Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity

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Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity
FormationSeptember 26, 1991; 32 years ago (1991-09-26)
FounderFelicity Dahl
Registration no.1137409[1]
PurposeProvides specialist nurses to support seriously ill children and their families.
HeadquartersBuckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Chief Executive
Louise Griew
Co-president
Felicity Dahl
Co-president
Quentin Blake
Royal Patron
Queen Camilla
Websitewww.roalddahlcharity.org
Formerly called
The Roald Dahl Foundation

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity is a charitable organization based in the United Kingdom.[2] The charity was founded in 1991 as the Roald Dahl Foundation by Felicity Dahl, in memory of her husband, children's author Roald Dahl.[3] The charity provides specialist support for seriously ill children across the UK[4] by sponsoring 'Roald Dahl Nurse Specialists' roles who work within within NHS Trusts[5] to provide practical and emotional support to children with complex, often life-long, medical conditions.[6] The charity also provides support services for the families of children with complex medical needs, and financial grants.[7][8]

Roald Dahl nurse specialists[edit]

The charity works with the National Health Service to provide specialist nurses known as 'Roald Dahl' nurses to work within NHS trusts.[9] There are over 120 such clinical nurse specialists currently working in trusts across the country.[10][11] The Roald Dahl nurses are jointly funded by the charity and the trusts in a 5-year programme, the charity paying for the first 2 years of employment, and the trust paying for the remaining 3 years.[12] The nurses specialise in areas such as haematology, epilepsy, rare diseases, neuromuscular conditions, care for children with complex lifetime medical needs, or in supporting child patients to transition to adult healthcare.[13][14][15]

The nurses work with patients with complex needs, supporting them and their families to understand and better manage their health conditions,[16] as well as acting as a liaison between the parents and other medical care providers. Providing support that improves the patients' well-being and reduces their utilisation of other medical resources.[17] In 2020, a 2-year project (partly funded by the charity)[18] to evaluate the effectiveness of the Roald Dahl nurses described the concept as a 'new model of paediatric nursing' and found that the nurses improved both the quality and experience of care of patients and their families.[5]

History and patrons[edit]

The Roald Dahl foundation was founded in 1991 by Felicity Dahl, in honour of her recently diseased husband, with the support of Roald's long-time illustrator Quentin Blake,[19] the charity was originally focussed on supporting children with neurological and haematological conditions, as well as supporting child literacy initiatives.[20] The charity was re-named Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity in 2010,[21] and expanded its work to support children with complex medical conditions more widely.[22]

Queen Camilla (then Duchess of Cornwall), became the charity's Royal Patron in 2017,[23] and has regularly involved children supported by the charity in Christmas events,[24] as well as supporting the charity in International Nurses Day celebrations.[25] The charity has a number of celebrity patrons including the actress Joanna Lumley,[26] television presenter Claudia Winkleman,[27] and Tim Minchin, composer and lyricist for Matilda the Musical[28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ROALD DAHL'S MARVELLOUS CHILDREN'S CHARITY - Charity 1137409". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  2. ^ "ROALD DAHL'S MARVELLOUS CHILDREN'S CHARITY - Charity 1137409". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  3. ^ Charity, Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's. "Our History". Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  4. ^ "Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity". www.westnorthants.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  5. ^ a b Nightingale, Julie; Ali, Nancy; Lewis, Robin; Ibbotson, Rachel; Monks, Helen; Urquhart-Kelly, Tanya; Saunders, Lesley (May 2023). "Transforming nursing care for children with serious long-term conditions: A mixed methods exploration of the impact of Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses in the United Kingdom". Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 70: 90–102. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2023.02.004. ISSN 0882-5963.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Gemma (2023-10-16). "Charity establishing nurse role for medically complex children". Nursing Times. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  7. ^ Charity, Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's. "Financial Support Service". Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  8. ^ "Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity - NICHI Health Alliance - Northern Ireland". NICHI Health Alliance. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  9. ^ "Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity". Smiley charity film awards.
  10. ^ "Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  11. ^ "How legacy of children's author has brought specialist nurse to Ipswich Hospital". Ipswich Star. 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  12. ^ "Success for HWB research team in Roald Dahl Charity bid". Inside Health and Wellbeing. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  13. ^ "Roald Dahl Nurse Specialists". Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity Official Website. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  14. ^ "Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses: Me and My Transition | The Channel". thechannel.org.uk. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  15. ^ Evans, Anuji (2022-06-08). "NHS Trust wins children's nurse funding". Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  16. ^ "Thousands raised to help fund a new Roald Dahl Epilepsy Specialist Nurse | Charity Today News". 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  17. ^ "Roald Dahl case studies - Natalie Baines Case Study" (PDF).
  18. ^ "Evaluation of Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses". Health Research Authority. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  19. ^ Dennison, Matthew (2023-01-03). Roald Dahl: Teller of the Unexpected: A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-63936-333-9.
  20. ^ Solomon, Tom (2016-09-13). Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-78138-867-9.
  21. ^ Jones, Rowan (2018-09-11). "Roald Dahl Story Company to donate profits to charity". For Reading Addicts. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  22. ^ Morriss, Emma (2018-10-09). "Roald Dahl's legacy supporting seriously ill children". Pf Media. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  23. ^ "The Duchess of Cornwall becomes the new Royal Patron of Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity". The official website of the Royal Family. 2017-12-13.
  24. ^ "The Queen invites children to decorate the Clarence House Christmas Tree". The official website of the Royal Family. 6 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Their Royal Highnesses mark International Nurses' Day". The official website of the Royal Family. 12 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Abso-lot-ely fabulous: Joanna Lumley tries out her auctioneering skills at Christie's". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  27. ^ "Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  28. ^ "Tim Minchin stars at UWA Graduation Ceremony : Archive Page : The University of Western Australia". www.news.uwa.edu.au. Retrieved 2024-04-20.

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