Radio Lollipop – whose Playmakers use Play & Radio to help sick children cope with being in hospital –has clocked up more than half of the 28,000 virtual miles (45,000 km) linking all 30 Radio Lollipop hospitals around the world. The Miles for Smiles project which also celebrates Radio Lollipop’s 35 years has seen Playmakers trekking with gorilla’s in Rwanda, walking the Inca Trail in Peru and abseiling down the Avon Gorge near Bristol, UK.  Doctors, nurses, child patients and their families are also involved – walking, running, riding, swimming etc. for a year-long global promotion and fundraiser.

Starting in Dundee, Scotland the virtual journey has travelled to each of the ten UK Radio Lollipop Stations before setting of by sea from Southampton, via Cape Town to Western Australia.  The miles quickly mounted up and after each Australian Radio Lollipop had been visited, hopped across to New Zealand and again visited all stations. After passing Christchurch the epic virtual travel across the ocean began, passing Cape Horn and we are now close to Argentina on the way up to Miami, Florida.  This is the home of the first USA Radio Lollipop, the second is in Houston, Texas where the virtual journey back to Dundee will begin.  Each Radio Lollipop plans to raise much needed support and funds to continue their highly valued charity work. Locals can help either by making a donation at www.radiolollipop.org.  or organising their own Miles for Smiles activity.

In the past 35 years Radio Lollipop has trained over 10,000 volunteer Playmakers who have directly helped more than 5 million sick children – one child at a time. Other notable achievements include: donating over 32 million hours of play support; playing over 8 million music tracks, songs and stories and creating over 4 million craft and play activities.

Studies show that Radio Lollipop delivers three major benefits: Emotional – the children feel better; Clinical – patients request less pain relief and can get better faster; Financial – less pain medication usage provides real savings for stretched hospital budgets. Bruce Uhlhorn, Honorary Chairman Radio Lollipop International says “The achievement of 35 years coupled with the efforts to achieve our global circumnavigation is a major milestone for the all-volunteer charity in supporting the children and we feel privileged to be a part of the healing process.”

Monitor the progress and help us by donating “miles” (or money!) to make it round all Radio Lollipop stations.