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Children from north London with diabetes had a fun day on Hampstead Heath thanks to nurses at the Royal Free Hospital.  Around 20 youngsters took part in games provided by children’s entertainment company Active Kids, face painting and a talent contest with prizes.
Mum Colette Crone, from Hendon, took her seven-year-old son Finbarr, who has type 1 diabetes, and his two-year-old brother, Lorcan, to the fun day.  She said: “Finbarr was diagnosed with diabetes when he was four and it was very difficult to deal with at first. Staff at the Royal Free have been a real blessing in helping us manage it. Both the boys had a fantastic time on the day and it’s great that the busy nurses take time out to organise something like this.” The fun day is organised by nurses at the Royal Free and is now so popular that it has become an annual event. Jane Geere, children’s community nurse at the Royal Free and one of the organisers, said: “It’s really important to promote a healthy lifestyle, especially for children with diabetes as it helps to control their blood sugar levels. The children really enjoy running around and playing all the games. “The day went very well and we’re already excited about next year’s!” Notes to editors
1) For further information contact: Aysha Shah, communications assistant, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, 020 7317 7590, aysha.shah@royalfree.nhs.uk 2) Pic 1: Children having fun on the heath.
Pic 2: Colette Crone with her sons Finbarr (right) and two-year-old Lorcan. 3) The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust has around 900 beds and sees about 700,000 patients a year from all over the world. We employ around 4,600 people and have a turnover of about £450m. Our services include a major accident and emergency service, all branches of surgery and medicine, a renal service serving the whole of north London, paediatrics, maternity services, care of elderly people, an adolescent psychiatric service and one of two high security infectious diseases units in the country. We are renowned for our specialist services including liver, kidney and bone marrow transplantation, renal, AIDS/HIV, infectious diseases, plastic surgery, immunology, paediatric gastroenterology, ENT surgery and audiological medicine, amyloidosis and scleroderma. We are a leading cancer centre with a range of specialist diagnostic and treatment services in oncology and haematology and a major neuroscience base with a network extending throughout north London and into the Home Counties. There are associated internationally recognised research and training programmes.
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