Jiffy opens Wooden Spoon project at Noah’s Ark

WELSH rugby legend Jonathan ‘Jiffy’ Davies OBE took a detour to the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital ahead of his trip to Paris to watch Wales play France in the curtain raiser of the 2019 Six Nations Championship.  Jonathan and members of Wooden Spoon were at the hospital to see the play and sensory rooms funded following a donation of £250,000 to the Noah’s Ark charity. Jonathan kick started the project fundraising by running the Great North Run in Wooden Spoon colours in 2006.

While at the hospital, Jonathan and the Wooden Spoon team met with four-year-old Lilly-May and her mum, Rhian. Lilly-May, who has a brain disease called leukodystrophy, has been a patient at the children’s hospital since Christmas. The family aren’t expecting to be discharged for a while yet and Rhian says that the sensory room and equipment have been of huge benefit to her daughter during their stay.

Wooden Spoon CEO, Sarah Webb with Wales rugby legend, Jonathan Davies OBE

Rhian says; “Lilly-May’s condition hugely affects her sight, mobility and ability to communicate so she isn’t able to play in the same way as other children can. But just like any other little girl, she still needs things to entertain and stimulate her, both for fun and so that she can continue to develop. The sensory room is amazing because she’s so relaxed in there. There’s so much to see and look at and she’s keen to reach out and interact with things. I love seeing her face light up when we go in there.”

Huw Thomas, chairman of Wooden Spoon Wales, said; ‘It gives us enormous pride and pleasure to witness the successful completion of this wonderful project.”

Noah’s Ark play specialist, Juliet Hughes is also a big fan of the play and sensory rooms funded by Wooden Spoon.  She added;  “They’re places where families can get away from the clinical environment and just spend time with each other. Children, especially younger ones, often get fearful of grown ups while they’re in hospital because they start to associate them with unpleasant procedures. The play and sensory rooms are strict no procedure zones and you can tell the children sense that because of how much they relax.  They’re places where we as play specialists can continue to work on a child’s needs and development in a safe, playful environment and the sensory rooms in particular is where both the children and families visibly unwind. I’ve seen children, who may not have walked or crawled in weeks because of their illness,  improve dramatically in the sensory environment. I also love how inclusive it is. Just like Lilly-May, not all our children are able to get up and go and play with toys in the playroom.  But the sensory equipment is something that can be enjoyed by everyone, whatever your need.”

Wooden Spoon Wales funds projects for children with disabilities or facing disadvantage throughout Wales. It chose to focus its support of the children’s hospital on play and sensory rooms because of the direct impact they have on children’s wellbeing. Wooden Spoon has a long standing link with Noah’s Ark having become involved with the charity during its initial appeal to raise money for the hospital’s first phase, which opened in 2005.  The Noah’s Ark Charity has since raised more than £22 million to build and equip Wales’ only children’s hospital and continues to provide support by funding life-saving equipment, facilities and services for families.

To find out more about Wooden Spoon Wales and how you can get involved please contact the committee on wales@woodenspoon.org.uk