Police Cadets pay special visit to children in hospital
Staffordshire Police Cadets have helped spread some early Christmas cheer to our young patients at Queen’s Hospital Burton.
A group of cadets from the Burton unit visited the children’s wards and outpatients areas on Tuesday, 27 November, to put smiles on the faces of young patients by handing out presents.
The cadets also kept festive spirits high by performing a special rendition of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ using sign language and chatting with youngsters about what they wanted for Christmas.
Caroline Dodd, Paediatric Senior Sister at Queen’s Hospital Burton said: “It was great to welcome the Staffordshire Police Cadets into our department. They were very respectful and caring towards our patients and their families and generously gave each child a gift. The children and staff were very excited to meet them and try on their hats.”
The Staffordshire Police Cadets is delivered by Staffordshire Police and is made up of young people aged 13-17, who learn valuable life skills as part of the programme, as well as working towards nationally recognised qualifications in subjects such as team-working and citizenship.
Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime Commissioner, said: “We all love to spend time with our families and loved ones during the festive period. But we must not forget some people can’t always be at home over Christmas and I can only imagine how difficult it is for those families and children. Likewise, the dedication and commitment of medical staff is often taken for granted – for them Christmas and New Year is business as usual. Their work should always be valued and appreciated.
“I would like to thank our Burton cadets for taking time to visit children, bring a smile to a few faces and hand out gifts. We have always tried to instil a strong sense of community spirit with our cadets and there is little doubt they found this week’s visit extremely humbling.”