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Prince Harry celebrates 30 years of the children's charity WellChild

21st October 2007

Prince Harry celebrated the 30th anniversary of children’s charity WellChild this evening and presented medals to brave chronically ill youngsters at an award ceremony.

As Patron of WellChild, which supports seriously ill children and their families, Prince Harry shared some tender and funny moments with youngsters at the charity’s Children’s Health Awards held at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.

The star-studded event included celebrities such as Penny Lancaster and Rod Stewart, former England footballer John Barnes and boy band Westlife.

Prince Harry spent an hour chatting to the youngsters, their parents and the medical staff who look after them.

WellChild is a UK-based charity dedicated to the needs of sick children and their families and its children's nurses provide specialist medical care and direct support in the home to chronically ill youngsters.

At the award ceremony, youngsters aged from three to 18 were honoured for their efforts battling debilitating and life-threatening illnesses at while doctors, nurses and other health professionals were also recognised.

Harry chatted to award-winner Natalie Robinson, 18, from Sheffield, who was a talented dancer and had hopes of becoming a GP before she became seriously ill five years ago with a very rare white blood cell disease that has attacked many of her major organs.

Asked about her chat with Prince Harry, the teenager replied: "He's much better in the flesh. He was asking about my disease, how it started and what's wrong with me.

"The fact I've had my 16th, 17th and 18th birthdays in hospital was something he could sympathise with, as he said he'd spent the night in a ditch during his 21st."

Natalie shared a joke with Harry and remained upbeat despite revealing that her condition, which has left her needing a lung transplant and having to use a wheelchair, is terminal.

The 18-year-old said: "I'm just happy to be here. When they said I was terminally ill, I was in denial. I'll always be in denial until the inevitable happens."

Prince Harry also made friends with five-year-old Christopher Anderson from Thornton Cleveleys near Blackpool, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

The youngster's urology consultant nurse specialist Caroline Sanders, based at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital, received an award for her work with the child.

Harry knelt down so he could speak to the little boy and joked about wanting to borrow his T-shirt printed with the WellChild name.

The Prince reacted with mock surprise when Christopher's mother Christine revealed her son had missed England's Rugby World Cup final clash with South Africa because it was past his bedtime.

Harry replied to the five-year-old: "They didn't let you stay up?"

He ended the chat by giving the youngster a "high-five".

At the end of the presentation ceremony, all the winning youngsters gathered on stage to receive a special commemorative medal from Prince Harry.

Earlier BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, who hosted the event, told the audience that the charity is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

She said: "WellChild's work has never been more important - now in the UK there are more children who are long-term sick than at any other time in our history and this often puts families at a severe disadvantage in society."

WellChild's nurse-led helpline provides confidential advice and support to families and children who need information about a disease or health condition.

The charity is also involved in research and has, since its foundation in 1977, been developing pioneering treatments and cures in research units at hospitals across the UK.

Click here to find out more about Prince Harry's Charities and Patronages.
Click here to visit the WellChild website.