Category: News

We’re delighted to announce that we have funded an LED Wall Wash for the children’s mental health safe room, known as the Atlantic Room, at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. This crucial addition is part of our ongoing commitment to improving the environment and care provided to young patients dealing with mental health challenges.

The Atlantic Room serves as a haven for children experiencing mental health crises. It is a space designed to provide safety, comfort, and calm during what can be an incredibly stressful and frightening time. The newly funded LED Wall Wash plays a significant role in enhancing this environment by creating a soothing atmosphere through carefully controlled lighting.

Research shows that lighting can profoundly impact mental health and emotional well-being. The LED Wall Wash allows for the adjustment of light intensity and colour, which can help reduce anxiety and create a sense of calm. This is particularly important for children and young people in distress, as a peaceful environment can aid in their emotional regulation and overall healing process.

We understand that the physical environment is a vital component of mental health care. By providing this innovative lighting solution, we aim to support the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in offering the best possible care to young patients during their most vulnerable moments.

We are incredibly grateful to our supporters for making this possible. Your donations continue to make a tangible difference in the lives of children across our region. As we continue to fund projects like this one, we remain dedicated to shaping the future of children’s mental health support across the UK.

We’re thrilled to announce that, with the generous support of our fantastic friends and donors at Peter Cooper Motor Group, we have funded an Omi Vista interactive projector for the children’s emergency department waiting room at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. This state-of-the-art equipment is set to make a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of young patients during what can often be a stressful and anxious time.

The Omi Vista interactive projector is a groundbreaking piece of technology designed to transform any space into an engaging, interactive environment. By projecting vibrant, colourful images and games onto the floor or walls, the projector allows children to interact with the visuals through touch and movement. This immersive experience provides a much-needed distraction for young patients, helping to alleviate anxiety and create a more positive and calming atmosphere while they wait for medical care.

For children in an emergency department, the waiting room can be an overwhelming and frightening place. The stress of being unwell, combined with the unfamiliar surroundings and uncertainty, can heighten their anxiety. The Omi Vista interactive projector offers a welcome relief by providing a sense of play and normalcy, helping children to focus on something enjoyable rather than their immediate worries.

Research has shown that engaging in interactive play can have a profound impact on mental health, particularly in stressful situations. By incorporating this cutting-edge technology into the children’s emergency department, we are helping to create an environment that not only supports the physical health of young patients but also nurtures their emotional well-being.

We are incredibly grateful to Peter Cooper Motor Group for their continued support and generosity. Their commitment to our cause has enabled us to bring this innovative solution to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, making a real difference in the lives of children and their families.

We’re proud to announce our latest appeal, in support of the redevelopment of the mortuary viewing room at St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol. This significant project, which will be known as The Rosemary Room, aligns with the Snowdrop Appeal led by the Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity and aims to provide a comforting and dignified space for families during their most challenging times.

A Vital Space for Bereavement Support

Losing a loved one is an incredibly difficult experience, and having a serene, private space to say goodbye can provide immense comfort to grieving families. The current bereavement facilities at St Michael’s Hospital are in need of modernization to meet the emotional and practical needs of those who are facing loss. The redevelopment of the mortuary viewing room into The Rosemary Room will create a warm, welcoming environment that offers solace and support to families in their time of need.

The Rosemary Room: A Vision of Compassion

The new Rosemary Room will be thoughtfully designed to provide a peaceful and respectful atmosphere. It will feature soft lighting, comfortable seating, and tasteful décor to help families feel more at ease. This space will be a significant improvement over the current facilities, offering a dedicated area where families can spend time with their loved ones in a dignified setting.

The Snowdrop Appeal, led by the Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, aims to raise funds for the redevelopment of bereavement spaces at St Michael’s Hospital. We are to supporting this crucial initiative, recognising the profound impact it will have on families during their most vulnerable moments.

Donate Today

To support The Rosemary Room, please visit our donation page. Every contribution, no matter the size, will help us reach our goal and provide a more comforting environment for families at St Michael’s Hospital.

Thank You for Your Support

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our donors, sponsors and volunteers, your generosity funds projects like The Rosemary Room, ensuring that we can provide crucial support to families during their most challenging times.

We are honoured to have been sent this incredibly rare LEGO MRI Scanner set from The LEGO Foundation to celebrate the success of our fundraising campaign for the new iMRI Scanning Suite at Southampton Children’s Hospital.

This set is part of an initial programme of only 600 that have been sent to hospitals around the world to see if they can help alleviate some of the stress that children experience when having to have an MRI scan and this one will be going to Southampton Children’s Hospital.

A team at Odense University Hospital and volunteer LEGO employees have teamed up to make MRIs more playful and less stressful. To do it, they’ve designed a LEGO brick model of an MRI scanner. By playing with it before their scans (guided by hospital staff), children get a feel for the room they’ll be in and the machine they’ll face. And, by putting a LEGO minifigure through the model scanner first, children can take control and learn what to expect at the same time.” – The LEGO Foundation

“MRI Scanners are huge machines. They also make a lot of noise which can be very daunting for children. Our team have found that use of models such as the LEGO models has led to more positive, calm experiences for many children. This benefits the child, their family and also the quality of the MRI scan, which relies on the person being very still for up to an hour to work”
Ulla Jensen, Department of Radiology at Odense University Hospital

Thank you to The LEGO Foundation for sending us this wonderful gift which we are sure will make a great difference to children when undegoing a potentially frightening procedure in hospital

Over 200 guests donned their sequins, platforms boots, guitars for the most rocking night of The Murray Parish Trust year – the 2023 Odd Ball! The theme, if you hadn’t guessed it already, was glam rock and everyone certainly dressed to impress with their own individual take on the dress code (lead of course, by our fabulous founders, Sarah Parish and Jim Murray).

We raised over £36,000 on the night itself, all with the help of some very special people – here’s how the night went…

Our opening act was performed by the ever wonderful Parkewood School of Dance and the Hampshire Japanese Taiko drummers, who entertained our guests with rhythmic delights as they entered the Hilton at The Ageas Bowl, which had been given an incredible glam rock makeover – for one night only! 

Hosts Sarah Parish & Jim Murray declared The Odd Ball open with a toast, followed by a game of ‘Heads & Tails’, lead by the fabulous Angela Griffin.

Throughout the evening meal (the ‘main’ event as we called it) guests were able to place bids on various lots in the Silent Auction, as well as purchasing raffle tickets to win a 7-night cruise of their choice, courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Another evening highlight followed, as Bunny the Knife Thrower chose an unsuspecting victim from the audience to test their nerve, as she hurled sharp objects within inches of their extremities! A big shout out has to go to Darren Cooper from our sponsor Peter Cooper Motor Group, who bravely took on this terrifying challenge.

Sarah & Jim said a few words on the The Murray Parish Trust and why they had decided to launch the charity all those years ago, as well as speaking about some of the projects we’re currently supporting, such as Stepping Stones, in collaboration with Hampshire Cultural Trust, which aims to use art and creativity to support the mental health of vulnerable young people in the region.

Shortly afterwards the Live Auction got underway with our auctioneer George Burnand’s highly entertaining chant as he hosted the bidding across the ballroom for some incredible lots.

Finally, we saw the hilarious Britain’s Got Talent duo, Stavros Flatley take to the stage! They got everyone on their feet and ready to party the night away to a playlist full of rock anthems and top hits – the perfect end to an amazing evening!

A HUGE THANK YOU!

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the guests, sponsors, supporters, suppliers & everyone who helped make the Odd Ball 2023 such an incredible success! In particular we’d like to thank our sponsors for the event, Peter Cooper Motor Group, Cavendish & DR. VEGAN, who helped us bring the event to life.

Huge thanks also goes to:

The Production Lighting & Audio teams: Peachy Productions, Solent University & Tony Robson.  All staff from the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl. Superstars auction and our Auctioneer George Burnand. Our fabulous Floor Managers: Tori Caine & Katie Pike. Our set and props suppliers: Berkshire Dance Floor Hire, Transform Venue Ltd, Tony Hand, Andy Cliff, Nadine Collinson, Caroline Fairbairn & Alresford Builders Merchants.

Our fabulous entertainment: Parkewood School of Dance, Taiko Drummers, Cordelectra, Bunny – Knife Throwing Cabaret, Stavros Flatley & DJ Ed Bassett

All of our amazing volunteers

Our wonderful photographer: Kate Hunter

And thank you to our special guests: Angela Griffin, Charlie Condou, Owain Arthur & Jenni Falconer

Our fabulous evening of fashion, which took place on Wednesday 26th April 2023, raised a staggering £20,000!

We need to say some very big thank yous to everyone who helped make this event the unbelievable success that it was, starting with our Headline Sponsor, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, who not only helped to make the show a reality through their generous sponsorship, but also provided the most fantastic raffle prize, helping to raise even more money on the night!

We’d also like to thank The Grange Hampshire, our wonderful Supporter, who provided the most magical backdrop to the show, highlighted by the exquisite decorative work of Wildbunch Florists & Tambuzi Roses, as well as our production team, Peachy Productions.

And of course, no fashion show would be complete without some beautiful pieces, showcased from Moda Rosa Boutique, Tabitha Webb & Sass & Edge. There were a beautiful range of summer styles on display throughout the night, from casual beach looks, to some of the most eye-catching evening wear we’ve ever seen!

Another thank you goes to our event caterer, Becka Cooper, who provided delicious canapé for our 250 guests and to Grange Estate Wines for their sparkling reception.

We hope everyone that came along thoroughly enjoyed themselves and we can’t wait to tell you more about our next event, coming later this year. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram or Facebook to be the first to hear more…

Take a look below at a few of our favourite shots, taken by the ever amazing Kate Hunter Photography, or head over to our video gallery to see some highlights from the show itself.

Critical illness doesn’t just impact the body, it deeply affects the mind. Each year, the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Southampton Children’s Hospital treats around 1,000 seriously ill or injured children, many facing extreme stress alongside their families. Thanks to our supporters, £116,000 has been raised to help fund one of five new private cubicles within the PICU, spaces designed not only for infection control, but for mental and emotional protection.  The specific cubicle funded is double the size of the other new cubicles. It’s equipped to care for the most critically ill children and infants, who require extensive medical support, and can also accommodate siblings with similar complex conditions.

These new environments offer a calm space during moments of profound uncertainty. For families and patients, privacy and dignity are essential to reducing trauma and supporting long-term psychological resilience. 

Founders Sarah Parish and Jim Murray, whose daughter Ella-Jayne was once cared for in this PICU, know firsthand the emotional intensity of such settings.

“When your child is in intensive care, privacy gives you space to feel. To cry, to rest, to hope. These rooms will ease emotional pressure at the hardest time.”

Part of a wider refurbishment, the new cubicles have been designed with emotional Support in mind, including:

• Glass partitions with privacy blinds for light and calm
• LED-lit ceiling panels and sensory equipment to lower distress and anxiety
• Comfortable reclining chairs to support parent presence and rest

This project recognises that emotional wellbeing is inseparable from physical healing.

We helped with funding the development of the Diabetes Distress Workshops at Southampton Children’s Hospital, which aim to support the parents of children who are living with diabetes

A child’s world changes in so many ways after a diabetes diagnosis. Living with diabetes can make children feel embarrassed or isolated from friends for so many reasons; getting additional attention from teachers or being the child who visit the school nurse for injections. Some experience denial and pretend they don’t have diabetes because they just want to blend in with their friends; this can be dangerous if they avoid blood sugar testing or taking their medicine. They made feel afraid about blood sugar control problems, needles or long-term health problems.

Some children feel guilt because they think the diabetes is their fault or that they’re causing problems for their parents, siblings or teachers. Many feel angry at their parents because they oversee the testing and treatment or they are frustrated by the things that they can’t do because of the restrictions diabetes puts on everyday activities. Or for some, the progress they’d typically be making towards independence can stop or reverse as they become more dependent on their parent than their peers.

Parents also find it hard to come to terms with their feelings about their child having a chronic condition for the rest of their life. They may go through a form of grieving process, feel guilt if they wonder if they could have prevented it or feel worried about caring for their child. Siblings may also struggle; resenting the extra attention that their brother or sister receives or the sacrifices they need to make. When a child has diabetes, it affects the whole family.

Children who live with diabetes are three times as likely to experience anxiety and depression, but the focus is usually on the disease’s physical effects, its treatment and management. The impact on their mental health often remain undiagnosed and unsupported.

We are excited to be funding the development of a ground-breaking new workshop for parents of children with diabetes. This workshop, once developed, will be rolled out multiple times each year so that it continues to support a large number of children and families long-term.

The workshop will help parents to learn the skills and knowledge that will enable them to support and improve their child’s mental health. It is also anticipated that this will also have a positive effect on diabetes management and their physical health.

• gain a better understanding of anxiety and low mood and how to support their young person and promote good psychological health.
• develop their confidence in parenting their child with diabetes through different life stages and medical challenges
• Meet other parents in similar positions to gain peer support
• help them acknowledge their child’s feelings
• Encourage active health care management so that children can take good care of themselves and better manage their diabetes so that they can avoid the stress of extra treatment or missing out on activities they enjoy 
• Build their independence; with encouragement and support children with diabetes can start to take on some of the responsibility for managing it which has a confidence building effect.
• Help children understand that diabetes doesn’t define their life and they can achieve what they want to achieve 
• Encourage supportive friendships and social relationships 
• Find ways to cope with bullying 
• Help the child focus on dealing with their own feelings about diabetes, not yours. Correct misconceptions that they did not do anything to deserve diabetes, it just happens.
• Equip them with the knowledge to talk to friends, teachers and others about their child’s diabetes so that they get the best support in school and care.
• Connect with others dealing with diabetes, boosting confidence and gaining tips from others going through the same thing.

We are so excited to introduce our latest fundraising project, the Hares of Hampshire!

if you have been in and around Winchester over the past month or so you may have spotted some unusual activity. Lots of people took to social media to share photos of a giant white hare that popped up in a few locations around the city.

We can now reveal that this is just one of many 6ft Hare sculptures that will be hopping through Hampshire for a spectacular public art trail in the Summer of 2022.

For ten weeks, Winchester streets, parks and public spaces will be brought to life with an exhibition of magnificent hares. Each giant sculpture will be individually designed and beautifully created, showcasing the wealth of artistic talent the county has to offer – while positively contributing to the economic, cultural and social life of the area.

This will be the biggest art event that Winchester has ever seen, creating a free, fun, family-friendly trail of discovery for everyone to enjoy whilst exploring our great city. This is an opportunity for locals and visitors to be inspired, get creative and celebrate the history and culture of Winchester.

“On May the 3rd 2009, the day that would have marked Ella-Jayne’s first birthday, I was filled with a grief that I could not shake. I got on my bike and went for a cycle to try and clear my head and in a nearby field I spotted a young Hare, a leveret. I got off my bike, climbed over the fence and walked slowly towards it. It didn’t move, just calmly locked its gaze on me. As we stood staring at each other I was filled with the most euphoric happiness, suddenly everything that had happened in the last 12 months slotted into place….. New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings, Ella-Jayne would live on through the charity we founded in her memory. The Murray Parish Trust.” Sarah Parish

“Hares are a poignant symbol of the continuation of life, positivity and regeneration. Sarah and I felt they are an apt symbol for both The Murray Parish Trust and Winchester, as it comes alive again after the pandemic. We can’t wait to see a drove of hare sculptures bringing new life and optimism to the city’s streets in Summer 2022.” Jim Murray

Hares of Hampshire, is a Wild in Art event which will see the ‘larger than life’ brightly painted statues pop up at thirty separate locations from Monday 16th June until Sunday 4th September 2022. After which their will be a ‘Farewell’ event where all the Hares can be viewed together and there will be a chance to bid on each one in our charity Auction!

We are delighted that communications compancy BECG have hopped on board as Hares of Hampshire Sponsors. They have been involved in the creative design for the project and have supported The Murray Parish Trust for many years.

Stephen Pomeroy, CEO of BECG said,  “When asked to support this unique and interactive project we jumped at the chance to be involved. I have been so impressed and proud with how our teams have embraced this project and worked alongside the fantastic team at The Murray Parish Trust to bring it to life.”

Hares of Hampshire is also supported by Winchester BID (Business Improvement District) a not-for-profit organisation led by the businesses of Winchester.

“This spectacular trail is an exciting addition to the wide range of festivals and events held annually in Winchester. It will deliver significant economic, social and cultural impacts to the city whilst benefiting local businesses . We look forward to seeing local artists engaging in the design process; more visitors coming to our beautiful city and a boost of civic pride for local residents. We are delighted to be able to support this exciting new initiative”
Sarah Davis, Business improvement District Manager, Winchester BID

To learn more about this extraordinary event hop on over to www.haresofhampshire.co.uk where you will find information on our sponsorship packages, learner programme, and opportunities for artists.

Follow the Hares of Hampshire on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram at: @hareshampshire #HaresofHampshire