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Grants and Impact Newsletter

Welcome

Welcome to the latest edition of the Grants and Impact newsletter, dedicated to showcasing the transformative impact that charitable funding makes across Alder Hey and beyond.

This newsletter focuses on the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, from January 1st 2026 to March 31st 2026.

This newsletter provides an insight into grants made by Alder Hey Children’s Charity and how we are supporting transformational projects across the hospital community, improving care, experience and wellbeing for our children, young people, families, volunteers and staff.

The Grants and Impact team at the Charity work closely with colleagues from across the Trust to fund innovative projects. If you have an idea that could benefit from charitable support, we would love to hear from you.

Together, we’re helping to make Alder Hey the very best it can be, creating brighter, healthier and happier futures for children and young people within the hospital and wider community.

In this issue you will find:

A breakdown of grant spending in quarter four of 2025/26, across our funding pillars.

Short reports from recently funded projects.

Information on how to get in touch with the Grants and Impact team and how to apply for charitable funding.

In quarter four of 2025/26 we have...

Received and processed 47 applications Awarded

30 Grants

Total Value £1,811,355 Total Value £2,458,392 Equipment

We have funded projects across the following charity pillars: Magic

10 Grants valued at £851,927

6 Grants valued at £154,305

Campus and Community

4 Grants valued at £216,662 Research, Innovation and Education

10 Grants valued at £588,461

Arts for Health - Transforming Care Through Creativity

The Arts for Health programme continues to play a vital role in supporting the wellbeing of children, young people and staff across Alder Hey, using creativity to enhance care, improve experiences and support emotional health.

Delivered by a dedicated team including an Arts for Health Manager, Project Coordinator, freelance artists and a volunteer, the programme spans a wide range of creative disciplines, from music and dance to visual arts, theatre and digital media. Activities take place across inpatient wards, clinics, emergency care, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and community settings.

Over the past 12 months, 22 projects have been delivered which has included 2,169 workshops, reaching 12,621 children and young people. From bedside sessions to group activities, the programme supports patients of all ages, helping them to express themselves, build confidence and find moments of joy

around the role of creativity in improving mental health outcomes for children and young people.

91.3% of participants said that the sessions helped them forget about their illness. during their healthcare journey. Feedback highlights the significant impact of these sessions. Of those who responded, 96.7% enjoyed the experience, 96.5% reported improved mood, and 91.3% said the sessions helped them forget about their illness. Many also reported increased confidence and the opportunity to learn new skills.

The programme also supports staff wellbeing through a dedicated arts offer, recognising the importance of creativity in reducing stress and supporting resilience across the workforce. Beyond delivery, Arts for Health is contributing to national research, including the Arts4Us programme, helping to build evidence

Individual stories bring this impact to life. For example, one long-term patient worked with an artist to turn her own drawings into a wearable costume, boosting confidence, creativity and providing a positive focus during treatment.

This funding ensures that creativity remains a core part of the Alder Hey experience, helping children feel better, cope better, and, most importantly, still be children.

Preschool Hydrotherapy - Supporting Early Development Through Hydrotherapy

Charitable funding has enabled Alder Hey’s physiotherapy team to deliver a specialist hydrotherapy programme for preschool children with complex needs, supporting early development through movement, play, and family connection.

Over a four-month period, seven hydrotherapy sessions were delivered to five children and their families. Each session was supported by a physiotherapist, physiotherapy assistant and lifeguard, ensuring a safe and tailored therapeutic input.

Hydrotherapy provides a unique environment where children can experience greater freedom of movement. The buoyancy of water reduces pain and physical strain, allowing children, particularly those who require significant support on land, to move more easily, explore new movements, and engage in play. This can have a meaningful impact

on gross motor development, coordination and body awareness.

The benefits extend beyond physical outcomes. Sessions are designed to support communication, social interaction and emotional wellbeing, with families often describing the joy of seeing their child relaxed, smiling, and able to engage more freely.

independently. This helps reduce caregiver stress while encouraging ongoing participation in therapeutic activities beyond clinical settings.

Hydrotherapy also creates valuable opportunities for bonding. For many families, the sessions offer a rare space where they can interact with their child in a more relaxed and enjoyable way, strengthening relationships and shared experiences.

Demand for the programme continues to grow, reflecting strong feedback from families and the well-established benefits of early intervention. With waiting lists increasing, there are plans to expand delivery through group sessions, enabling more children and families to benefit while also fostering peer support.

A key focus of the programme is parent coaching. Physiotherapists work closely with families to build confidence in accessing community swimming environments

This grant highlights how relatively small investments can deliver meaningful impact, helping children build confidence, develop key skills, and experience the joy of movement in a supportive environment.

Child Death HelplineProviding Compassionate Support After Child Loss

The Child Death Helpline (CDH), coordinated by The Alder Centre, offers vital emotional support to anyone affected by the death of a baby or child, no matter the age, circumstances, or how long ago the loss occurred.

Delivered by trained volunteers who are themselves bereaved parents, the helpline provides compassionate, peer-led support. This ensures callers can speak to someone who truly understands their experience, offering empathy, reassurance and a safe space to talk.

The service is available by phone during the day and every evening of the week, as well as via email, ensuring accessible support when it is needed most.

In 2025, the helpline answered 1,947 calls, a significant increase on previous years. This

In 2025, the helpline answered 1,947 calls, a significant increase on previous years.

growth reflects both rising awareness of the service and improvements in delivery. The volunteer team has expanded to 20 active call handlers, supported by two staff members, helping to ensure more calls are answered and fewer people are left without support.

Recent investment in a new telecommunications system has strengthened the service further. Volunteers can now take calls from a wider range of locations, improving flexibility and coverage, while enhanced monitoring systems support both caller and volunteer safety.

The helpline continues to expand its reach through partnerships with charities, hospitals and support organisations, as well as collaboration with police Family Liaison Officers across 16 forces. It is also available within HMP Liverpool, ensuring access for bereaved individuals in custody.

While the impact of the service is difficult to quantify due to its anonymous nature, the stories shared by callers highlight its importance. For many, the helpline provides comfort during moments of acute distress, helping them feel less alone and more able to cope.

This funding enables a vital, compassionate service, ensuring that anyone facing the devastating loss of a child has somewhere to turn.

We are deeply saddened to have recently lost our colleague and friend Alan Newton-French. The difference that he made through his work at Alder Hey Children’s Charity will always be remembered and will continue to inform our future direction.

ALICE CAREY Director of Grants and Impact DR PAULA CARROLL Impact and Insights Manager

ANDREA TIMONEY

Grants Assistant HIBA ALI Grants and Impact Assistant

For further information about our grant making, please visit the Alder Hey Children’s Charity section of My Alder Hey.

If you would like to contact us regarding a potential application, please get in touch via email:

grantgivingcharity@alderhey.nhs.uk