Friday 7th October was a special day for The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, as LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester has donated a specially built LEGO® radiography machine to help staff at the treatment centre explain to children how radiotherapy works.
Sarah Stead, Paediatric Specialist Radiographer at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, demonstrates to many children how radiotherapy works by using a small and basic LEGO® model of a radiography machine she built herself, which is one of a number of play initiatives used to put the young cancer patients at ease.
Fascinated by the technology behind the radiotherapy equipment, Reece Holt, aged 10 from Morecambe who was treated with radiotherapy for a brain tumour, took inspiration from Sarah’s model and decided to make his own recreation of the machine. He then kindly gave this to the radiotherapy department so he could encourage other children to feel inspired and at ease.
He said: “I thought if another child was scared of the machine, they could play with it first so it didn’t seem so scary when they had treatment.”
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre decided to see if LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester was interested in helping producing something built by its Master Model Builder Alex and Sarah was thrilled when they got involved.
The attraction has made an even bigger version of the model to help other children coming into the department for treatment. Reece was excited to accept the new model on behalf of the hospital.
Sarah said: “Children are vulnerable and a visit to a new hospital can be a daunting experience. I focus a lot of the time on play, as it helps children to understand, make friends and develop relationships but more importantly to have fun. I spend time with each child in the radiotherapy machine room explaining how the machine works but unfortunately time is limited. I can use the LEGO® model to explain how the machine will move in more depth and answer any of their questions.”
Sarah added: “I would like to say a massive thank you to LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester for putting the time and effort into making this model for Clatterbridge, it will be an invaluable tool.”
James Thomas, General Manager at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester, commented: “We’re so pleased to be involved in helping make the LEGO® model for the young patients at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and really hope this recreation will help put many more children at ease when having treatment. It’s such a great cause and we’re honoured to have been involved with it.”
For more information and to buy tickets, please visit : Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester . For regular news, updates and competitions, LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in Manchester is also on Facebook and Twitter.
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc
Merlin Entertainments Plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 109 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and c26,000 employees (peak season).
Among Merlin’s attractions are – SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, THORPE PARK Resort, Blackpool Tower, Heide Park Resort, Sydney Tower Eye and SKYWALK. All brands which are distinctive, challenging and innovative – and which have great potential for growth in the future. Visit Merlin Entertainments Plc for more information.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is one of the largest, networked cancer centres in the UK, employing 1,000 staff members and treating 30,000 patients each year. Combining world-class clinical services, research and academic excellence, we are one of the UK’s leading providers of non-surgical cancer treatment including pioneering chemotherapy, radiotherapy and eye proton therapy.
As well as caring for more than 2.3million people in Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, the Isle of Man and parts of Lancashire, our reputation and specialist services attract national and international cancer patients. We are consistently rated one of the best-performing hospitals in the Care Quality Commission’s national inpatient survey. For more information, visit The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre or follow us on Twitter.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity: Our charity needs to raise £2 million every year to help us offer the most up to date treatment, vital research, world class equipment and life-changing support services to our patients and their families.
