For those familar to Play2Give, and those who may not be so familiar and new in supporting the charity, our hard work and dedication to raising funds for our local children’s hospital was honoured a few years ago with a lifelong tribute, as a special room was named after us, in the same year that our charity turned ten years old.
From 2007, and with annual football tournaments, several charity nights and other fundraising endeavours in-between, including a charity of the year partnership from 2014 with our local store of Sainsbury’s in Didcot, we raised over £40,000 to leave a lasting impact for a lifetime to young hospital patients and their families.
In 2014, we sat down with Oxford Hospitals Charity and discussed the idea of naming a room after Play2Give, and a single patient room was identified on Melanie’s Ward. At the time, we was already over halfway to the huge £40,000 goal.
We were delighted to reach the total by late 2016, and, in March 2017, in the year our charity reached ten years old, we were delighted to formally unveil ‘The Play2Give Room’, with an intimate ribbon-cutting ceremony on the ward along with a celebration over tea and cake with the hospital charity’s fundraisers, nurses and some sponsors.
‘The Play2Give Room’ is a single patient room and is based opposite the nurses station on the adolescent ward treating teenage patients facing long-term stays.
Mel’s Ward was specially designed during the hospital planning stages to ensure that older children 12 and over had a dedicated space for their needs, away from younger children and with all of the essentials and extras to make hospital stays for teens extra special.
Melanie’s Ward was chosen as Andy, along with Dale Harris, who was heavily involved in organising our football tournaments in the first decade of the organisation, had personal connections. Andy was 12 when he underwent his brain surgery at the former Radcliffe Infirmary in 2001, and stayed on an ageing, outdated children’s ward mixed with younger kids, with no specialist facilities for adolescents to entertain. Whilst, Dale’s daughter Mya had received numerous operations for Spina Bifida from birth, and was 12 when Dale’s idea – to name a room after Play2Give – came about.
The gratitude for the amazing care that both Andy and Mya had received inspired the dynamic duo to give back with their love of football by organising the annual contests, which fast became a popular event in Oxfordshire.
Speaking to the Oxford Mail, when our room was formally unveiled, Dale said: “Mya had been on Melanie’s Ward and in one of the patient rooms just a few weeks before we met with the hospital to discuss the potential of naming a room after Play2Give.
“It’s such a nice environment for the older children up there and it’s lovely to have Play2Give recognised on the ward. It’s great for the charity and is recognition of all the hard work and effort that has gone in and I’m sure Andy will keep it going for many years to come.”
Breckon & Breckon and Newbury Building Society were key supporters in sponsoring the event in its first years, and to this date the event, which in 2026 will mark its fifteenth anniversary, continues to energise great traction and support from the county, as squads from businesses, groups and teams of friends continue to sign up to score goals. This year’s 6 a side tournament takes place on July 13 at Wallingford Sports Park, and entries are open. Blue Blood – which Dale is a co-director – will be in attendance and giving its backing once again by sponsoring one lucky team’s kit
Funds raised by P2G continues to benefit the children’s hospital greatly, and over the years our tireless donations have funded bedside monitors, toys and games, in part towards a sensory garden, helping to fund the new 62-bedroomed Ronald McDonald House, for parents, on the JR site, much more. More recently, from 2023’s record £15k, we are funding a brand new Echo probe machine for children with heart conditions, and an exciting artwork project on Melanie’s Ward, with an update on last year’s totals raised to follow.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support our amazing work as a charity, including our trustees and volunteers, enabling us to continue changing, transforming, and saving young lives at our amazing Children’s Hospital, helping to make such facilities like our sponsored room, equipment and more possible.
