In 2015, Dannie had just started Bishop Ramsay secondary school. She developed eye problems in September, by November, she had had 2 brain surgeries and was diagnosed in December 2015. She underwent multiple sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which exacerbated the growth of the tumour. 4months flew by in a flash and sadly, we were told that the treatment had failed. In just 5months, Daniella passed away. Through this life changing, fast-paced experience, Dannie was always confined to a bed ward cubicle with artificial light. Imagine dealing with the challenges of treatment and care within a cubicle, day in and day out. There was no garden space available for Dannie and her family to use. No garden available to access some outdoor respite, process sad news or take a break from the confinement of the ward cubicles. Today, the families using the ward are still in the same situation. This is devastating.

In 2020 the DLF was established in memory of Dannie. We launched 2weeks before the UK lockdown and today, we are proud to work with our local hospital to support children with cancer and their families. More specifically, we are supporting the Bumblebee children's ward team and fundraising to grass over and purchase play equipment to make this space accessible and safe once again for the benefit of the children on admission, their parent carers, siblings and the staff who care for them on the ward.

Chris Mann, Bumblebee Ward Matron tells us that: “We have a live case study of a child diagnosed with cancer going through a mental health crisis. This child is not allowed access out of the unit for safety reasons as it is too risky. If we had our garden, she could go outside and play in a secure and safe environment, which would be hugely beneficial to her mental and physical wellbeing. She is experiencing repeated crisis because she is contained in a paediatric ward for her safety and unable to access the outside space safely”.

Again: “Our families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer, are stuck in a square cubicle box. Some of their children are immunocompromised from chemotherapy and have high risk of infections. If they had access to an outdoor garden exclusive to the Bumblebee ward, they can go out there and safely spend time with their children there, where there is less cross-contamination – with other children from other wards.”

Phase 1 is complete and the project has stalled due to a lack of funding to initiate phase 2, which will make the area safe, remove old play equipment, complete safety assessments; buy slow growing evergreen hedges; compost and soil; grass rolls, prepping and laying turf to landscape, structure and plant greenery. We aim to create a space that supports the cognitive and rehabilitative wellbeing of our children with cancer, their siblings and families visiting or admitted on Bumblebee ward. Plans for phase 3 include using recycled and sustainable materials, to create a multi-purpose play area to support children of all abilities to safely access & enjoy this space irrespective of their age, socio-economic background, language or treatment stages.

Chris further explains that: “This exclusive Bumblebee Garden is needed to support our more deprived children, from deprived homes and local areas, who don’t have a garden at home. This new garden is needed because it will be a safe space for them to run around when they are feeling better, get some fresh air and spend time with their family carers in a safe space that is co-located to the ward where they are receiving treatment.”

Can you help us improve the holistic wellbeing of our children and their families on the ward? We need donors and sponsors to support our project and benefit the 80% of our families who are from Ethnic Minority groups and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds who use the ward and experience more wellbeing inequalities & outcomes of care compared to the rest of the population.