Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity

05/04/2026

Hats off to all the amazing young artists at the children's hospital who crafted these cracking bonnets for our Easter Bonnet Competition! 👒🐰

From lavishly decorated eggs to full-blown bird nests, we think you'll agree, the creativity this year was next level.

Check out all the egg-stra special entries below! A huge thank you to Hobbycraft for their wonderful donation of craft materials to help make this possible.

Happy Easter! 🐣❤️

03/04/2026

Calling all Jellycat fans! 🐶

We’ve teamed up with Dalkeith Country Park for a brand new charity partnership - and to celebrate, we’re giving you the chance to win something paws-itively huge…

Frank, our giant Jellycat dog, is the ultimate cuddly companion, and he could be yours for just £10!

Here's all you need to know:

🎟️ Enter by making a £10 donation to ECHC by clicking the link below
📍 or visit Frank in The Store at Restoration Yard
🗓️ Enter by 4th May | Winner announced 5th May
⭐ Enter as many times as you like to up your chances of winning!
ENTER HERE - https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/echcjellycat

Tag your Jellycat superfan friends in the comments below! ❤️🐾

12/03/2026

Loulou is 14 and loves the therapets, especially Hamish the golden retriever, who visits on Mondays. 🐶

She’s been at Edinburgh Children’s Hospital for over four weeks and, thanks to you, ECHC has been right beside her and her family every step of the way.

She says, “The Hub gives me the chance to escape the ward and release the pressure of my treatments. The wards can be noisy and busy, but down here it’s a relaxed place.

“There’s always a friendly face, someone to keep me company, and something fun to do. I really enjoy the arts and crafts and how there’s something new on every day. It really helps fill the time when you’re in hospital for a while.”

Her mum, Lucy, adds, “Everyone at ECHC is lovely, and the support is a lifeline for us. Loulou’s treatment is really intense, and The Hub feels like a place where she can escape and level out a wee bit. It’s nice to see her being her rather than being a patient.

“Being able to come down, have a cup of tea and know she’s doing something that brings her joy in a non-medical space is really important. It genuinely takes a wee bit of the pressure off us.

“Everyone says you have to look after yourself when your child is in hospital, but it’s almost impossible. We’ve spent time with Susie, the Complementary Therapist, for aromatherapy and nail treatments, and I had a massage too. That hour was exactly what I needed, a chance to switch off and just breathe.

“We’re big fans of The Hub and what ECHC is doing is so incredibly important.”

From snack and book trolley visits to music sessions and therapet time, your support ensured we could be there so LouLou and her family never felt alone on their hospital journey. ❤

07/03/2026

25/02/2026

Kayleigh took on a Skydive for ECHC ❤

“We’ve been visiting the hospital since my son Jack was around one year old, and we’ve experienced firsthand how much support Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity can provide.

“Hospitals can be frightening when you have a sick child. But seeing one of the ECHC team members makes everything feel a bit less lonely.

“Jack was in the Crichton Ward recently on his birthday, and the team never missed a beat. They made sure he felt seen and even arranged a visit from magician Tricky Ricky, along with presents from the staff.

“The charity and the hospital are simply incredible, and fundraising is my way of saying thank you for always showing us there is light, even in the darkest of moments.

“Taking part in a skydive was a huge personal challenge, but I wanted to step outside my comfort zone for a cause that means so much.”

Kayleigh took a leap on the wild side to support children and families facing hospital.

Why not challenge yourself for an experience of a lifetime? Sign up for our May Skydive today 🪂👇

https://echcharity.org/event/may-tandem-skydive/

14/02/2026

Scaling hills every three hours, with love. ❤

At just 12 days old, Ella was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a hole in her tiny heart.

Doctors told her parents, Fraser and Bridget, that she would likely need open-heart surgery. From that moment, life became a blur of hospital visits, tests and worry.

Fraser said, “Hearing those words was a complete rollercoaster of emotions. Ella’s heart had to work so hard that she struggled to gain weight, and eventually needed to be tube-fed.

“Every three hours, around the clock, we prepared and managed her feeds - 24 hours a day. It was exhausting, emotional, and often overwhelming.

“But through it all, Ella never stopped smiling.”

In January last year, Ella successfully underwent open-heart surgery and continues to amaze everyone around her with her unstoppable little spirit.

Inspired by everything his daughter endured and the support the family has received from ECHC, Fraser decided to take on an extraordinary fundraising challenge: running 4 miles every 3 hours for 48 hours, across the Seven Hills of Edinburgh.

“Running every three hours felt like a fitting reflection of that time, a reminder of the endurance required to care for Ella, and of the strength she shows every single day.”

Fraser completed his extraordinary challenge last month and has now raised over £8,500 for children and families visiting hospital.

“Being in hospital is difficult, but ECHC supported us throughout our time there. The charity helped make the environment feel warm, welcoming, and familiar, which made a real difference.”

You can read more about Ella’s story at Fraser’s JustGiving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/fraser-burnett-1761605268692?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

12/02/2026

Finding your way around the hospital ❤

Coming to hospital can be daunting for children and families, and worrying about where to go can add to the stress of a visit.

That’s why we’re thrilled that, thanks to ECHC funding, Edinburgh Children's Hospital is the first hospital in the world to use pioneering personal navigation technology from Waymap.

The Waymap app helps visitors from their front door to the correct ward or clinic, with step-by-step directions both inside and outside the hospital, making visits just that little bit easier for families.

To help share this incredible story, we welcomed STV News this week. Little Finty (3) and Mackenzie (6) had a fantastic time both in front of and behind the camera. 🎥❤

Mum Gilly said: “Making your way to hospital with a very unwell child is one of the most high-stress moments in any parent’s life… This app takes away that added pressure, and it is going to make a world of difference to so, so many families.”

Take a look at the STV coverage here 👇

https://news.stv.tv/v/edinburgh-sick-kids-launches-world-first-navigation-app-for-patients

03/02/2026

We’re excited to announce our new charity partnership!

Dalkeith Country Park is partnering with Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity for 2026/27 to raise funds that provide extra support, comfort and reassurance to children, young people and their families during their time in hospital.

Over the next two years, we’ll be bringing you fundraising events and activities, plus plenty of everyday opportunities across Restoration Yard and Fort Douglas to support Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity.

Visit our charity partnership page to find out more and donate today.: https://bit.ly/4tbKl2v

25/01/2026

A special Burns Night celebration in the hospital 🥁

We’re so grateful to Corporals Gillies and Tamang from Redford Barracks for visiting this week, as piped music and marches rang out through the hospital atrium and gardens.

On a cauld day, families and staff watched and listened from the windows for a little moment of magic, celebrating Scotland’s baird.

Wishing everyone a Happy Burns Night tonight. ❤️

24/12/2025

“We can be sitting down, everything’s fine, and the next minute we’re packing Kobi’s bag for hospital.

"Life as Kobi’s parents is a constant state of fight or flight. He’s never just ‘a wee bit poorly’. Every new symptom is an emergency. One moment he’s okay, the next we’re racing to theatre. We can never breathe out, never let our guard down.

“It’s not just Christmas. It’s all the days you miss - Easter, Halloween. You go through the motions for your other children, but you always think, ‘Kobi should be here too.’”

Christmas is a time for love, care and togetherness. But for families like Kobi’s, it is often filled with fear, sleepless nights, and hospital rooms.

Thanks to you, ECHC brings comfort and support to children and families spending the festive season in hospital.

No child should face hospital alone – especially at Christmas. ❤️ Donate today.

https://bit.ly/48clanO

22/12/2025

A joy as always to have so many superb Christmas choirs take to The Dome steps to help children in hospital this December! 🎶🎄

To everyone who sang, shook buckets, and jingled bells - an enormous thank you for showing up, come sunshine or Scottish showers, to bring festive cheer to all around. Together, you have raised over £7,000! 🌟

Thank you also to The Dome for welcoming us once again under your twinkly lights. It just wouldn't be Christmas without singing on the Dome steps. ❤️

A huge round of applause to:
Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh Pipe Band
Flora Stevenson Primary School
Bo'ness Belles
The Edinburgh Singers
Lothian Gaelic Choir
St Mary's RC Primary School
Rock Choir
Corstorphine Singers
The Gilmerton Singers
Thistle Do Nicely
Star Harmonies
George Watson’s College Pipes & Drums
Pencaitland Community Choir
Forth Valley Chorus
Frankie Lily
Little Voices Big Stars
West Side Chorus