About the Noah's Ark Appeal

Until recently, Wales was the only country in Europe that did not have a dedicated children's hospital.

Over fifteen yeas ago, a group of dedicated people began campaigning for this situation to be rectified. Their tireless lobbying finally resulted in the National Assembly's approval for the project to go ahead with the money for the building to be raised through a charitable capital appeal.

Pictured above: Founding trustees of the Appeal, Wyn Calvin MBE OStJ, Lyn Jones MBE CStJ and Eddie Rabaiotti MBE

The Noah's Ark Appeal was set up in May 2000 to raise the money needed to build, equip and support the first dedicated children's hospital for Wales.

Support for the Appeal was fervent even at the beginning. To discover that Wales was lagging behind its European peers in such a fundamental area as child health care was a huge shock to many; a discovery that spurred people from across Wales and beyond into action.

The Children's Hospital for Wales – the first in hospital in Wales devoted solely to treating sick children - will treat over 8,000 in-patients and a further 20,000 out-patients each year.

The first phase of the Children's Hospital for Wales , comprising two medical wards and two floors dedicated to children with cancer, an education room and playrooms on each floor opened its doors to its first patients in February 2005.

So far, the Noah's Ark Appeal has raised the money needed to build the first phase of the Children's Hospital for Wales and to provide new equipment as well funding an art programme which will ensure that a stay in hospital is less frightening for a young patient.

However, our work cannot stop there . It is vital that we continue raising money to support Children's Hospital for Wales and the families who will use its services.

A stay at a hospital is a frightening time for both children and their parents. Although we cannot lessen the anxiety that families will feel at this time, our fundraising has enabled us to provide facilities which will comfort and reassure both the ill child and their parents.

Brightly coloured décor and art work themed for each floor will help to distract the child from his/her illness and make the hospital a friendly environment to be in. Parents are catered for with on site accommodation and lounges to where they can retreat.

Our continued work with other organisations will help ensure that patients with long-term sick children have a place to live, that patients' educational development is continued and that play equipment will help distract from pain.

The Noah's Ark Appeal will support much needed facilities and projects at the Children's Hospital including a teenage cancer unit, a children's eye clinic and a private garden – a haven for children and their families.

Without the support and generosity of people from across Wales and even further afield, we couldn't have got this far. However, we still need your help and hope that you will support the Noah's Ark Appeal. Please help us to make a difference to the sick children of Wales.

It is our objective to ensure that we not only provide a world-class hospital but also to continue to raise funds to support and maintain a world-class standard of care and facilities for the poorly children who are treated there.

Together we can ensure that the Children's Hospital for Wales will be a world-class facility providing world-class care for generations of sick children in Wales .