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Starlight UK

@starlightuk.bsky.social
297 followers 39 following 50 posts

We're the national charity for children’s play in healthcare, supporting children to experience the power of play to boost their wellbeing and resilience during illness. 👉 Donate to support our work: support.starlight.org.uk/donate

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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Congratulations to @ashleydaltonmp.bsky.social and team on the National Cancer Plan. We're proud to have co-produced with @england.nhs.uk guidelines and standards that are part of the plan's commitment to improve cancer treatment experiences for children.
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Play in healthcare took centre stage in Westminster Hall this week. Led by MP CalvinBailey, MBE MP made the case that play is essential, not optional, for children’s health. The debate closed with Ashley Dalton. 🗣️ “Play isn’t a luxury, it’s how children cope, connect, and heal.”
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
🎄 A Christmas message from our CEO, Cathy Gilman Thanks to your support, more children in hospital will experience joy, play and festive magic this Christmas. Thank you to our health play specialists, partners and fundraisers. Happy Christmas ✨
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
150,000 children will spend Christmas in hospital this year. Your donation can bring them laughter, play and hope. Because serious illness can steal many things, but Christmas shouldn’t be one of them. Donate now: ow.ly/m6YG50XmWSN
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Reposted by Starlight UK
The King's Fund Library Service @kingsfundlibrary.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Policy alert: Causes of trauma from children's healthcare @starlightuk.bsky.social www.starlight.org.uk/assets/docum...
starlight.org.uk
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
We’re still on a high from Tuesday! 💜 Our Parliamentary event brought together MPs, Peers, Ministers, young people & play specialists, all pledging support for play in children’s healthcare. Together, we’re putting play at the heart of every child’s hospital journey. #PowerOfPlay #PlayInHealthcare
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Many thanks to @alistrathern.bsky.social for this important article on the importance of play in children’s healthcare to reduce trauma. Following our successful drop-in event yesterday in parliament it’s great to see the growing momentum and recognition of this cause.
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
🚨 Our new report is here: Causes of Trauma from Children’s Healthcare 1 in 9 children say being held down for treatment worries or upsets them. Play can prevent this, helping children feel safe, calm & in control. 📘 Read the report → ow.ly/mRS450X9Huc
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Why do hospital visits leave children traumatised? Join our free webinar Causes of Trauma from Healthcare on 13 Oct, 12:30–13:30. Speakers: Dr Sandy Cabrita Gulyurtlu (Starlight) & Prof. Lucy Bray (Edge Hill Uni). 👉 Sign up: ow.ly/gnZL50X65tR #PowerOfPlay #ChildHealth
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Congrats to Leanne Gowland, Health Play Specialist at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, named Health Play Specialist of the Year at the 2025 #StarlightAwards! 💜 A trailblazer in continence care, Leanne uses play to reduce anxiety and protect children’s mental health.
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
No child should face hospital trauma alone. Play turned Felix’s fear into courage. Help us reach more children like Felix. Donate £10 today 👉 ow.ly/eMT850X0aiR #ProtectPlay #DonateToday
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
We’re thrilled to win Charity Champions at the 2025 #NimbleAwards! 🏆 Our project is shaping the future of children’s healthcare by educating professionals on the power of play. Congratulations to all winners!
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Congrats to Debbie Daniels, Senior Health Play Specialist at Poole Hospital, winner of Mentor of the Year in our 2025 Starlight Awards! Her guidance is inspiring the next generation of health play specialists, making sure more children get the care and play support they deserve.
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
We’re celebrating Anaesthetic Nurse Raquel Duncombe at PRUH, winner of the Protector of Play Award 🌟 By integrating play into emergency surgery, Raquel is reducing trauma, calming children, and improving outcomes. #ProtectorOfPlay #PowerOfPlay
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
💜 Nailah, a member of our Youth Hub, shared at #CarFest2025 how play supported her in hospital: “It helps kids through rough times, distracts them, and lets them use their imagination.” #PowerOfPlay #StarlightMagic
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
“You don’t know you need play until you’re in hospital, then it’s vital.” Chloe, a Healthcare Play Specialist, shares why play is a right and how it transforms children’s hospital experiences. #PowerOfPlay #HospitalPlay #CarFest
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
🌟 Thank you CarFest! 🌟 We loved every LEGO step, slime squish, bubble pop & cozy chill-out moment with you 💜 You made the weekend unforgettable. #PowerOfPlay #StarlightMagic
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Play professionals matter.💜 They give children a voice, help them express emotions, prepare them for treatment & bring expertise that supports resilience and recovery. #PlayToHeal #HealthcareHeroes
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
💜 Play is essential, not optional. Starlight’s Head of Play, Laura Walsh, shares why therapeutic play reduces hospital fear, builds resilience & makes treatment easier for children across the UK. Read more 👉 bit.ly/4mUD4QI #PowerOfPlay #ChildHealth
toyworldmag.co.uk
Exclusive: Starlight's Laura Walsh on the power of health play
Starlight champions play in healthcare settings, working with health professionals, kids and families to provide play experiences that reduce the fear and anxiety often associated with medical treatme...
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
💜 Did you know? Health play isn’t just fun, it transforms children’s hospital experiences. It reduces fear and pain, builds resilience, improves recovery, and even saves the NHS time and money. That’s the power of play. #PlayToHeal #StarlightFoundation #ChildHealth
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Our Tracy’s been busy packing the van & we’re nearly ready for CarFest 2025! 🚚💜 Find us in the StarFest Zone for: 🧱 The LEGO Walk ✨ Tag You’re Lit (the biggest game of tag at CarFest!) 🎲 Garden games + more Come join the fun & tell us what play means to you! #CarFest2025 #StarlightMagic
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headofplay987.bsky.social @headofplay987.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Incredible Health play specialists from the Lister east and north Hertfordshire Trust describe the bereavement support they give when children die in Emergency Department ✨ @starlightuk.bsky.social
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Taylor & Francis Research @tandfresearch.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Congratulations and thank you for publishing your impactful research with us! 🤩👏 📑 Read Dr Sandy Gulyurtlu's #OpenAccess article here: spr.ly/63324fSLmr
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
🚗💜 We’re heading to CarFest next week! Join us in the StarFest Zone for bubbles, LEGO walks, sensory play, star walls & more, showing how play transforms children’s hospital experiences. 🧱 LEGO Walk 🤝 Tug of War ⭐ “What Play Means to Me” crafts 🎟 carfest.org
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
We’re so proud of our Head of Insights & Impact, Dr Sandy Gulyurtlu, whose research has been published in the @tandfresearch.bsky.social. It’s another step forward in proving what we know: play changes everything for children in healthcare. Read the story: bit.ly/4mMnir8 #StarlightFoundation
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Our first Innovation in Health Play Awards celebrated brilliant healthcare professionals using play to transform children’s hospital experiences. From anxiety-reducing VIP passes to 3D printed MRI models cutting anaesthetic use by 88%, the results are inspiring. Read the full report: bit.ly/4mkMmFQ
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Therapeutic play changes how children experience hospital, reducing fear, improving recovery, and building confidence. Alistair Strathern MP saw it in action at Lister Hospital & is now calling for greater NHS health play provision. 💜 Read more: bit.ly/45fV9CH #PlayToHeal #StarlightFoundation
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
💜 “They remember the fun, not the fear.” At @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social, nurse Jenny sees the magic of play every day, helping children feel safe, confident, and cared for in hospital. Read her story: bit.ly/4lwzHhH #PlayToHeal #TherapeuticPlay #ChildHealth #StarlightFoundation
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
💜 “They remember the fun, not the fear.” At @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social, nurse Jenny sees the magic of play every day, helping children feel safe, confident, and cared for in hospital. Read her story: bit.ly/4mHYfFr #PlayToHeal #TherapeuticPlay #ChildHealth #StarlightFoundation
starlight.org.uk
"They Remember the Fun not the Fear" - Jenny, staff nurse
A staff nurse at Moorfields Eye Hospital, who works across its A&E, inpatient and outpatient departments, shares how play - often in the simplest forms -…
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
It was great to hear Dr Steve Turner, President of the @rcpch.bsky.social highlight the importance of the #NHSPlayWellToolkit at the 50th anniversary conference of The Society of Health Play Specialists.
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Today is International Day of Play, and the Raising the Nation Play Commission have published their report: Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play 👉 Read our response: www.starlight.org.uk/new-national... #InternationalDayOfPlay #IDOP2025
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
'You wouldn't run a children's ward without a nurse, why would you run one without a play specialist?' We’ve got many reflections on yesterday’s fantastic launch event for our Play Well Toolkit, but one moment in particular hit home for us all, and we’d like to share that with you. 💚
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
An important moment launching the Play Well Toolkit with @nhsenglandceo.bsky.social Chief Nursing Officer Duncan Burton. As well said by Duncan ‘children make up 24% of the population but 100% of our future’. Children deserve to have access to play in healthcare. #NHSPlayWellToolkit
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
We are very proud to launch this new toolkit for children’s play in healthcare, co-produced with @england.nhs.uk It will support system leaders and clinical staff to embed health play services as a core part of healthcare for all children. 👉 Find out more: starlight.org.uk/toolkit
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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Our latest report for @starlightuk.bsky.social explores the connection between play and children’s health in healthcare contexts. We identified 5 key domains where play contributes to health in healthcare settings ⬆️ www.pedalhub.net/projects/item/playing-with-childrens-health
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Wendy Russell @wendyrussell.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Great to see this important lit review on play in children's health published. Well done all and thanks @starlightuk.bsky.social
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
We've been working closely with @pedalcam.bsky.social to improve children's healthcare and put play on the agenda. ⭐ This new literature review explores five areas where play contributes to health in healthcare settings. 📚 🏥🧸 Read more: www.pedalhub.net/.../playing-...
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Reposted by Starlight UK
PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
After our successful joint symposium with @starlightuk.bsky.social in 2023, we wanted to explore what more we could do together to improve children’s healthcare 🏥🧸 This new literature review is the result: www.pedalhub.net/projects/item/playing-with-childrens-health
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Lyndsey is running the TCS London Marathon for #TeamStarlight, but why? We're so proud of you Lyndsey, we know you're going to SMASH it! 💪 Why is Lyndsey running for Starlight? Read on to find out...
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
⭐ WORK WITH US ⭐ Looking for a data analysis job with PLAY at the heart of it? We've got an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about play, strong analytical skills, and excited about research. 👉 Find out more and apply: ow.ly/F3Fb50UGf5T #UKJobs #Play #CharitySector #Healthcare
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
🗣️🗣️ WE NEED YOUR VOTE! Vote for Starlight UK in Slater Gordon's Charity of the Year award! We don't have enough characters to describe the work we do, so look at our lovely starry graphics instead! ✨ 👉 Vote here - it only takes five seconds: slatergordon.co.uk/charity-of-t... #COTY #Charities
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Want a real feel-good fundraising story for your Thursday? 8 year old Phoenix Marar has raised £510 for Starlight making and selling Christmas Cards to friends and family. What brilliant festive fundraising from this little star! Thank you Phoenix! 🎅🎄
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
We’ll be joining the wonderful @amateuradam.bsky.social and Henry Paker today at Waterstones in John Lewis & Partners Oxford Street where they’ll be signing copies of their latest children's book series, Dexter Procter The 10-Year-Old Doctor. 📚 Signing takes place from 5:30pm, see you there! ⭐
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
The team really put the STAR in Starlight this morning, because Christmas has ✨officially arrived✨ the office! We hope everyone has a wonderful festive season full of good tidings and joy! (Although by the looks of it in the last photo...our Christmas star has had a *bit* too much mulled wine! 🍷)
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
In June, Keir Starmer said that his government would ‘create the healthiest generation of children ever’. We've joined RCPCH in calling for a cabinet minister for children, to drive a long-term plan for children’s health that involves play services. 👉 Read more www.starlight.org.uk/childrens-he...
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Starlight UK @starlightuk.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Hello bsky! We are Starlight, the UK's leading charity for play in healthcare. Play is not a choice; it’s crucial to children's health and wellbeing. Evidence shows play in hospitals reduces the trauma, fear and distress that many children feel. Find out more about our work: www.starlight.org.uk
starlight.org.uk
Starlight Children's Foundation
Starlight is the national children's charity that exists to champion the importance of play and defend every seriously ill child's right to it.
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