Going for gold! Sheffield Children’s hosts first annual Sports Day

Patients and families at Sheffield Children’s Hospital got involved in our first annual sports day this week! 

The event brought together patients, families and Sheffield Children’s staff members for a day filled with inclusive summer fun, excitement and sports activities galore. For 150 years, care at Sheffield Children’s has been built around the whole child, looking after their physical health, mental wellbeing, and everyday life. This approach helps children continue being children, even while receiving treatment – and this sports day is part of that approach. 

Children and young people had the chance to get stuck into plenty of different activities throughout the day, including curling, egg and spoon races, crafts and more. They were also able to enjoy circus skills workshops, provided by Artplus – Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity’s arts programme. 

The Sports Day was organised by teachers at Kingfisher Academy, who work closely alongside teams at Sheffield Children’s to support children and young people with their learning needs whilst receiving care. Part of Nexus Multi-Academy Trust, Kingfisher Academy extends across four sites, where the teaching team make sure that our patients are able to continue their learning journey through tailored individual and group lessons. 

Participants were also joined by former world champion BMX cyclist Kelvin Batey, representing Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, who work with teams at Sheffield Children’s to inspire young people through one-to-one online mentoring with professional athletes. The programme, funded by Sport England, aims to address inequalities in accessing sport and supports recovery after hospital stays. 

What a day we had getting together! Well done to all who got involved.