Hollywood Superstars visit The Children's Hospital for Wales

Hollywood A-list stars Catherine Zeta Jones and her husband Michael Douglas have joined with patients, staff and fundraisers to celebrate the opening of the Children’s Hospital for Wales.

Catherine is greeted by film crews and reporters when she arrives at the Childrens Hospital

Photo courtesy of The Western Mail (C)

Swansea-born Catherine is a dedicated patron of the Noah’s Ark Appeal, the Welsh charity that raised millions to build Phase One of the state-of-the-art hospital that opened on St. David’s Day last year.

Although managed by Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, the Children’s Hospital for Wales treats patients from the whole of South and Mid Wales, with over 70% of oncology outpatients coming from outside of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Catherine and Michael were met in the spectacular foyer of the new Children’s Hospital by G Stanley Thomas, the Chairman of the Noah’s Ark Appeal and Simon Jones, Chair of Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust.

After touring the hospital and chatting to staff, children and parents, the Hollywood couple unveiled a plaque at the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust’s Sports and Social Club, where they were joined by a range of the Appeal’s celebrity supporters.

The Noah's Ark Appeal presented a print of the Children's Hopistal for Wales to Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas.   The artist,  Adrian Green, attended the ceremony and was delighted to see the Hollywood couple receive their gift.  Examples of  Adrian's work can be viewed on his website at  www.adriangreen.com

This was the first opportunity Catherine has had to visit the newly opened Children’s Hospital since she became a patron of the charity in 2002. During that year, she joined English cricketing legend Ian Botham on the final leg of his £950,000 fundraising walk for the Appeal.  During the glittering ball organised to celebrate the end of the walk, Catherine made her own contribution to the fundraising event by auctioning the very gown she was wearing!

More recently, Catherine and Michael headlined the 2005 All Star Golf Tournament at the Celtic Manor and generously donated a five figure sum to fund ongoing projects at the Children’s Hospital.

This state-of-the-art hospital has been totally designed from a child’s perspective to help put children at ease at what is often a very difficult and traumatic time.  The £300,000 Art Programme funded by the Noah’s Ark Appeal ensures that the hospital does not feel at all clinical or intimidating for its patients, while there are extensive facilities in place to reduce the stress and anxiety felt by parents at this time too.

Almost every in-patient bed in the hospital has an additional drop-down bed for parents to stay with their children overnight, and there are rooms set aside where families can make food, have a cup of tea and sit down and relax away from the ward environment.

Now that Phase One of the hospital has been completed, Catherine has lent her support to seeing the development of the essential second phase. 

Phase two will add six dedicated children’s operating theatres and specialist wards for neurosurgery, ophthalmology, spinal injuries ENT and orthopaedics.  It will also include a paediatric intensive care and high dependency unit and special facilities for diagnostics, ambulatory care and other disciplines.

The Noah’s Ark Appeal has long-since campaigned for the addition of this second phase and are hoping the backing of such high-profile celebrities will throw weight behind their drive to provide the best possible care for the sick children of Wales.