Santa lifted spirits for children at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH) on Sunday 12 December. Due to Covid restrictions, Santa was prevented from visiting the ward again this year but Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) saved the day by raising him up to wave through the window to children and staff at the hospital.
Santa was in safe hands as he was secured into an aerial rescue pump festooned with tinsel and lifted up to greet the children. Gifts donated by Morrisons supermarket and from funds raised by SFRS – aswell as sponsorship from TEXO and Flat4 media – were given to youngsters on the ward as well as children supported by The Archie Foundation’s Child Bereavement Service. Children who were well enough to take part in outdoor festivities also had the opportunity to meet Santa in person.
TEXO Managing Director, Chris Smith said: “The Archie Foundation is close to all our hearts in TEXO. It’s especially important to us at this time of year, when families need to be together and celebrate the magic of the holidays. So we were delighted to support Santa’s visit to Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and were glad to hear that he delivered all his presents safely!”
SFRS Watch Commander, Matthew Cowe, commented: “We were delighted to see the return of this fantastic Christmas event. Aberdeen firefighters based within Red Watch Central Community Fire Station utilised their skills to bring Santa a little bit closer to the children and families within the RACH. With Santa on the scene, Morrisons little helpers supported Santa by providing the most amazing presents during what is a very difficult time for the children. The gifts and the event itself was a great treat for them and put a very big smile on their faces and made some great memories.”
The Archie Foundation, the official charity of Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and Aberdeen Neonatal Unit, provides vital services and support to sick babies and children, as well as supporting bereaved families through Archie’s Child Bereavement Service.
CEO of The Archie Foundation, Paula Cormack, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and our sponsors for bringing this incredibly special event back again this year. It is so important to us to raise the spirits of sick children and their families who are in RACH over the Christmas period. We can only imagine how hard it is for families to be separated not only when a child is unwell but also to not be together over the festivities.
Everyone at Archie goes above and beyond to ensure this time brings joy and laughter to our service users. We are incredibly grateful to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Morrisons PLC, Flat4 media and TEXO for bringing this incredibly special event back again this year.”
For further information about Archie visit – https://archie.org/
