Royal Visitor Delights Children and Families at Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, Christopher’s

Published on: 8 Jun, 2023
Updated on: 9 Jun, 2023

The Duchess of Edinburgh met delighted children and families who are supported by Shooting Star at its Surrey hospice, Christopher’s in Guildford on Tuesday, June 6.

Giving a huge grin, Olivia and her mum Sarah met Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at Christopher’s hospice where Olivia is being supported by Shooting Star.

The Duchess, Sophie, who is a long-term patron of the charity and had officially opened Christopher’s in 2002, talked to the children and families and joined in with arts and crafts activities.

A smiling Evie and her dad Justin meeting the Duchess of Edinburgh.

She was presented with a special canvas which had been created by children that use the hospice.

She also met Julia Lever MBE, founder of CHASE as the charity was previously known, before visiting the hospice garden to plant a tree to mark her visit.

Bereaved sibling Lewis being artistic with the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Christopher’s hospice supports children, young people and their families with respite stays, symptom management, and end-of-life care, as well as a comprehensive range of therapies, and is one of two hospices run by Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

The family of Sameer, a supported child meeting the Duchess of Edinburgh.

The leading children’s hospice charity supports 700 families who have a baby, child or young adult with a life-limiting condition or who have been bereaved across west London and Surrey.

And, yesterday (June 6), the Duchess visited the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s HASTE wing which has undergone a significant refurbishment including two new MRI scanners and four cutting edge echocardiography machines.

The Duchess of Edinburgh cuts the ribbon on the refurbished HASTE wing at the Royal Surrey County Hospital (June 6 2023).

The new MRI scanners can be used to examine almost any part of the body including: the brain and spinal cord, bones and joints, breasts, heart and blood vessels, as well as internal organs, such as the liver, uterus or prostate gland.

The Duchess met a beaming eight-year-old Momen Mohammed.

The scanners feature artificial intelligence technology which reduces scan times by 30 per cent and are also more spacious for patients inside the scanner.

One of the key benefits is that very young children are able to undergo scans in as little as 30 seconds while watching their favourite film and without the need for a general anaesthetic.

The new equipment will be used to provide potentially life-saving screening for up to 10,000 patients a year. This is up from 5,000 previously.

As well as meeting a number of staff, the Duchess also met patients, including eight-year-old Momen Mohammed who demonstrated how our youngest patients are prepared for an MRI scan using a Lego model.