Ward Buddies

No child should feel alone in hospital. Our staff and volunteers bring comfort, company and care. 💛

Inspiring and empowering real-life superheroes to push their limits for a fundraising purpose – and hopes to create superheroes the world over. For attempts at adventures, microadventures or any physical feat the charity will provide fundraising, planning, logistical and publicity support.

27/05/2026

Behind every number is a child.

A child who needed someone to sit beside them.
A family who needed reassurance.
A ward team who knew a child needed extra emotional support.
A volunteer who showed up with kindness, patience and time.

Since launching, Ward Buddies has provided:

💛 288.5 hours of one-to-one support
💛 Support for 118 children and families
💛 Reached 10 hospital wards - and growing

This is what your support makes possible.

Not just visits. Not just hours. But moments of comfort, connection and calm for children who may otherwise feel frightened or alone. This is exactly why Jamie Adventureman founded the charity.

Please donate today and help us keep showing up for children in hospital. Currently any donation made is quadrupled by Mortgage Advice Bureau, so your donation makes even more of an impact!

21/05/2026

Sometimes, the impact of Ward Buddies can be heard in just a few words.

“The Ward Buddies team put light into my son. He laughed and enjoyed the time with the buddies.”

For a child, that could mean a moment of laughter after hours of worry. A game, a conversation, a friendly face. A little bit of childhood brought into a hospital ward.

These moments may look small from the outside, but to a child who feels anxious, isolated or overwhelmed, they can change the whole day.

Every donation helps us train and support more volunteers, so more children can feel comforted, distracted and cared for when hospital feels too much.

💛 Help us bring more light into difficult days.

18/05/2026

A hospital stay can become part of a child’s story.For some babies and young children, hospital isn’t just a quick visit. It can be long, frightening, confusing and lonely.

But one kind, familiar person sitting beside them, playing, chatting, reading, comforting and simply being there can change how that time feels.

Ward Buddies is about more than keeping children company. It’s about helping them feel safe, supported and less alone during a time that could otherwise feel overwhelming. This can reduce the long-term, negative impact on their mental health.

And right now, your donation can go even further .

Thanks to match funding through our Crowdfunder, £1 becomes £4. £10 becomes £40.

⏳This is a rare window of opportunity to make four times the difference for children at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Please donate today and help us train more volunteers to be there when children need someone most. 💛

14/05/2026

Your £10 could become £40 today 💛

Right now, thanks to matched funding from the Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation, your donation to Ward Buddies will be quadrupled.

That means:

✨ £1 becomes £4
✨ £5 becomes £20
✨ £10 becomes £40
✨ £25 becomes £100

And that could help us train more volunteers to be there for a child in hospital when their family can’t be.

To sit beside them.
To talk with them.
To play with them.
To make them feel less alone.

We’ve raised over £4,000 towards our £7,000 target, but we still need your help to reach the full amount while the matched funding is available.

This opportunity won’t last forever and your donation can make four times the difference right now.

Please donate today, or comment CROWDFUNDER and we’ll send you the link 🙏💛

11/05/2026

Your £1 just became £4

Right now, every donation you make to Ward Buddies is being quadrupled by the Mortgage Advice Bureau.

That means:
✨£1 becomes £4
✨£10 becomes £40
✨£25 becomes £100
✨Businesses can donate up to £250, which would go to £1,000!

We’re raising funds to grow our Volunteer Training Programme, so we can be there for babies and children who are in hospital without family by their side.

For a child facing long, uncertain days in hospital, having someone to talk to, play with, or simply sit beside them can make all the difference.

This is your chance to create four times the impact for a child who needs it. 💛

Matched funding is limited to £5,000. Comment CROWD and we will send you the link to the Crowdfunded page.

02/05/2026

Wow, we can’t believe the response!

We’ve raised over £3000 in just a couple of days and are so grateful. We’re getting there 💛

Imagine being in hospital as a child, without someone by your side. That’s the reality for some of the children we support. Ward Buddies volunteers are there to change that. To sit. To talk. To play. To simply be present when it matters most.

If we reach our Crowdfunder target and kickstart the volunteer training programme, it means more volunteers, more support, more children helped.

Thanks to the , every donation is being tripled - £1 becomes £3.

Right now, your donation makes even more of a difference.

⏳This match is limited. Please don’t miss it. we can do this together! 💛

28/04/2026

Your £1 just became £4 💛

Right now, every donation you make is being quadrupled by the .

That means:

✨£1 becomes £4
✨£10 becomes £40
✨£25 becomes £100

✨ Businesses can donate up to £250, which would go to £1,000

We’re raising funds to grow our Volunteer Training Programme, so we can be there for babies and children who are in hospital without family by their side.

For a child facing long, uncertain days in hospital, having someone to talk to, play with, or simply sit beside them can make all the difference.

This is your chance to create four times the impact for a child who needs it.

⏳ Matched funding is limited to £5,000.

Comment CROWD and we will send you the link to the Crowdfunded page 🙏

16/03/2026

This winter, Jamie slept alone on the streets of Birmingham… then woke at 3am to run a marathon for children in hospital.

To understand what it can feel like for children who are alone in hospital, he spent a night sleeping on the streets of Birmingham surrounded by a busy city, yet completely isolated.

Then at 3am the next morning, he began the second part of the challenge: running a full marathon around Birmingham in the shape of a heart 💛 the symbol of Ward Buddies, starting and finishing at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

It was emotional, exhausting and incredibly tough.

Because even in a busy hospital, some children can still feel frightened, vulnerable and alone.

Ward Buddies exists to make sure no child in hospital feels that way.
The Buddies visit children who don’t have anyone with them, offering comfort, companionship and someone simply to sit beside them.

We’ve just released the video capturing Jamie's challenge from hisITV News interview, to the lonely night on the streets, to the marathon across Birmingham.

It’s a powerful reminder of why Ward Buddies exists.

🎥 Watch the full film via the link in our bio.

05/03/2026

On 11th February, our founder Jamie McDonald joined Rachel Burden on BBC Radio 4's Café Hope to talk about something many people don’t realise happens, children being left alone in hospital.

Jamie speaks about the emotional impact of children facing frightening moments in hospital without anyone by their side and why Ward Buddies exists to change that.

Our trained staff and volunteers are currently working inside Birmingham Children’s Hospital, supporting children who would otherwise be alone during one of the most difficult times in their lives.

No child should feel abandoned in hospital. It can leave a lasting mark on them.

This interview helps shine a light on the problem and the difference that we can make together.

🎧 Watch a short clip here, and if it moves you, we encourage you to listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds. Comment HOPE for the link.

Because the truth is, this work can only continue and grow to reach more hospitals and more children with your support. 💛

Link in bio to support Ward Buddies.

16/02/2026

♥We've been featured on Heart Radio! ♥

Jamie MacDonald, founder of Ward Buddies, spoke about the 80,000 children left alone in hospital across the UK each year and why this has to change.

Jamie spent the first nine years of his life in and out of hospital. He knows what that loneliness feels like and how long it can stay with you.

We’re now raising £65,000 to expand our support into more hospitals.
If you believe every child deserves comfort, connection and care - please support us. 💛

Address

Birmingham

Website

http://www.wardbuddies.org/, https://wardbuddies.org/birmingham-childrens-hospital/, https://youtu.be/3Dyoxu251r0?featur

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ward Buddies posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organisation

Send a message to Ward Buddies:

Want your organisation to be the top-listed Non Profit Organisation in Birmingham?