After nearly four years of hard work and planning by Christchurch Director Barrie Cooper, Radio Lollipop officially opened in Christchurch with great fanfare on Thursday 14th November. With support from children’s TV presenter Erin Simpson, who volunteered her studio for the launch party, and special guests including Anne Morgan, Service Manager of Child Health at Christchurch Hospital and Founding Chair Deirdre Neville-White, who launched Radio Lollipop at Starship in Auckland in 1992, as well as numerous local businesses and organisations, it was a great start.

‘A very successful event.  Thanks to the companies and people who made it happen. This is the Radio Lollipop family at work.’  said Barrie Cooper, Director.

All 27 volunteers came along to the launch, some of whom only began working with Radio Lollipop at the start of the month. The initial team, recruited in June, have spent the last few months visiting children at Christchurch Hospital while a campervan was converted for use as a radio station. Previous efforts to find space in the hospital itself were scuppered by the earthquakes, but now Christchurch can proudly say they had the only mobile Radio Lollipop Station in the world.

Radio Lollipop also took the opportunity to honour Christchurch Earthquake Victims Abigail and Olivia Cruickshank. Buried under rubble on February 22nd, first responders initially thought Olivia was dead. The mother and daughter were airlifted to Auckland, where Abigail spent three weeks at Starship after leaving intensive care, recovering and listening to Radio Lollipop in the evenings with her Dad Tristan. She and her family have been very vocal backers for Radio Lollipop in Christchurch, and Abigail is living proof of how the station and play volunteers can help aid a child’s recovery

Lorraine Andrewes, New Zealand Radio Lollipop Chairman, was there to give out the awards.

‘We are so happy to get Radio Lollipop off the ground in Christchurch this week’ she said. ‘It has been a team effort from a lot of people but now the children in Christchurch Hospital will be able to enjoy the benefits we know that our Radio Lollipop volunteers give them when they are on the wards playing games and making craft at the child’s bedside. And now, we have the icing on the cake – the mobile studio completed and ready to go. More fun, more music to bring more of the smiles we see on the children’s faces.’

Radio Lollipop Christchurch will be broadcasting from their camper in the hospital carpark Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights between 6 – 8pm. So if you are in Christchurch, why not pay them a visit!