This year, I am embarking on a significant physical and mental feat to support George’s Rockstars, a charitable organization established in late 2019 by George’s family. Their objective is simple: to bring joy to children in hospitals, beginning with providing music therapy in hospital wards.
My challenge is to ascend Ben Nevis, Scarfell Pike, and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) within 24 hours. As someone who struggled with climbing Slieve Donard, this endeavor will require extensive training so that I can keep up with the military personnel and gym enthusiasts who are participating with me.
Those who know me recognize that I am not particularly athletic or motivated. This challenge, coupled with minimal sleep, will be a substantial personal test. Therefore, please donate generously to this exceptional charity and support me in this undertaking :)
https://georgesrockstars.com/what-we-do/
Why Music Therapy?George was fortunate enough to benefit from music therapy sessions while in isolation during his bone marrow transplant at Bristol Children’s Hospital. Music therapy was the highlight of George’s week during a very tough time and George’s parents saw how happy the children on the ward were when the music therapist came around. It gave a then 4 year old George a way to express his feelings of frustration.For children who have life threatening illnesses or disabilities, music therapy can be an extremely effective way of helping them to communicate their thoughts, feelings and worries during difficult and stressful times.
We have since been hard at work applying for more funding through grants and corporate sponsorship and have took on our first music therapist, Cathy, for the children’s department in Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth.Our aim is to expand the number of hospitals we provide music therapy in as the charity and funding grows and in 2021 we aim to start providing music therapy at Southampton Children’s Hospital.