The purpose of this assembly presentation is to help children understand why your schools is taking part in the Big Schools Superhero Challenge   By the end of the assembly the children will: Understand the purpose of the Big Schools Superhero Challenge Joining together as a school community to do something good for other children in their immediate and wider community. Having fun together while keeping fit and healthy in the fresh air.  Understand more about the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales – how it came in to being and how it helps children like them. Understand how the Noah’s Ark Charity supports the children’s hospital. Feel motivated to take part in the Superhero Challenge and how by taking part in the event they will be helping to make a difference.

Who here enjoys PE classes in school? Who likes running around with friends at playtime? Ask the children what they get from these activities. Draw out answers that relate to health and wellbeing eg it helps keep my body healthy, it makes me feel happy, I like doing things together as a group/team - helping them to bridge over to how physical activity, both structured and non-structured, is good for them.   Once you have established a context, explain that during the summer term they will have a chance to take part in an activity where the whole school can enjoy exercising and being healthy together in the outdoors. Tell them that as a school you will all be running/walking/toddling/wheeling 1k or 2k (depending on what you have chosen to do as a school) on the date that you have chosen. Not only that but they’ll also be able to take part in a superhero outfit. Explain to the children at this point that you’ll be coming back to the superhero bit later. Depending on when you have chosen to hold your event, you could also explain: How the Schools Superhero Challenge will take place in celebration of National School Sport Week (26 – 30 June). That the challenge will be something for the whole school to take part in at the end of your schools sports day. (You can of course choose any day to hold your event)

Once the children are excited about taking part, explain that there is another very important reason why they’ll be taking part in the Big Schools Superhero Challenge – to raise money and help the Noah’s Ark Charity help thousands of children in Wales every year.

What is a charity? An organisation set up to provide help and raise money for those in need. The Noah’s Ark Charity raises money to help make sure that the children who are treated at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales get the best care possible.   Tell the children that this is the only children’s hospital in Wales.

Explain that this is the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales. Ask them to put their hands up if they’ve heard of the children’s hospital. Ask them to put their hands up if they’ve been there themselves or know someone who has. Ask the children if they can think of any reasons why a child would need to go to hospital. Children could answer things like being in an accident, having an illness like cancer, or being born with something that gives you a disability that needs treatment. Ask the children how they think the Noah’s Ark Hospital would help children in these situations. Answers could include giving medicine, having an operation or going for physiotherapy and exercises to help make them stronger. Explain to the children that some children only need to spend a few hours at the hospital but some children have to stay for weeks or even months.

History 2000 – Noah’s Ark Appeal is launched to raise money for a children’s hospital. 2003 – Building work begins. 2005 – Hospital opens its doors to its first patient on St David’s Day. 2008 – Work begins on raising a further £7 million for the next part of the hospital. 2015 – The second phase of the hospital opens. 2017 – The Noah’s Ark Garden is launched. Explain that before Noah’s Ark there was no children’s hospital in Wales. It was the only country in Europe not to have a purpose built hospital for children. The founding members listened to leading paediatricians who said that we desperately needed one so they started a lobbying campaign to help make it happen. 2000 – the green light was given to build a children’s hospital for Wales. Now money was needed to build it. This is how the Noah’s Ark Charity (which was then called an appeal) started. 2003 – thanks to communities across Wales (like your school), millions of pounds were raised and building work began in 2003 . 2005 – The first part of the hospital opens. 2008 – Works starts on the second phase and the Noah’s Ark Charity commits to raising £7 million to fund major projects like the operating theatres, a critical care unit, a hydrotherapy pool and a radiology department. 2015 - In 2015, for the first time in Wales’ history, children could be treated for all their paediatric needs under one roof. The hospital is given the name Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in thanks to the Noah’s Ark Charity for helping to make the hospital a reality. 2017 – The Noah’s Ark Garden is a place where children can have therapy to make them stronger but in a fun environment. It’s also a place for families to spend time together. Children who need to spend a long time in hospital really miss their brothers and sisters and this is a place for them to play when they come and visit.

More than 73,000 patients a year A garden where children can play Now 26 specialities 197 doctors and 600 nurses More than 73,000 patients a year 16,500 operations a year A garden where children can play 132 beds .

Why is the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales so special? Beds for parents and carers Play rooms Play specialists The Noah’s Ark Garden Hydrotherapy Pool Specialist doctors and nurses The hospital was built especially with the needs of children and families in mind.   It has beds so that children can have their parent or carer with them during the night. It has play rooms on most wards so children have somewhere to go and do different things away from their bed. There are lovely, friendly play specialists who keep children distracted by having fun. They also help explain medical procedures to children through play so they’re not as scary. There’s a garden in the middle of the hospital The hospital has its own special hydrotherapy pool with lights and music where physiotherapists help children who need help to get their muscles stronger again. The doctors, nurses and physiotherapists who work there specialise in children’s health.

The Noah’s Ark Charity helps by raising money to fund:   Equipment The play specialist team Services and facilities for families Explain that the Noah’s Ark Charity works with schools and communities like yours to raise money for the newest and best equipment so that children can be diagnosed and treated as quickly and effectively as possible. As well as putting smiles on patients faces, the play specialist team keep the children entertained. They provide children with distractions when they’re having procedures and, if they’re worried, they use play to explain children’s treatment to them so it doesn’t seem so scary anymore.   Right now, the Noah’s Ark Charity is trying to raise money for family rooms in the new unit for very small or very ill babies. It also raises money to provide packs containing some food and toiletries to parents/carers who have arrived at the hospital with their children in an emergency and haven’t had time to bring anything with them.

By raising money for the Noah’s Ark Charity you’ll be helping children like Fliss find their smile again. Explain to the children that the child in these photos are Fliss. Fliss was very very ill and spent Christmas 2015 on intensive care. The illness that she had meant that she wasn’t able to move anything other than her eyes – she couldn’t even smile. After a while, with the help of the doctors and the special equipment that kept her alive, she started to get a bit better. But Fliss was very sad because she wasn’t able to move and do all the things that she used to do like play with her toys and run around with her brother. So even though she could smile again, she didn’t want to. The play specialist team came to visit Fliss. They played with her, moving her hands and feet for her until very slowly she started to be able to move them a bit more on her own. They also sang songs with her to help her re-gain her speech. Fliss was in hospital for seven months and sometimes the treatment she needed to have was a bit scary and the exercises she needed to make her strong again were painful. But the play specialists made it fun for her and slowly with the help of the doctors and nurses and play specialists and physios, Fliss found her smile again. The Noah’s Ark Charity raised money for the intensive care unit that kept Fliss alive over that Christmas. It also helped to raise money for the bed her mum slept in next to Fliss when she was transferred to another ward. The charity also supports the play specialist team that played such an important role in helping Fliss feel better and happy about herself again.

YOU! We’re all taking part in to help children just like Tell the children that the Noah’s Ark Charity wants to make sure that the children treated at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital get the very best care in the very best surrounding. But these things can cost a lot of money so they need a lot of help.   That’s why we’re asking the children to dress as their favourite superhero for the Big Schools Superhero Challenge – because by taking part and raising money they’ll be helping to save the lives of other children and to the Noah’s Ark Charity, that means they are all superheroes. Tell the children that they can either wear superhero costumes they have at home or make one using the guide that we’ve provided. You could alternatively opt to make costumes with the children as part of a craft activity with your class. Note on safety: Tell the children that their parents/carers will all receive a letter explaining that your school will be taking part in the Big Schools Superhero Challenge. If they say its ok for them then to take part, the children will each be given a sponsorship form to take home with them. It’s very important though that they only ask for sponsorship from people that their parents/carers say it’s ok to ask. They shouldn’t knock on strangers’ doors. to help children just like YOU!

Any ideas? Ask the children if they have any fundraising ideas that you could implement around your 1K or 2K race. Perhaps you could hold a Superhero themed cake sale or afternoon tea for parents on the day of your challenge. Or make the day of your event in to a mini challenge and organise activities like a Tombola or Hook a Duck in exchange for a small charge.