18 January 2017
Nicest Job in Britain meets Dr Bungee!
We can’t think of a nicer job than the one that Alice Biggar holds at (the rather aptly named) Nicest Job in Britain. The Nicest Job in Britain takes on the incredible challenge of working with 40 different charities in one year, helping them to carry out their important work and to tell their story using their video blog.
Theodora Children’s Charity were lucky enough to be chosen as one of the Nicest Job in Britain’s charities. In December Alice met our very own Dr Bungee as he cheered up the poorly children at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. She spoke to parents, children and hospital staff and witnessed some top notch giggling all round!
We’ve included Alice’s story from her afternoon with the Giggle Doctors below. You can view the original blog here.
Some say that laughter is the best medicine and the Giggle Doctors are really quite remarkable…
“During my time at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital I had the pleasure of accompanying Dr Bungee on the wards. Dr Bungee is not a regular doctor, he is in fact a doctor of giggles. A Giggle Doctor, whose job it is to give the gift of laughter to sick and disabled children (and I thought I had the nicest job!). The Giggle Doctors are provided to hospitals, hospices and specialist care centres by Theodora Children’s Charity. Our guitar playing in the corridor even meant we got Manchester’s lead Nurse, Walter Tann, joining in on the fun!
…a welcome reprieve from the monotony of hospital living.
From the moment Dr Bungee came bouncing into the ward you could see the children’s faces light up in excitement. Some children were a little more shy and hesitant to interact at first but Dr Bungee knew just what to say to get each child laughing and relaxing. At one stage Dr Bungee had a little boy called Nicholas, his mother and I in uncontrollable fits of laughter at some of his tricks and the way he kept referring to me as his grandmother! The impact the Giggle Doctor visits make are apparent not only in the reactions of the children but their families as well, providing a welcome reprieve from the monotony of hospital living.
Some say that laughter is the best medicine and the Giggle Doctors are really quite remarkable, bringing a little laughter, fun and bubbles to children in a world of wires and continuous beeps.
Best wishes
Alice x”
Quotes from Hospital staff and parents:
“[Play] helps children to develop and learn and it is fun. It is an essential part of healthcare.” – Hospital Staff
“They are trained to the sensitive needs of the patients, understand infection control, health and safety etc as well as bringing fun to all” – Hospital Staff
“My daughter’s been in hospital several times and always asks “when are the Giggle Doctors coming?” – A Parent
“I like all the times I see them. They are funny and one has a bucket over his sock!” – A Young Patient