1991: Edinburgh Sick Kids Appeal

A reproduction of a poster advertising 'The Greatest Ceilidh Ever" – a dance for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. It is black text on a bright orange background. The image states that the dance requires 23,094 attendees in order to break the world record for 'Biggest Dance Ever'. The address, date, and time are given. The poster has a Freshers Week logo on the top left-hand side (a face with sunglasses and a sombrero) and a drawing on the top right-hand side (a child holding a teddy bear, wearing pyjamas, writing the word 'help' in crayon).
Poster advertising a ceilidh in aid of the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Image courtesy of Lothian Health Services Archive (LHB5A/6/1/1).

This appeal sought to raise £10 million to build and equip a new wing for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

A wide range of fundraising events took place, including musical events, a fun day in the Meadows, and several celebrity concerts.

Like older fundraising appeals from before the NHS, materials outlined exactly what funds were being raise for – including mother and child rooms, an intensive care unit, and operating theatres.

Posters for the one-off events were plain black text and images, photocopied onto colourful paper. However, posters and programmes for higher profile events were professionally printed, often with the cost of the printing having been waived as a donation to the campaign.

Image of a poster for a fundraising event. The poster is all black text printed on bright yellow paper. The title of the event is in large capital letters at the top of the page: "Energy Institute presents Scotland's Biggest Chinese New Year Charity Event". The rest of the text has details of the event including a karaoke room with prizes, and dance music. Tickets cost £3 in advance or £4 at the door. All profits go to the Sick Children's Hospital. The bottom right of the image features the campaign logo, a black and white drawing of a child wearing striped pyjamas and holding a teddy bear. The child has just written the word 'help' above them. Below are the words "The Sick Kids". The logo therefore reads help the sick kids.
Poster advertising a Chinese New Year fundraising event for the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Image courtesy of Lothian Health Services Archive.
Image of a leaflet appealing for donations to the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. The leaflet is cream with black text. The bottom right of the image features the campaign logo, a black and white drawing of a child wearing striped pyjamas and holding a teddy bear. The child has just written the word 'help' above them. Below are the words "Will you help make the Sick Kids better?".
Front page of a leaflet appealing for donations to the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Image courtesy of Lothian Health Services Archive.
Image of a leaflet appealing for donations to the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. The leaflet is cream with black text. The bottom right of the image features the campaign logo, a black and white drawing of a child wearing striped pyjamas and holding a teddy bear. The child has just written the word 'help' above them. Below are the words "The Sick Kids". The logo therefore reads help the sick kids. The rest of the text of the page reads as follows: "The facilities the 'Sick Kids so desperately needs: Now. Recent developments in paediatric care have been revolutionary. But such advances cannot be exploited to the full in a dated and inadequate structure. The hospital's area of care covers the Highlands and Islands, down the East coast of Scotland and into the Borders. 8,500 in-patients and 100,000 out-patients each year. Children who require plastic surgery. Children with leukaemia. Children with heart defects. Sick Children. Your contribution will help to provide: 16 Mother and Children Rooms. Having their parents with them speeds children's recovery. An Intensive Care Unit. To replace the disparate facilities currently spread throughout the hospital. 4 New Operating Theatres. New. Not the Victorian buildings our surgeons have now. A Neonatal Surgical Unit. A cold sounding name for the most essential of purposes: caring for the new born after operation. A 24 Bed General Surgical Ward. To relieve the pressure on the other, over-stretched wards. A Day Care Unit. Some children just need quick, simple operations which require maybe 7 or 8 hours in hospital. Currently we do not have a specialist unit. A Pharmacy. To provide an efficient service for both the existing and the new facilities. A Research Unit. The new wing will also house a Research Unit for Edinburgh University's Department of Child Life and Health which will research paediatric pain, intra cranial pressure and the development of techniques to treat heart disease in children without the need for surgery." The remainder of the text on the page is contact details for the hospital. The envelopes in which the leaflet was distributed were supplied by a stationer company free of charge.
End page of a leaflet appealing for donations to the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Image courtesy of Lothian Health Services Archive.