22 April 2022
Saints tickets provide family fun
Supporting your local football team is an age-old tradition for families. It is something that many children enjoy with their parents from a young age, and experiencing the rush of excitement at seeing your heroes goes hand-in-hand with football games.
However, the reality for many of our young patients in the Piam Brown ward, which cares for children with cancer within Southampton Children’s Hospital, is that they often spend weeks or months on end in hospital having aggressive cancer treatment and miss out on what many take for granted.
Rachel Funnell, Piam Brown ward coordinator, says: “We are thrilled to work with Southampton Hospitals Charity and Southampton Football Club to provide the opportunity for all children undergoing treatment for cancer to go to a Saints game.
This isn’t just about watching a football game for our families. It’s about creating a sense of normality away from the hospital, generating a smile, and making those memories that will last for a lifetime.
It is heart-warming to see the joy on the child’s face as they rush in to tell me about their first football experience or describe the pleasure of spending quality time with mum or dad away from the hospital.
Thank you so much to everyone who supports the Piam Brown Ward through Southampton Hospitals Charity for making outings like this possible.”
Currently, the hospital team recommends that only post-treatment and fully vaccinated patients use these tickets due to concern over the risk of infection for our current patients.