26 Sep 2025
The St Albans Rotary Swimathon has donated £7,200 to the West Herts Hospitals Charity to kick-start a game-changing local community project at St Albans City Hospital.
The money from the Swimathon event at Westminster Lodge in April will be used to kick-start the £12,000 fund needed to install a new child-friendly waiting area in the Outpatients Department at St Albans City Hospital.
Swimathon committee chair Paul Kendall said: “Months of planning and preparation by Rotary volunteers working with Everyone Active at Westminster Lodge Pool helped make the 2025 Swimathon a huge success – 60 swimmers of all ages and abilities took part – the highest number ever.
“We thank all the swimmers for their effort and their sponsors for their generosity; and we are grateful to Everyone Active and the Salmon Club for disabled swimmers at Westminster Lodge Pool for their tremendous support.”
St Albans City Hospital is currently undergoing a huge transformation of its outpatients’ services, with the aim of providing outpatients with tests, diagnosis, and treatment plans on a single visit. This inevitably means more waiting time – a challenge for any patient but especially for children and their families.
To minimise stress and anxiety, the West Herts Hospitals Charity is planning to create a child-friendly, interactive, sensory play zone at the hospital to provide a welcoming and engaging environment for children and their carers.
Keeping children entertained helps parents feel more at ease; engaged children are likely to be less likely to become restless or disruptive, creating a calmer atmosphere for everyone. A dedicated area also reduces the risk of children wandering into less safe areas, and waiting times can also feel shorter.
Alison Rosen, CEO of West Herts Hospitals Charity, said: “We are so thankful for the money that the St Albans Rotary Swimathon has raised. The nursing staff in outpatients know that the installation of this equipment will make a real difference and have a positive impact on for children and their families. We are working with the team to update the appeal total and see how quickly we can move onto installing the equipment on site.”
