Welcome to the first edition of Legacy Matters, a brand-new newsletter that provides you with the latest updates on all things Legacies at Alder Hey Children’s Charity and showcases the impact generous supporters like you have on the health and wellbeing of all the children and families at Alder Hey.
As a charity, our purpose is to raise vital funds to help make Alder Hey a world-class, patient friendly hospital and a place where children can be children, no matter what they face. We want to ensure every child can experience Alder Hey Magic - the added extras that
make the hospital experience the best for our brave children and young people. Legacy gifts make a huge difference in the support we can provide for both our patients and their families. From arts facilitators and musicians to our brand-new cinema set to open later this year; the impact gifts in Wills have on the work we do is immeasurable. It allows us to continue our work and provide a happier, brighter and fairer future for all our children and young people.
On behalf of everyone here at Alder Hey Children’s Charity, thank you for your support.
ZOË VINEY INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND LEGACY MANAGER
During her lifetime, Audrey Griffiths experienced the magic of Alder Hey on two occasions.
Her daughter, Elizabeth, was admitted to Alder Hey as a toddler and successfully overcame a health issue. Years later, Madog, the son of a close family friend was diagnosed with leukaemia aged two. Madog, now a teenager, was successfully
MEET AUDREY
treated at Alder Hey, and at the time of Audrey’s passing in early 2020, he was ‘out of the woods’ and now attends the hospital for check-ups twice a year.
It was these experiences that influenced Audrey’s decision to leave a gift in her Will to Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
Elizabeth recalls: “My mother was a remarkable person who is much missed by me and so many others whose lives she touched.
She thought carefully about her legacies and wanted to acknowledge the role placed by clinicians at Alder Hey in helping not only our family but also in their support of Madog and his family.”
Audrey sadly passed away in January 2020 aged 98, but her legacy lives on in the happy, healthy futures her gift is helping to secure at Alder Hey.
Audrey Griffiths
AUDREY’S IMPACT
Audrey’s kindness is helping to bring life-changing arts and culture activities to children and young people at Alder Hey.
Legacy donations like Audrey’s fund the role of Vicky Charnock, who is the Arts Manager here at Alder Hey. Vicky has been delivering our Arts for Health programme to children and young people at the hospital for over 18 years and has seen it grow from a small start-up programme to a project that has gained national recognition and worked with various partners from across the arts sector.
Vicky said: “Working at Alder Hey has opened my eyes on how art can make a difference to people during their most difficult moments. Over the last 18 years I have seen thousands of lives be made a little bit brighter thanks to art intervention. Despite having the opportunity to be around incredible pieces of art during my previous role at Tate, I think what I do now is more impactful because it genuinely changes lives and I can see that on the faces of patients and their families every day.”
SUPPORTING BEREAVED FAMILIES AT ALDER HEY
Ongoing Legacy gifts help us to make a huge difference for those who access The Alder Centre, Alder Hey’s on-site bereavement service which supports anybody affected by the death of a child.
In recent years, Legacy gifts have allowed us to allocate a grant towards the annual Liverpool Anglican Cathedral ‘Light Up a Life’ candle service, which the
The Alder Centre’s holistic therapies room
Alder Centre team run every Christmas period to allow bereaved families, friends and loved ones the opportunity to light a candle in memory of their loved one and come together to remember and celebrate their lives.
Gifts left in supporters Wills have also allowed us to fund holistic therapies at Alder Hey, a range of physical treatments that aim to treat the client as a whole, rather than completely physically or emotionally. Gifts in Wills have helped us to provide a charity-funded Holistic Therapist, offering treatments such as reiki, aromatherapy, and reflexology.
Simon Riley, Head of The Alder Centre said:
“Everybody connected to The Alder Centre would like to thank all the supporters who have left a gift in their Will to Alder Hey Children’s Charity and whose legacy has helped to make a difference at the centre. Thanks to the support of Alder Hey Children’s Charity we have been able to fund various projects that help support anybody affected by the death of a child. Thank you once again for all your support of the work we do at The Alder Centre that enables a healthier, happier, and fairer future, and where those affected by the death of a child can achieve their full potential.”
BRINGING THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES TO HOSPITAL
Alder Hey Children’s Charity is fundraising for the installation and running costs of a brand new state-ofthe-art MediCinema to be built at our hospital. The cinema is set to provide a welcome boost to the wellbeing of our long-term patients and give them the opportunity to experience the joy of cinema from the safety of our hospital, all whilst providing them with memorable moments with their friends and families.
Ivy and her family
One patient that would have benefited from the cinema during their time at Alder Hey is 7-year-old Ivy, who was born with hypoplastic left-heart syndrome and has had three open-heart surgeries at the hospital to date, as well as numerous other procedures. Claire, Ivy’s mum, told us: “Having a MediCinema in the hospital whilst Ivy was an inpatient would have been brilliant. Ivy has always loved films, particularly Disney films, her favourite is Wish and she so enjoyed going to watch it at the cinema. If this facility had been available whilst Ivy was in hospital it would have given her a bit of normality and the opportunity for a break away from the ward as the days can be so long when you are stuck in one room.
Going to the cinema allows Ivy to escape into another world and forget about all the procedures she is going through and makes her feel like any other child, and it is so great that the children at Alder Hey are going to get this opportunity too.”
By equipping the cinema with space for wheelchairs, beds, and medical equipment, as well as being staffed by specially trained clinical staff, parents and carers can enjoy the film alongside their child with the knowledge that they are comfortable and safe. Claire said: “It would have given her some normality away from the ward, but we would also feel comfortable knowing nurses and clinicians were on hand should she need them. She loves watching films and it would have been something for us all to look forward to and enjoy as a family. It also would have given her the opportunity to spend some time with her brother who she missed whilst she was in hospital. Being able to spend time with the whole family and being able to see siblings and share that experience can reconnect the family during a difficult time and really boost the mental health of the child who is in hospital.”
Harry, Dino Dave and Amazing Andy
CHAMPIONING CREATIVE HEALTHCARE
AT ALDER HEY
As part of the launch of our Creative Pathways project earlier this year, Alder Hey Children’s Charity are delighted to have been able to provide our patients with various opportunities to express their artistic creativity and interests with the assistance of professional experts, artists, and performers. The project is part of our nationally recognised Arts for Health programme and is designed to encourage our patients to express themselves creatively, whilst also providing them with lots of exciting things to look forward to during their time with us at Alder Hey.
Palaeontology specialists Dino Dave and Amazing Andy have quickly become very popular with both patients and staff across the hospital. The duo, who have been able to deliver sessions at Alder Hey thanks to our partnership
with the nationally renowned National Museums Liverpool, are experts in all things prehistoric, and their fascinating workshops and demonstrations have certainly been a hit with our patients!
We caught up with 11-year-old Harry on Ward 4C, who was thrilled to tell us all about his experience meeting with Dave and Andy and learning about all things dinosaurs and fossils. Harry said:
“Looking at the fossils is the highlight of my week, it’s so interesting and not the kind of thing you normally get to see while in hospital!”
This is a sentiment that Harry’s mum Jenny echoed to us, as she said that Harry often likes to point out inaccuracies about dinosaurs on the television and in films, such is his utter fascination with the subject. By spending time with Dave and Andy and all the expertise they have to offer, Harry has finally met somebody with the knowledge to match his own!
Dave and Andy are not just experts on dinosaurs and fossils, but also when it comes to interacting with our patients. They arrive on our wards with suitcases filled with fascinating fossils and a repertoire of amazing anecdotes that leave our patients completely transfixed with their sessions.
“The patients really connect with Dave”, explained Andy, “when watching them together it sometimes feels as if they are talking to each other in their own secret language. No topic is off limits, as we like to give the patients the freedom to explore various areas of interest, and it’s really rewarding to see the excitement on their faces when talking about something they’re passionate about like dinosaurs.”
Harry was delighted by the visit from Dave and Andy, and he and his mum are already looking forward to visiting them at the museum again as soon as he is well enough.
Meet Dr Gedeon Lemma, a clinical fellow in the Innovation team at Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust. Gedeon works in our world-leading innovation hub, based right within the heart of our hospital building.
SPOTLIGHT ON RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The innovation hub is designed to accelerate the impact of gamechanging innovation for the next generation. At Alder Hey we are constantly looking at how technology can improve healthcare, both for healthcare professionals and the children and young people we care for.
Gedeon has over a decade of clinical experience working in the NHS, starting his career as a pharmacist, and now working as a Specialist Registrar in Clinical Radiology. Gedeon’s part-time innovation fellowship is funded by Alder Hey Children’s Charity. We caught up with him to find out more about his role and the projects he is working on at Alder Hey.
How long have you been at Alder Hey Innovation and what is your area of clinical interest?
I joined the Alder Hey Innovation team as a clinical fellow in August 2022 on a part-time basis. My role is structured to complement my work as a Clinical Radiology Registrar. This ensures that I am able to maintain my clinical responsibilities whilst contributing valuable insights and perspective to our innovation team. It strikes an ideal balance, allowing me to combine my interest in medical imaging and interventional radiology with advancing technologies such as artificial intelligence being explored at Alder Hey.
Dr Gedeon Lemma
What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently involved in an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) project designed to encourage staff-driven innovations. The programme includes workshops, competitive selection, and the opportunity for healthcare professionals to pitch at a demo-day to an internal and external panel. The project focuses on the development of a new surgical instrument to improve surgical access and reduce complications associated with the removal of adenoid glands in children. We are a diverse team of ENT surgeons, innovation managers and graduates. So far, we’ve progressed from the initial pencil design to crafting a 3D printed prototype and are now seeking feedback from local stakeholders.
What’s the most exciting thing you are seeing in healthcare innovation right now?
The most exciting advancement today is undoubtedly artificial intelligence (AI). Progress in this field is moving rapidly, along with discussions on safe and effective integration of technology into healthcare. These technologies have huge potential to transform many aspects of patient care –from diagnosis right through to treatments. The possibilities make for an exciting future at Alder Hey, where we are passionate about only the very best technology reaching our young patients.
CAN YOU HELP US TO SAVE CHILDREN’S SIGHT?
Alder Hey Children’s Charity is currently fundraising to support Alder Hey’s Paediatric Vitreoretinal Surgery Service, which urgently needs new, essential equipment in order to provide care for children and young people on-site at Alder Hey.
Right now, children needing these surgeries must travel to Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, or London. This adds stress and costs for families, and unnecessary worry. With legacy gifts we can change this and improve what we offer at Alder Hey now and into the future.
10-year-old Abbie came to Alder Hey in May when a fall left her with a split cornea and a traumatic cataract, which clouded the vision in her left eye and required two surgeries to repair. She is currently awaiting a follow up surgery to insert an artificial lens to help restore her vision.
Abbie and dad Nick
The impact of such a traumatic accident left Abbie with obvious difficulties. She had to spend five weeks off school to recover and could only return on a transitional basis whilst requiring a buddy to assist her at all times when walking around. Samantha and Nick, Abbie’s parents, told us: “This has been such a difficult time, but Abbie has taken it all in her stride. The upcoming surgery will help her return to normality and do things a ten-year-old should be doing rather than being restricted like she is now. She usually enjoys swimming and playing outside with her friends, but hasn’t been able to since her accident, so she is really looking forward to being able to be a kid again.”
Abbie received care from Alder Hey’s expert Ophthalmology team, and Samantha and Nick explained how they could not have done more for their family during their difficult time. They said: “We cannot fault the team at Alder Hey enough for everything they have done and continue to do for Abbie and our family. The care she has received has been nothing short of amazing and they truly go above and beyond to make sure we feel comfortable and are doing okay. Even when we are at home and have issues, we
know that we can call and be able to speak to an expert who is able to offer advice and reassurance.
This really is the most incredible hospital and service, and we are so lucky to live so close to such an amazing place.”
Damien Yeo, Paediatric Ophthalmology Consultant at Alder Hey, said: “By supporting Alder Hey Children’s Charity, we are able to invest in world-class equipment so that we can provide specialist surgery for children with paediatric vitreoretinal conditions. Currently, we’ve been able to see these patients, but we have not been able to provide the necessary surgery here at Alder Hey. With support from people like you we are able to invest in the right resources to be able to heal these young eyes.”
Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about leaving a gift in a Will.
If I already have a will do I need to make a new one?
A solicitor may be able to make changes to your Will simply by adding a codicil or letter of wishes, although it is best to check with a solicitor personally.
Can I write my own Will?
You can write your own Will, but we recommend using a qualified solicitor to make a new Will or amend an existing one. Using a solicitor will give you peace of mind that your Will is valid and legally sound and that your wishes will be met. Whilst you may have your own solicitor, Alder Hey Children’s Charity is partnered with several who can start the process for you, possibly even for free – see the previous section called Writing Your Will for Free.
How do I include a gift to Alder Hey Children’s Charity in my Will?
A solicitor can advise you as to what type of gift you may wish to leave, but as a starting point you can provide them with our address and registered charity number.
Our registered charity number is 1160661, and our registered address is Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Eaton Road, Liverpool L12 2AP.
Is tax payable on my donation?
Any gift you make in your Will to a UK charity is free of inheritance tax.
Who can I talk to about making a Will and leaving a gift to Alder Hey Children’s Charity?
Should you have any questions, please do get in touch with our Legacy team, who will be more than happy to provide any information or reassurance you need.
