Plans For An Aquarium Revealed At Our Hospital As Part Of New Entrance

We launched the appeal in summer last year. Last updated nearly three decades ago, our hospital’s old main entrance was cramped, dull and unwelcoming and didn’t reflect the world-class care which takes place beyond it. The hospital lacked communal areas where patients and families could0 take much needed breaks from wards and clinical spaces.

The entrance will become the new heart of our hospital, transforming the old walkway into a welcoming, child-friendly, open and bright community space which reduces the fear and anxiety of patients and reflects the needs of everyone who uses it.

With only £500,000 left to raise, our hospital project team were busy working on plans for the interior design. With input from patients, families and staff, the team proposed a number of themed areas for the entrance based on the natural world, including mountains, safari, the rainforest and the deep sea.

At the centre of the deep sea area will sit the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the new entrance – the 2,200-litre aquarium. This impressive 4m x 2.2m tank will be filled with approximately 61 fish species and over 300 fish.

Spending time in nature is crucial for a child’s development, but for many of the hospital’s long-term patients its city-centre location means they’re restricted in exploring the natural world. Bringing an aquarium to the hospital will deliver several benefits for all patients and families. It will create a calming effect on children, as well as reduce stress, ease anxiety, improve mood and provide distraction from what’s ahead, all of which are crucial for our young patients when they visit. It will also provide the opportunity for social interaction with other children and families while waiting for appointments or taking breaks from the wards. Features like this are currently lacking from the hospital and why improving the space at the front entrance is so important.

Mark Brider, CEO of Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’ve been blown away by the support our It Starts Here Appeal has received, which helped us reach the brilliant milestone of £2.5m raised. Our incredible vision for our front entrance will soon become a reality.

“When we started on this journey, one of our key objectives was to make our patients feel less anxious about visiting our hospital. We wanted to transport them from a place of worry and fear, into a world of wonder, filled with awe-inspiring features that take their mind off what’s ahead. That’s exactly what our new entrance, aquarium and other exciting plans will do. We’re so excited.”

Other features of the proposed new interior include creating natural light to provide a sense of space; somewhere to eat, sit and relax before, during or after appointments, including a quiet area for neurodiverse patients and space to wait and ‘handover’ to a partner before heading to work or returning home to care for siblings. Plus, entertainment and distraction for kids such as interactive screens and play areas, as well as a welcome desk and clear signage to direct families around the hospital.

The space will also feature a community area where performances, holiday celebrations and drop-in activities for patients and siblings will take place. Once open, our Christmas Grotto will be relocated here, enabling patients and families to come down from the wards and experience the magic of Christmas without waiting in the cold.

The progress in reaching this incredible milestone is thanks to the generosity of the public, businesses and philanthropic individuals and organisations.

This includes a contribution of almost £750,000 from our visionary network of Changemakers – made up of some of the region’s top business leaders and companies. Plus more than £200,000 raised by our supporters from the local business community who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and a phenomenal six-figure legacy gift from the late Margaret Hilda Jones, whose teenage son was treated at our hospital after a road traffic accident, before sadly passing away.

More details and plans for the main entrance will be revealed as the appeal and project progresses.