RUH Bath charity launches Christmas Children’s mental health £50,000 campaign

When a child is in crisis on the ward, they need more than medicine, they need a moment of calm. More and more children and young people are arriving on the Children’s Ward experiencing a mental health crisis. Over 400 since June 2024!

Some are deeply anxious. Others are struggling with overwhelming emotions or experiencing suicidal thoughts they can’t explain. Many are neurodivergent and find the noisy, busy hospital environment almost impossible to cope with and right now, they simply don’t have a calm, private space to help them reset. And that’s heartbreaking.

Patients affected include 7-year-old Ben from Wells in Somerset. Ben was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes during 2025 and the adjustments to finger prick blood tests, insulin pump and glucose monitors during a week-long stay was something he found very challenging and over-whelming.

This Christmas, RUHX, the RUH Bath official NHS charity, are fundraising to create a sanctuary for our young patients. A calm, quiet room that will include soft furnishings, low-stimulation lighting, and sensory-friendly features. A place where they can feel safe when everything around them feels too loud, too scary, and out of their control.

This new de-escalation room will help the extraordinary Children’s Ward care teams to:

· create a sanctuary for young patients where they can begin to work through overwhelming emotions without risk of harming themselves or others

· give parents and carers a space where they can support their child or young person in a calm, private environment

· minimise the need for medical or restrictive interventions

· offer more personalised care and support, helping our young patients to manage their emotions.

To make this happen RUHX are aiming to raise £50,000 this Christmas. So that this new space can be ready in Spring 2026 and every child at the RUH can feel safe, supported, and cared for when they need it most.

They’re encouraging our local community to support this campaign by donating and by fundraising with festive fun like Christmas Jumper dress down days, Santa runs, Christmas Cake and Coffee mornings and Charity festive gifting. Or, like David and Janey Morgan who are Ben’s parents and are fundraising to raise over £5,000 towards this new de-escalation room. Including David taking on the dual challenge of running both the Bath Half marathon and London marathon for RUHX in 2026 To find out more and support this important campaign visit: www.ruhx.org.uk/xmas25 and to support David visit https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/david-morgan