HRH Duchess of Cambridge Visits Alder Hey

A crowd of thousands joined Alder Hey in welcoming HRH Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday 14^th February.

During the visit on Valentines’ Day, the Duchess met patients and staff in Alder Hey’s Burns and Oncology Units and was also given a tour of the hospital’s facilities, including the 3-T Intra-operative MRI scanner. The MRI facility, which was funded by a £3million donation from The Barclay Foundation, was officially opened by HRH Prince William of Wales during a visit to the hospital in 2010. Alder Hey remains one of only a handful of paediatric centres in the world with this type of equipment. The visit ended with patient’s showing the Duchess the exciting designs for Alder Hey’s new hospital, due to be publically unveiled next month.

The Duchess spent time meeting patients and families outside the hospital entrance before meeting seven year old Aimee Haswell, who presented the Duchess with a special posey. Aimee, a patient at Alder Hey since she was just nine days old, spoke to the Duchess before she entered the hospital.

The Duchess also visited Ronald McDonald House at Alder Hey where she met patients and families staying at the House along with staff and volunteers. She then unveiled a plaque to officially open new family apartments at the House. The House is the largest of its kind in the world and provides free accommodation for the families of some of Alder Hey’s sickest children. Many of the families stay for months and even years. They come from all over the UK and further afield from across Europe. Along with providing much needed space, privacy and a sense of normality, the new apartments will be particularly beneficial for families of patients who are treated at the hospital for six months or more.

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