From boy wizards to bear hunts, the work of a charity bringing the power of stories to children across the UK has been highlighted by a patient at Great North Children’s Hospital on Radio 2 all week as part of its BBC Children in Need Appeal.
Ezekiel’s story has featured across Radio 2 this week, with the eight-year old from County Durham chatting live to Zoe Ball on Wednesday morning (17 November 2021) with clips broadcast across the week.
Read for Good’s storytellers and bright-orange mobile bookcases operate in all 30 of the UK’s major children’s hospitals, with brand new books supplied every six weeks. Ezekiel’s multiple allergies means he’s been tube-fed since he was a baby and had countless surgeries. Ezekiel chooses a new book from the Read for Good bookcase every time he has an operation – he’s just had his 22nd – and the arrival of the charity’s storyteller, Gerry has also brightened numerous stays at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle, where the service has operated since 2013.
Ezekiel said: “There’s lots of trolleys that come visit me in hospital that aren’t so nice – like the one for blood tests and the one for swabs. The bright orange one with the books is always brilliant.”
His mum, Amy added: “It’s so lovely to have any visitor to come and see your child when they are in hospital. The days are long and the nights are longer, but Read for Good bring a little bit of sunshine! To remind Ezekiel how amazing he is we always write which surgery he has completed in the front of his Read for Good book – operation 21 was a book all about glow in the dark underpants! After discharge home the books are safely kept on his bookshelf at home and read regularly time and time again. He’s had a fab week on Radio 2 and is so proud to be an ambassador for Read for Good.”
Chief executive at Read for Good, Justine Daniels said: “We all know the power of a good story, but in hospital – for children like Ezekiel – this becomes a super power. We rely entirely on donations and the support of schools running our Readathon, as well as grants from organisations like BBC Children in Need. The pandemic had a massive impact on our work like most charities so the shout-out on Radio 2 has been a real boost.”
BBC Children in Need provides some funding for Read for Good’s work in children’s hospitals, which has grown from an initial pilot in three hospitals back in 2010 to a national programme by 2015. The charity featured on its primetime appeal show on BBC 1 in 2019 (film here). The Nailsworth-based charity has also motivated millions of children since 1984 to read for fun through its sponsored Readathon in schools, with Roald Dahl being a former chair. From annually uniting the city of Liverpool to read for fun to its long-standing partnership with World Book Day and its current two-year Read Gloucestershire! campaign, the charity exists to give every child in the UK the opportunity and motivation to read for pleasure, with all its associated benefits.
To donate visit readforgood.org/donate and for more information visit www.readforgood.org