0:00:09 > 0:00:13Hospitals can be a daunting place, particularly for children,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15away from home and their loved ones.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18When I was 15, my mother was diagnosed with leukaemia
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and I spent days in hospital visiting her.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I got to know a young girl in the next bed
0:00:24 > 0:00:26who told me how lonely she was on the ward.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Her words have stayed with me and have made me want to do all I can
0:00:30 > 0:00:35to help the millions of children who are admitted to hospital every year.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Five-year-old Ruby suffers from a very severe form of asthma.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45Her first attack came when she was just two months old.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49She was breathing quite strange, sort of not what we'd heard before.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52She was really struggling to catch her own breath.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55At one point it was like, is she going to stop breathing?
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Her parents, Phil and Trudie, rushed her to hospital
0:00:58 > 0:01:01where she spent nine days in intensive care.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05To see such a tiny little baby that ill...
0:01:05 > 0:01:09words can't explain how upsetting and how worrying
0:01:09 > 0:01:11and horrific that time was for us.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Ruby was diagnosed with severe asthma and has since needed a lot of medical help.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20The last few years for Ruby has been in and out of hospital.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Whether it's for an admittance because of her poor breathing,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27because of tests that she's got to have.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31She's brave but just before she gets very tearful and very upset.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35For any parent, watching a child suffer in hospital,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37it can be unbearably hard.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40For the child, away from familiar faces and surroundings,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44it can feel like there is very little to laugh about.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Theodora Children's Trust is a charity
0:01:47 > 0:01:51that wants to give children in hospital a reason to smile.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54It funds professional entertainers
0:01:54 > 0:01:58to visit children's wards around the UK, bringing joy and laughter
0:01:58 > 0:01:59to those who need it most.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Polly is one of 23 entertainers employed by the charity.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07She's a nursery nurse and children's entertainer,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11but working with the charity requires very different skills.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Sometimes I'm working with children in intensive care,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18or are just really sick after operations, or after treatments.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24You're not going in to do a set act. It's very tailored to that child.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The entertainers are known to their patients as Giggle Doctors
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and each one of them takes on a character.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Polly becomes Dr Yo-Ho, a pirate.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39To get in to character, I put on my make-up and under-costume
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and then do my hair and then, last of all, I put my coat on
0:02:43 > 0:02:47and then, well, then I'm Doctor Yo-ho.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52The charity knows that sensitivity and understanding are vital
0:02:52 > 0:02:55when dealing with children in hospital.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58All of the entertainers receive extensive training
0:02:58 > 0:03:00from paediatric specialists.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02This helps them to tailor their routine
0:03:02 > 0:03:05to the particular needs of each child.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Today, the patients on this ward have a visitor.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I thought I'd do a little bit of magic, Josie.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20Could you hold my magic banana?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23That's lovely, thank you very much. That's lovely.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25If you could hold onto that for me. That's it.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28I've got pictures here, these little cards.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Shall we change them with the magic banana?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Hang on, I don't think a magic banana's right, you know.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I think we need something else.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40How about, ooh! I know, I know, how about a magic wand?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Do you think that's the right? Here, swap you.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45'Humour is incredibly important'
0:03:45 > 0:03:50and there are so many studies showing that laughter actually is
0:03:50 > 0:03:53a very good medicine and a form of therapy.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56And when the entertainers are around,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00you can see the children light up, you can see the improvement.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02It clearly makes a difference.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Ruby is back at hospital today for a blood test.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09She is on so much medication,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13her consultant frequently needs to check her toxicity levels.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15But the tests are painful.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20What Ruby doesn't know is the charity has sent Polly to see her.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Hiya! Hello, it's very nice to see you.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Wow! I love your boots,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30they are absolutely gorgeous.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Do you know what, I've lost my friend, Colin the Shark.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I don't know where he is. He's completely gone.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- I don't know where he is. - He's here...
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Pardon, is he behind me, is he? - Colin? Colin?
0:04:45 > 0:04:50I'll have to keep looking. Yeah, cos you haven't seen him at all.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Have you seen him, Ruby?- No. - He's on your head!
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- He's gone to bed? Is he a bit tired? - He's on your head!
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Hang on a minute... Oh! He's on my head.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I didn't realise he was on my head. Ruby, you didn't tell me.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08It's time for Ruby's appointment but she no longer seems that concerned.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Will you look after the giraffe for me? Is that all right?
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Thank you for letting me play, you've been very, very kind.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17The stress and worry of having a child in hospital
0:05:17 > 0:05:21affects not just parents but brothers and sisters too.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The charity's entertainers understand this,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30so they create special moments for the whole family to share.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32This is Sally-Anne with her husband Richard
0:05:32 > 0:05:37and three children, Gracie, George and baby Archie.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Last year, Gracie was diagnosed with pneumonia
0:05:39 > 0:05:41and spent two weeks in hospital.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45The first couple of days were the worst. She was completely, um...
0:05:45 > 0:05:49kind of lifeless at that point. You know, that was really worrying.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Gracie's four-year-old brother George found it very hard.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56He's always been so close to Gracie,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I don't think he understood what was going on.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00And I think he cried quite a few times.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04One afternoon when he was there, an entertainer visited the ward.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06As soon as she came in, it lit the room up. It was amazing.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11She came in with all her bag of toys and her silly voice
0:06:11 > 0:06:14and it was just fantastic, it changed the atmosphere completely.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18She was quite funny.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I quite liked it when she was there.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25He put his hand in the pocket and there's a honky thing
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and he touched our nose and he pressed it
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and it made a squeaky noise
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and he made some sticky bubbles and he called it elephant snot.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Definitely that was the first time she smiled since going into hospital.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42She was just amazed by it, really amazed by it.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44George just thought it was the best thing ever.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48They were just captivated by, you know, the little world she created.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51The entertainer made such an impression on Gracie and George
0:06:51 > 0:06:54that last summer they organised a cake sale
0:06:54 > 0:06:56to raise money for the charity.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00The money they raised paid for an entertainer
0:07:00 > 0:07:02to visit five more patients.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Yes! Zingo!
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Entertainer Polly is about to perform to another patient
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and I've come to take a look.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Put your nose on, mate, we've got to have the nose on.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16That would be lovely, shall we test it? Come on, then.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19'Our aim, when we visit children,
0:07:19 > 0:07:20'is obviously to make them laugh,'
0:07:20 > 0:07:24to just give them respite from the experience they're going through.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- And there!- And there?
0:07:31 > 0:07:33'It's all about really giving the child
0:07:33 > 0:07:35'something positive and wonderful.'
0:07:35 > 0:07:37It made the difference.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39At first it was miserable
0:07:39 > 0:07:41and then she swapped over
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and, with a different way,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48very slowly, we had a sad face, then a straight face,
0:07:48 > 0:07:54then a happy face, then a really cheesy grin and a laugh.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Nearly two million children are admitted to hospital each year
0:07:58 > 0:08:04and yet the charity is only able to visit one child in every 40.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07The Theodora Children's Trust wants to bring a smile
0:08:07 > 0:08:10to the face of every child in hospital
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and, with your donation, they could make that happen.
0:08:14 > 0:08:21Please donate by going to the website bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:21 > 0:08:28If you don't have access to the internet, call 0800 011 011.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32If lines are busy, please keep trying.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Calls are free from most landlines.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Some networks and mobile operators will charge for these calls.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39If you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43please make your cheque payable to Theodora Children's Trust
0:08:43 > 0:08:46and send it to Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Remember, if you're a UK tax payer,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52the charity can collect Gift Aid on your donation worth another 25%.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Just send in a note
0:08:54 > 0:08:57to say you want your donation to be subject to Gift Aid
0:08:57 > 0:08:59and include the date, your full name and address.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Thank you.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:09:04 > 0:09:06E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk