If the video is not showing please watch it on YouTube
A privilege
Louise: "I love children, the opportunity is such a privilege to come here and meet with children and their families and realising that you have gone to see a child who’s a bit sad or feeling a bit poorly and then you come out and they’ve been laughing and playing. You’ve taking their mind off it for a while, it’s really nice to feel like you’ve made a real difference."
Barry: "Radio presenting is brilliant. As you can see, or you might be able to hear, it’s quite crazy in there at the moment, but it is brilliant fun. We do the show that on the wards, its broadcast from 6.30 until 8 at night; we do competitions, we have prizes, the kids tell jokes, people can request songs, I get to play a lot of what I want to listen to. So it’s good fun!"
Annie: "I’m Annie from Tin Pan Annie Music and myself and my son Harry come to Radio Lollipop every Wednesday evening and we sing live for the children on air."
Louise: "We sort all the trollies out, we go through the briefing and we have a theme for the week. We then get paired up and we get given a ward and sometimes a list of people to go and visit on that ward if they’ve requested. The we just go and knock on their doors and see what they want to do."
Make them laugh, make them smile
Barry: "It’s a couple of hours where we’re completely separate from any medical care that they’re getting, we’re just there to have some fun with them, make them laugh, make them smile."
Louise: "For the parents its actually really nice sometimes that you go in and the parents say ‘oh we’re so glad you’re here, she’s been/he’s been looking forward to this all day. Then they can pop out and get a cup of tea and just give them a bit of respite as well. Sometimes you play with the siblings as well which is also great because I guess it’s very hard for them."
Barry: "It’s great to get into a routine with something, every Wednesday night, no matter what’s going on with your week, if work’s crazy or you’re busy, you get to come along here for a couple of hours and just have fun and hopefully make a few people a bit happier."
The highlight of my week
Louise: "It doesn’t feel like you’re giving up your spare time, it’s just a nice thing to do. It’s the highlight of my week and I’m really glad that I do it."
Barry: "I like meting all of the people that I’ve met, there’s a really good crowd."
Louise: "I have been here a couple of years now and it’s brilliant, I’ve made such good friends from the Radio Lollipop volunteers."
Annie: "It’s very, very special to be one of the Radio Lollipop team, they’re a smashing bunch of volunteers. We were always made to feel very welcome, we know a lot of them very well socially now from being here."
Barry: "People from all different sort of backgrounds come and take part and are keen, and that’s been fab for me. I mean I was quite new to London, so it was a great chance to get involved and meet people, it’s been quite nice."
Louise: "It’s a brilliant way to meet people and it’s a brilliant thing to do."
