Congrats to Leanne Gowland, Health Play Specialist at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, named Health Play Specialist of the Year at the 2025 #StarlightAwards! 💜 A trailblazer in continence care, Leanne uses play to reduce anxiety and protect children’s mental health.

No child should face hospital trauma alone. Play turned Felix’s fear into courage. Help us reach more children like Felix. Donate £10 today 👉 ow.ly/eMT850X0aiR #ProtectPlay #DonateToday

We’re thrilled to win Charity Champions at the 2025 #NimbleAwards! 🏆 Our project is shaping the future of children’s healthcare by educating professionals on the power of play. Congratulations to all winners!

Congrats to Debbie Daniels, Senior Health Play Specialist at Poole Hospital, winner of Mentor of the Year in our 2025 Starlight Awards! Her guidance is inspiring the next generation of health play specialists, making sure more children get the care and play support they deserve.

We’re celebrating Anaesthetic Nurse Raquel Duncombe at PRUH, winner of the Protector of Play Award 🌟 By integrating play into emergency surgery, Raquel is reducing trauma, calming children, and improving outcomes. #ProtectorOfPlay #PowerOfPlay

💜 Nailah, a member of our Youth Hub, shared at #CarFest2025 how play supported her in hospital: “It helps kids through rough times, distracts them, and lets them use their imagination.” #PowerOfPlay #StarlightMagic

“You don’t know you need play until you’re in hospital, then it’s vital.” Chloe, a Healthcare Play Specialist, shares why play is a right and how it transforms children’s hospital experiences. #PowerOfPlay #HospitalPlay #CarFest

🌟 Thank you CarFest! 🌟 We loved every LEGO step, slime squish, bubble pop & cozy chill-out moment with you 💜 You made the weekend unforgettable. #PowerOfPlay #StarlightMagic

Play professionals matter.💜 They give children a voice, help them express emotions, prepare them for treatment & bring expertise that supports resilience and recovery. #PlayToHeal #HealthcareHeroes

💜 Play is essential, not optional. Starlight’s Head of Play, Laura Walsh, shares why therapeutic play reduces hospital fear, builds resilience & makes treatment easier for children across the UK. Read more 👉 bit.ly/4mUD4QI #PowerOfPlay #ChildHealth

💜 Did you know? Health play isn’t just fun, it transforms children’s hospital experiences. It reduces fear and pain, builds resilience, improves recovery, and even saves the NHS time and money. That’s the power of play. #PlayToHeal #StarlightFoundation #ChildHealth

Our Tracy’s been busy packing the van & we’re nearly ready for CarFest 2025! 🚚💜 Find us in the StarFest Zone for: 🧱 The LEGO Walk ✨ Tag You’re Lit (the biggest game of tag at CarFest!) 🎲 Garden games + more Come join the fun & tell us what play means to you! #CarFest2025 #StarlightMagic

Incredible Health play specialists from the Lister east and north Hertfordshire Trust describe the bereavement support they give when children die in Emergency Department ✨ @starlightuk.bsky.social

Congratulations and thank you for publishing your impactful research with us! 🤩👏 📑 Read Dr Sandy Gulyurtlu's #OpenAccess article here: spr.ly/63324fSLmr

🚗💜 We’re heading to CarFest next week! Join us in the StarFest Zone for bubbles, LEGO walks, sensory play, star walls & more, showing how play transforms children’s hospital experiences. 🧱 LEGO Walk 🤝 Tug of War ⭐ “What Play Means to Me” crafts 🎟 carfest.org

We’re so proud of our Head of Insights & Impact, Dr Sandy Gulyurtlu, whose research has been published in the @tandfresearch.bsky.social. It’s another step forward in proving what we know: play changes everything for children in healthcare. Read the story: bit.ly/4mMnir8 #StarlightFoundation

Our first Innovation in Health Play Awards celebrated brilliant healthcare professionals using play to transform children’s hospital experiences. From anxiety-reducing VIP passes to 3D printed MRI models cutting anaesthetic use by 88%, the results are inspiring. Read the full report: bit.ly/4mkMmFQ

Therapeutic play changes how children experience hospital, reducing fear, improving recovery, and building confidence. Alistair Strathern MP saw it in action at Lister Hospital & is now calling for greater NHS health play provision. 💜 Read more: bit.ly/45fV9CH #PlayToHeal #StarlightFoundation

💜 “They remember the fun, not the fear.” At @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social, nurse Jenny sees the magic of play every day, helping children feel safe, confident, and cared for in hospital. Read her story: bit.ly/4lwzHhH #PlayToHeal #TherapeuticPlay #ChildHealth #StarlightFoundation

💜 “They remember the fun, not the fear.” At @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social, nurse Jenny sees the magic of play every day, helping children feel safe, confident, and cared for in hospital. Read her story: bit.ly/4mHYfFr #PlayToHeal #TherapeuticPlay #ChildHealth #StarlightFoundation

It was great to hear Dr Steve Turner, President of the @rcpch.bsky.social highlight the importance of the #NHSPlayWellToolkit at the 50th anniversary conference of The Society of Health Play Specialists.

Today is International Day of Play, and the Raising the Nation Play Commission have published their report: Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play 👉 Read our response: www.starlight.org.uk/new-national... #InternationalDayOfPlay #IDOP2025

'You wouldn't run a children's ward without a nurse, why would you run one without a play specialist?' We’ve got many reflections on yesterday’s fantastic launch event for our Play Well Toolkit, but one moment in particular hit home for us all, and we’d like to share that with you. 💚

An important moment launching the Play Well Toolkit with @nhsenglandceo.bsky.social Chief Nursing Officer Duncan Burton. As well said by Duncan ‘children make up 24% of the population but 100% of our future’. Children deserve to have access to play in healthcare. #NHSPlayWellToolkit

We are very proud to launch this new toolkit for children’s play in healthcare, co-produced with @england.nhs.uk It will support system leaders and clinical staff to embed health play services as a core part of healthcare for all children. 👉 Find out more: starlight.org.uk/toolkit

Our latest report for @starlightuk.bsky.social explores the connection between play and children’s health in healthcare contexts. We identified 5 key domains where play contributes to health in healthcare settings ⬆️ www.pedalhub.net/projects/item/playing-with-childrens-health

Great to see this important lit review on play in children's health published. Well done all and thanks @starlightuk.bsky.social

We've been working closely with @pedalcam.bsky.social to improve children's healthcare and put play on the agenda. ⭐ This new literature review explores five areas where play contributes to health in healthcare settings. 📚 🏥🧸 Read more: www.pedalhub.net/.../playing-...

After our successful joint symposium with @starlightuk.bsky.social in 2023, we wanted to explore what more we could do together to improve children’s healthcare 🏥🧸 This new literature review is the result: www.pedalhub.net/projects/item/playing-with-childrens-health

Lyndsey is running the TCS London Marathon for #TeamStarlight, but why? We're so proud of you Lyndsey, we know you're going to SMASH it! 💪 Why is Lyndsey running for Starlight? Read on to find out...

⭐ WORK WITH US ⭐ Looking for a data analysis job with PLAY at the heart of it? We've got an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about play, strong analytical skills, and excited about research. 👉 Find out more and apply: ow.ly/F3Fb50UGf5T #UKJobs #Play #CharitySector #Healthcare

🗣️🗣️ WE NEED YOUR VOTE! Vote for Starlight UK in Slater Gordon's Charity of the Year award! We don't have enough characters to describe the work we do, so look at our lovely starry graphics instead! ✨ 👉 Vote here - it only takes five seconds: slatergordon.co.uk/charity-of-t... #COTY #Charities

Want a real feel-good fundraising story for your Thursday? 8 year old Phoenix Marar has raised £510 for Starlight making and selling Christmas Cards to friends and family. What brilliant festive fundraising from this little star! Thank you Phoenix! 🎅🎄

We’ll be joining the wonderful @amateuradam.bsky.social and Henry Paker today at Waterstones in John Lewis & Partners Oxford Street where they’ll be signing copies of their latest children's book series, Dexter Procter The 10-Year-Old Doctor. 📚 Signing takes place from 5:30pm, see you there! ⭐

The team really put the STAR in Starlight this morning, because Christmas has ✨officially arrived✨ the office! We hope everyone has a wonderful festive season full of good tidings and joy! (Although by the looks of it in the last photo...our Christmas star has had a *bit* too much mulled wine! 🍷)

In June, Keir Starmer said that his government would ‘create the healthiest generation of children ever’. We've joined RCPCH in calling for a cabinet minister for children, to drive a long-term plan for children’s health that involves play services. 👉 Read more www.starlight.org.uk/childrens-he...

Hello bsky! We are Starlight, the UK's leading charity for play in healthcare. Play is not a choice; it’s crucial to children's health and wellbeing. Evidence shows play in hospitals reduces the trauma, fear and distress that many children feel. Find out more about our work: www.starlight.org.uk