NEWS

 
Connect with us on social media:
              
 
Radio Lollipop Donate image
 

Latest News

Children’s hospital charity Radio Lollipop has completed its circumnavigation of the globe
3 March 2015  

Radio Lollipop – whose Playmakers use Play & Radio to help sick children cope with being in hospital –has clocked 28,273 virtual miles (45,000+ km) linking all 29 Radio Lollipop hospitals around the world. The Miles for Smiles project which also celebrated 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 have been involved – walking, running, riding, swimming etc. for a year-long global promotion and fundraiser.

In fact the miles have been achieved in just ten months, with over half contributed by Radio Lollipop in Edinburgh – where the original concept was developed around the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Starting in Dundee, Scotland the virtual journey has travelled to each of the ten UK Radio Lollipop Stations before setting off 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 up the South American coast past Argentina.

Our virtual character then arrived in Miami, Florida – the home of the first USA Radio Lollipop, then travelled on to our second in Houston, Texas – where the virtual journey back to Dundee began.  Thanks to Radio Lollipop Edinburgh there was a fantastic 6,500 mile leap back virtually to Dundee.  Radio Lollipop in London, at both Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital then completed the few hundred miles to achieve the total trip.

Each Radio Lollipop along the route used this epic journey to raise much needed support and funds to continue their highly valued charity work.

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.

“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.”

Bruce Uhlhorn, Chairman, Radio Lollipop International

 

Here is how the miles were achieved:

  1. Edinburgh UK   2875 miles

Accumulated by Playmakers clocking up miles, a 5k promotional run and sponsored bike peddling. It includes 285 miles of Trustee Isabel McCallum walking her dog…

  1. Auckland, NZ  772 miles

Cumulative miles by Playmakers during Auckland’s Round the Bays Race

  1. Birmingham UK 450 miles

Station Chair Aidan Thompson training for and running in competitive races including 5k, 8.5 mile and half marathons

  1. Newcastle, UK 28 miles

Fundraiser Lydia Nicholson-Allen training for the September Big Fun Run

  1. Dundee, UK 917 miles

Laura peddled in the gym to Great Ormond Street Hospital and back

  1. Hannah in Dundee did 5k in the Colour me Rad race (3 miles)

 

  1. Manchester, UK 66 miles

Sally Prescott, Trustee cycled 60 miles and swam 6

  1. Australia Gold Coast  65 miles

11 Volunteers each ran 5.7km, 2 ran 20km and another did half a marathon….all part of a local sporting event.   They also raised over Aus $ 5,000

  1. Southampton 30 miles

Celebrating their 20th Birthday, Southampton Playmakers and hospital visitors peddled on an exercise bike throughout their party day.

  1. Separately play co-ordinator Christine Ojany walked 12 miles with a group of friends

 

  1. Edinburgh achieved a further 1281 miles during July.

 

  1. Newcastle -Lydia – an extra 35 miles training for the Big Fun Run
    James – 120 miles from training for the Big Fun Run
    Kathy – 42 miles extra walking around Rome
    Playmakers at RVI – a total of 50 miles
    Giving a grand total of …………………247 more miles

 

  1. Sally 3 miles swimming and 37 miles cycling

 

  1. Aidan in Birmingham another 100 miles road running and continued training

 

  1. Playmaker Shanel from Newcastle clocked up 120 miles during a long term trip to South Africa – including Cape Town.

 

  1. Mater and Logan in Brisbane achieved 207 miles through their roadshow with playmakers providing craft and entertainment at a variety of community events: Toombul Bowls = 20km, Red Hill Fair = 15km, Runaway Bay Juniors = 140km, Broadbeach = 158km. Total 333km = approx. 207 miles

 

  1. Edinburgh achieved a further 3528 miles on various activities.

 

  1. New Zealand achieved 1539 miles with Lorraine and her two boys running 50Kms each, Suzy has done 952.8 kms between May and August, Logaan 230kms since march and Stewart 1,102 kms since May.  A South Island volunteer also did a marathon (26 miles)

 

  1. Bristol’s Katherine Jones completed the Tough Mudder – a 12 mile army assault course with lots of mud. 5 members of the Tuesday Team climbed up and abseiled down the Avon Gorge – at least a mile. Mary Kisanga practiced for the Bristol Half Marathon so at least 13 miles.

 

  1. Brisbane – Runaway Bay Roadshow 140km + Bridge to Brisbane – 2 runners in Radio Lollipop singlets 10km + Logan Hospital Roadshow 54km = 204km….just under 127 miles

 

  1. Edinburgh have clocked up another 1,782 miles – Elaine Craig tries to clock up 5/6k a week, Trustee Isabel clocks her daily dog walking and Playmaker Phyl cycles everywhere.  25 members are clocking up miles recording via stravva.

 

  1. Newcastle have confirmed a further 76 miles

 

  1. London have totted up 306.8 miles between 5 Playmakers – mostly walking/running to and from work but Lucinda Gunning did 78 on a Gorilla trek in Rwanda!

 

  1. Laura in Dundee has added a further 638 miles to her peddling.

 

  1. Susy did 1207.5 kms – approx. 750 miles – training for and undertaking the Inca Trail in Peru

 

  1. Kathy Hudspith from Newcastle did another 175 miles on her holiday in Florida, walking an extra 5 miles a day.

 

  1. Despite the rain, wind and hail, 11 NZ volunteers walked 23.5 km each plus did 25km extra in training – adding another 220 miles

 

  1. London have clocked up while raising over £1,000.  Dan Cadey did a 35 mile 24-hour Spitfire Scramble endurance event, another 5 in an event called Nuclear Fallout and just to impress 10K in the gym! To this Beenal (Bee) Patel added 10k in a Run to Beat event.

 

  1. Kathy Hudspith continues to clock miles reaching a 990 target – we have deducted the 175 already recorded and added 815 miles

 

  1. Aidan in Birmingham has added another 50 miles to his personal training

 

  1. Sally, Trustee for Manchester cycled 72km, ran 6km and walked 18 km – adding approx. 60 more miles to our total

 

  1. 2224 more miles were completed by the Edinburgh team

 

  1. 577kms – almost 359 miles – were completed by the New Zealanders in the Queenstown Marathon.

 

  1. Aiden in Birmingham achieved another 35 miles training/running

 

  1. Laura in Dundee added another 634 to her cycling

 

  1. London added 222 miles – Sandy Gillett – miles totted up since November by using the cross-trainer in the gym, walking her grandson in his buggy and recreational walking = 102 miles. Lou Tasker – training for a Lollipop 10K in January = 32 miles
    Kim Rowell – regular swimming and Sunday walks since November = 88 miles

 

  1. Claire Thomas – training for Tough Mudder (event she’s competing in for Lollipop later in the year); 50 miles  +  Richard Seedhouse – playing and refereeing games of tag rugby; 28.5 miles since November + Bart Sommerville – walking to and from work since January; 240 up to today + Clare Jacques – 13 October – Friday 13th February miles walked as part of daily commute. Total = 642

 

  1. Edinburgh added a further astounding  6,534 to their previous total – zipping  us instantly from nearly 1,000 miles south of Miami to just 245 miles short of our global target of a home –coming in Dundee

 

  1. Radio Lollipop London then added Catherine Snowdon – 120 miles walk commuting in from St. Albans to work and Radio Lollipop on a Sunday +  Sam Wilkes – 49.6 miles snowboarding, 11 miles cycling since January and 205 miles training for a 100K race, a total of: 265.6 miles

 

This has taken us 19.3 miles beyond the original target so WE ARE HOME AND ACHIEVED.

Location: Global