Staff have gone above and beyond to deliver some festive cheer this December, transforming The Children’s Hospital at Westmead into a Christmas wonderland.
Nurses have turned into mermaids, babies donned their cutest ‘Winnie The Pooh’ outfits and a ward transformed into a scene right out of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ as part of the hospital’s annual Christmas Party Day.
Held on December 2, the Party Day saw healthcare workers from doctors and nurses through to ward clerks and administration teams deliver some much-needed Christmas cheer to the hospital.
The dedicated staff worked around the clock to not only care for sick children but also to help create a magical day full of fun and entertainment.
Director of Nursing Alan Gardo said all the children were very excited to see the decorations and that Party Day was enjoyed by all.
“For the children, being in hospital any time of the year is never easy but it’s always harder around Christmas time,” he said.
“Party Day is designed to bring a little bit of festive magic into the hospital for the day and allow the children and families to forget where they are and have a bit of fun.”
The hospital’s departments were transformed with a range of fun themed decorations, including under the sea, ‘Encanto’, superheroes and ‘Stranger Things,’ with the Clancy Ward’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ taking home People’s Choice Award for the best decorations.
The children were visited by Bluey and Bingo, Batman and Spiderman, with the man in red himself making a very special appearance.
Mr Gardo said the whole hospital gets behind Party Day to create a “wonderful Christmas wonderland” for the patients.
“All of it is done in [the hospital staff’s] own time, which is amazing, some of them start in September or October with the themes,” he said.
“It’s just a fantastic effort by all the staff here, it really brings a bit of sparkle to the festive season.”
This year’s Christmas Party Day also saw a slight return to normalcy for the hospital, after the COVID restrictions of the last two years led to less decorations being hung and visitors reduced.
“The last couple of years have been very subdued, there’s been a lot of restrictions in terms of the number of visitors that can come in to the hospital,” Mr Gardo said.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.