Mel Broughton and Rhian Booth are the brains behind SparkLab Cymru, an interactive science education company dedicated to making science exciting, accessible, and fun for children across Wales.
For more than two years, the pair have been delivering workshops to children on the Rainbow Ward, ensuring that those undergoing treatment can still enjoy fun, fulfilling and hands-on science experiences.
'It’s really important to us that the children are actively involved in the experiments,' Rhi said. 'We want them to touch things, test ideas, make predictions, answer questions, and make mistakes. It’s all about encouraging curiosity, getting things wrong and trying again.'
'For that hour, they’re not just children receiving treatment in hospital—they’re scientists.'
SparkLab Cymru
The two science teachers met at university while studying for their master’s degrees in chemistry.
'I think we always knew that we wanted to be teachers,' Mel said. 'That moment when something clicks for a child, or when they become fascinated by something and want to learn more—you can’t put a price on that.'
'We had both worked as secondary school chemistry teachers and Heads of Chemistry for many years,” she continued, “but we wanted to have a wider reach than just one school. We wanted to inspire as many children as possible.'
And so, the idea for SparkLab Cymru was born.
A key part of SparkLab Cymru’s mission is to introduce children to science from an early age—but Mel and Rhian recognise that supporting teachers is equally important.
'As passionate science teachers, we want primary school children to experience as much science as possible,” Rhian explained. “One of the best ways to achieve that is by equipping their teachers with the confidence and practical skills to explore science with them.'
'We run training sessions that show primary school teachers how science can be incorporated into everyday teaching. Our aim is for them to return to their classrooms feeling confident, inspired and ready to try the experiments with their pupils.'
Working with Latch
Mel and Rhian began working with Latch several years ago after being given the opportunity to deliver science sessions for children undergoing treatment.
'One of our favourite activities is making harmonicas with the children,' Rhian explained. 'We make sure they are fully involved in creating them because it’s so important to us that our workshops are genuinely interactive.'
The SparkLab team carefully adapts every session to meet the changing needs of the children on the ward.
'We know that children may become tired or need to leave partway through a session, so our workshops have to be extremely flexible,' Mel said. 'We make it as easy as possible for them to join in at any point during our visit, whether they are in the playroom, on the day ward or in their own room.'
During one recent workshop, the children explored the absorbency of different materials.
'One of the activities involved using pipettes to place different colours onto cotton pads designed to look like scoops of ice cream,' Rhian said. 'The children loved it because it was so colourful and visual.'
For Mel and Rhian, these workshops are about far more than teaching scientific concepts.
Every interaction with the children and their families leaves a lasting impression.
'You might meet a child who initially isn’t sure whether they want to take part,' Rhian said. “Perhaps they’re tired or simply not feeling well. But as they watch what’s happening, they often begin to show an interest. Before long, they want to have a go themselves and become completely involved.
'It’s those small moments—the smiles, the laughter and seeing a child’s curiosity come alive—that make our work with Latch so incredibly meaningful.'
