Tag: Edinburgh Children's Hospital

Amazon Dunfermline Supports Children’s Charities

The team from Amazon in Dunfermline made donations totalling £2,000 to Glasgow Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital as part of the company’s global Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer campaign during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Since 2017, Amazon employees have helped raise awareness and joined in the fight against childhood cancer thanks to the Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer campaign.

A gold ribbon is the universal symbol for childhood cancer and Amazon employees from Dunfermline held a month-long series of gold-themed events in recognition of the international emblem.

The Dunfermline team also showed solidarity to children with cancer by donating a total of £2,000 to Glasgow Children’s Hospital, CHAS and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital.

One of the events this year at Amazon in Dunfermline was a Pyjama Day, which saw the team wear pyjamas to work in honour of children who spend every day in their pyjamas during treatment.

Other events taking place at Amazon in Dunfermline included packing kits including over 200 activity packs and 66 teddy bears for children undergoing treatments at Glasgow and Edinburgh Children’s Hospitals.

The team from Amazon in Dunfermline also visited Glasgow Children’s Hospital to help set up and decorate the hospital’s ‘Games for Weans’ game room.

The aim of Amazon’s Goes Gold campaign is to support kids impacted by cancer as part of the company’s commitment to have a meaningful impact in the communities it serves around the world.

Over 400,000 children across the globe will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and Amazon has an opportunity to make a difference for thousands of these children and their families by raising greater awareness and supporting the work being done in cancer research and front-line care.

Amazon Dunfermline General Manager, Jamie Strain said: “Amazon has proudly supported Childhood Cancer Awareness month since 2017 and this year, we’re pleased to continue playing a part at Amazon in Dunfermline with our pyjama party and gold-themed events.

“We’re pleased to support the efforts of Glasgow Children’s Hospital, CHAS and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital, organisations that have a profound impact on children and families in our community.”

Christina Watson is one of the Amazon employees who took part in Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer. She added: “Everyone at Amazon in Dunfermline loved taking part in our gold-themed events to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

“I think it’s brilliant that we’re also able to support Glasgow Children’s Hospital, CHAS and Edinburgh Children’s Hospitals whose staff and volunteers do incredible work for families in our area.”

Amazon employees in the UK also had the opportunity to support children and families affected by childhood cancer by packing activity kits for children facing cancer, which were distributed to nearby hospitals and hospices.

Employees also took part in volunteering with childhood cancer charities and organisations, and had the opportunity to write short stories for children spending time in hospital.

Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities in and around its operating locations across the UK. Amazon provides students, teachers and parents with free computer science and STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and has teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than seven million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas of the country.

Earlier this year, Amazon partnered with Comic Relief to become the official home of the Red Nose. Amazon employees across the UK hosted fundraising activities and together with their customers and partners, raised £2.7 million to support those going through the toughest time of their lives.

Learn more about the ways Amazon supports its communities at:

 http://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/impact/community

Memorial Music Garden unveiled at Edinburgh’s Children’s Hospital

Children and young people at Edinburgh’s Children’s Hospital are to benefit from a new multisensory musical garden which has been created in loving memory of East Lothian teenager Jess Mackie.

Thought to be the only one of its kind in a UK children’s hospital setting, The Jess Mackie Music Garden is a vibrant, interactive outdoor space which ensures children don’t miss out on the joy of creative play and music-making while in hospital.

Featuring five large, free-standing musical instruments – the Congas, Tembos, Rainbow Trio Chimes, Harmony Bells and Marimba – the garden pays tribute to Jess’ love of music and encourages children and young people to have fun making melodies together in a relaxing, non-clinical setting away from the wards.

The sensory space has been fully funded by the Jess Mackie Memorial Fund (JMMF), a tribute fund of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC).

The fund was set up by the Mackie family to support therapeutic music projects within the hospital in loving memory of their daughter Jess who passed away in 2018 aged 14.

Jess was a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland and sang with Aberlady and Gullane Parish Churches, at care homes and for charities, and at school concerts.

Parents Michael and Jackie said: “Jess was a caring and compassionate girl who always sought to help others. At only 14, she had a sense of how powerful music could be in helping people when they were in need.

“Many children and young people in hospital feel vulnerable because they lack control over what’s happening to them. Music can have an enormous and positive impact, helping ignite a spark and give back a sense of control.

“It also gives children and young people a means of expressing themselves, making friends and building confidence. Jess knew this and would have loved to know she was a part of making this happen.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the wonderful music garden which is such a fitting tribute to our beautiful daughter. We hope lots of children, young people, families and hospital staff will enjoy it for many years to come.”

When Covid restrictions allow, the music garden will also be used as an outdoor performance space, where ECHC’s visiting musicians – also funded by JMMF – and artists will perform and do music making activities with children and young people all year round.

Rachel Baxter, Director of Fundraising at ECHC, said: “Music-making is a large part of the ECHC Arts Programme as it has such a positive impact on children and young people’s wellbeing. It’s fantastic to now have this brand new space in which we can do even more music, performance and arts activities and ensure children don’t miss out on the magic of music while in hospital.

“The Mackie family are incredible and we are enormously grateful to them and their family, friends and supporters for funding the wonderful Jess Mackie Music Garden and all music-making activities within the hospital. Thanks to their support, we can bring Jess’ passion for music and singing to so many more children and young people on the wards.”

To make a donation to the Jess Mackie Memorial Fund, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/JessMackieMemorialFund

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity supports the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, as well as other children’s healthcare settings across the Lothians.

To donate, visit www.echcharity.org/donate