Starlight UK

150,000 children will spend Christmas in hospital this year.

Your donation can bring them laughter, play and hope.
Because serious illness can steal many things, but Christmas shouldn’t be one of them.

Donate now: ow.ly/m6YG50XmWSN

Policy alert: Causes of trauma from children's healthcare
@starlightuk.bsky.social
www.starlight.org.uk/assets/docum...

We’re still on a high from Tuesday! 💜
Our Parliamentary event brought together MPs, Peers, Ministers, young people & play specialists, all pledging support for play in children’s healthcare.

Together, we’re putting play at the heart of every child’s hospital journey.

#PowerOfPlay #PlayInHealthcare

Many thanks to
@alistrathern.bsky.social
for this important article on the importance of play in children’s healthcare to reduce trauma. Following our successful drop-in event yesterday in parliament it’s great to see the growing momentum and recognition of this cause.

🚨 Our new report is here: Causes of Trauma from Children’s Healthcare
1 in 9 children say being held down for treatment worries or upsets them.
Play can prevent this, helping children feel safe, calm & in control.

📘 Read the report → ow.ly/mRS450X9Huc

Why do hospital visits leave children traumatised?
Join our free webinar Causes of Trauma from Healthcare on 13 Oct, 12:30–13:30. Speakers: Dr Sandy Cabrita Gulyurtlu (Starlight) & Prof. Lucy Bray (Edge Hill Uni).

👉 Sign up: ow.ly/gnZL50X65tR #PowerOfPlay #ChildHealth

Congrats to Leanne Gowland, Health Play Specialist at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, named Health Play Specialist of the Year at the 2025 #StarlightAwards! 💜

A trailblazer in continence care, Leanne uses play to reduce anxiety and protect children’s mental health.

No child should face hospital trauma alone. Play turned Felix’s fear into courage.

Help us reach more children like Felix. Donate £10 today 👉 ow.ly/eMT850X0aiR

#ProtectPlay #DonateToday

We’re thrilled to win Charity Champions at the 2025 #NimbleAwards! 🏆

Our project is shaping the future of children’s healthcare by educating professionals on the power of play.

Congratulations to all winners!

Congrats to Debbie Daniels, Senior Health Play Specialist at Poole Hospital, winner of Mentor of the Year in our 2025 Starlight Awards!

Her guidance is inspiring the next generation of health play specialists, making sure more children get the care and play support they deserve.

We’re celebrating Anaesthetic Nurse Raquel Duncombe at PRUH, winner of the Protector of Play Award 🌟

By integrating play into emergency surgery, Raquel is reducing trauma, calming children, and improving outcomes.

#ProtectorOfPlay #PowerOfPlay

💜 Nailah, a member of our Youth Hub, shared at #CarFest2025 how play supported her in hospital:

“It helps kids through rough times, distracts them, and lets them use their imagination.”

#PowerOfPlay #StarlightMagic

“You don’t know you need play until you’re in hospital, then it’s vital.”

Chloe, a Healthcare Play Specialist, shares why play is a right and how it transforms children’s hospital experiences.

#PowerOfPlay #HospitalPlay #CarFest

🌟 Thank you CarFest! 🌟
We loved every LEGO step, slime squish, bubble pop & cozy chill-out moment with you 💜 You made the weekend unforgettable.

#PowerOfPlay #StarlightMagic

Play professionals matter.💜
They give children a voice, help them express emotions, prepare them for treatment & bring expertise that supports resilience and recovery.

#PlayToHeal #HealthcareHeroes

Exclusive: Starlight's Laura Walsh on the power of health play Starlight champions play in healthcare settings, working with health professionals, kids and families to provide play experiences that reduce the fear and anxiety often associated with medical treatme...

💜 Play is essential, not optional.

Starlight’s Head of Play, Laura Walsh, shares why therapeutic play reduces hospital fear, builds resilience & makes treatment easier for children across the UK.

Read more 👉 bit.ly/4mUD4QI

#PowerOfPlay #ChildHealth

💜 Did you know?

Health play isn’t just fun, it transforms children’s hospital experiences. It reduces fear and pain, builds resilience, improves recovery, and even saves the NHS time and money.

That’s the power of play.

#PlayToHeal #StarlightFoundation #ChildHealth

Our Tracy’s been busy packing the van & we’re nearly ready for CarFest 2025! 🚚💜

Find us in the StarFest Zone for:
🧱 The LEGO Walk
✨ Tag You’re Lit (the biggest game of tag at CarFest!)
🎲 Garden games + more

Come join the fun & tell us what play means to you!

#CarFest2025 #StarlightMagic

Incredible Health play specialists from the Lister east and north Hertfordshire Trust describe the bereavement support they give when children die in Emergency Department ✨
@starlightuk.bsky.social

Congratulations and thank you for publishing your impactful research with us! 🤩👏

📑 Read Dr Sandy Gulyurtlu's #OpenAccess article here: spr.ly/63324fSLmr

🚗💜 We’re heading to CarFest next week!

Join us in the StarFest Zone for bubbles, LEGO walks, sensory play, star walls & more, showing how play transforms children’s hospital experiences.

🧱 LEGO Walk
🤝 Tug of War
⭐ “What Play Means to Me” crafts

🎟 carfest.org

We’re so proud of our Head of Insights & Impact, Dr Sandy Gulyurtlu, whose research has been published in the @tandfresearch.bsky.social.

It’s another step forward in proving what we know: play changes everything for children in healthcare.

Read the story: bit.ly/4mMnir8

#StarlightFoundation

Our first Innovation in Health Play Awards celebrated brilliant healthcare professionals using play to transform children’s hospital experiences.
From anxiety-reducing VIP passes to 3D printed MRI models cutting anaesthetic use by 88%, the results are inspiring.
Read the full report: bit.ly/4mkMmFQ

Therapeutic play changes how children experience hospital, reducing fear, improving recovery, and building confidence.

Alistair Strathern MP saw it in action at Lister Hospital & is now calling for greater NHS health play provision. 💜

Read more: bit.ly/45fV9CH

#PlayToHeal #StarlightFoundation

💜 “They remember the fun, not the fear.”

At @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social, nurse Jenny sees the magic of play every day, helping children feel safe, confident, and cared for in hospital.
Read her story: bit.ly/4lwzHhH

#PlayToHeal #TherapeuticPlay #ChildHealth #StarlightFoundation

"They Remember the Fun not the Fear" - Jenny, staff nurse A staff nurse at Moorfields Eye Hospital, who works across its A&E, inpatient and outpatient departments, shares how play - often in the simplest forms -…

💜 “They remember the fun, not the fear.”

At @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social, nurse Jenny sees the magic of play every day, helping children feel safe, confident, and cared for in hospital.
Read her story: bit.ly/4mHYfFr

#PlayToHeal #TherapeuticPlay #ChildHealth #StarlightFoundation

It was great to hear Dr Steve Turner, President of the @rcpch.bsky.social highlight the importance of the #NHSPlayWellToolkit at the 50th anniversary conference of The Society of Health Play Specialists.

We welcome this report and especially endorse the recommendations for a National Play strategy for England and for play to be embedded within children’s healthcare.

👉 Read our response: www.starlight.org.uk/new-national...

Today is International Day of Play, and the Raising the Nation Play Commission have published their report: Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play

👉 Read our response: www.starlight.org.uk/new-national...

#InternationalDayOfPlay
#IDOP2025

The work that Sophie's Legacy does for children in hospital is immeasurable and we are so utterly proud to have shared this moment, and this work, with Charlotte and her charity. 💚⭐

#NHSPlayWellToolkit