Superstar Sue wins Starlight play award

Starlight, the UK's leading charity for children's play in hospitals and hospices, holds annual Health Play Awards to recognise inspirational healthcare professionals who work to make sure every child experiences the power of play.

Sue Pruden, play service manager at Evelina London Children's Hospital, has been recognised at the 2023 awards as the runner-up for the protector of play. Sue's role is to manage the therapeutic play service in promoting the importance of play for children and young people. She makes sure appropriate resources and access to play specialist support is available to all services. This includes children in hospital, those visiting for appointments and those we support in the community.

Sue said: "I'm honoured and proud to have been nominated for this award and receive runner up. I'm lucky to be working alongside colleagues who join me in the journey and vision for therapeutic play in Evelina London Children's Hospital. I thank those colleagues who nominated me, but this award is for everyone who champions play within our hospital and community sites."

"Over many years I have been privileged to access various resources and support from Starlight. Watching a patient open up to a fun visit or enjoy a resource sent for them makes such a difference to a stressful situation. Creating memories is so important and Starlight has helped me achieve this."

Read more about Sue's role, what led her to becoming a play specialist and how she makes sure play is available to all children at Evelina London Children's Hospital and community services.

Evelina London has play teams supporting babies, children and young people across our sites. This includes those being cared for at Evelina London Children's Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital, where our teams are based, and resources for our children's community services in Lambeth and Southwark.