for visits is such a valuable resource to us on Ocean Ward! I will be sat in my playroom and then I hear the jingle jangle of bells walking down the corridor- and I know it’s going to be a good day! Dr Ding Dong finds a way to engage with children of all ages whether it’s with her amazing clothes and glittery face, her various bells and horns or even her farts!! It gives me joy to see the children waiting in anticipation for Dr Ding Dong to come by and stop at their bedspace. Even after she has left the ward, parents and children continue to talk and laugh about their visit with the Giggle Doctor and it’s clear to me what an amazing impact it has had on their hospital journey.”

    Natasha Allan, Play Specialist
    Natasha Allan, Play Specialist

    Working alongside such welcoming play staff makes visiting Southampton Children’s Hospital a real pleasure, as is supporting their amazing commitment to offering every child the best possible experience of hospital.