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Keeping the Children’s Spirits Up
While in hospital, children miss the stimulation and structure of their normal school and family life. LATCH organise a range of activities and treats for children and their families
LATCH Christmas Party
The annual LATCH Christmas party is a wonderful opportunity for children and families to come together, have fun, and create magical memories.
With entertainers offering face painting, games, and activities, there are plenty of smiles all around—especially when it’s time for the delicious party food!
In 2024, the whole LATCH team came together to spread festive cheer. The party featured a magical grotto with Santa himself handing out gifts for everyone, along with face painting, a magician, and Tony the Balloon Man bringing laughter and fun.
Our 2025 Christmas party will take place on 12th December. Keep an eye on our social media and newsletter for more details—you won’t want to miss it!
In 2024, the whole LATCH team came together to spread festive cheer. The party featured a magical grotto with Santa himself handing out gifts for everyone, along with face painting, a magician, and Tony the Balloon Man bringing laughter and fun.
Our 2025 Christmas party will take place on 12th December. Keep an eye on our social media and newsletter for more details—you won’t want to miss it!
Seaside Caravan Holidays: A Well-Deserved Break for Families
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our fundraisers—and in particular, the dedicated work of our Emyr Owen branch in Porthcawl and the family and friends of Chloe Evans—LATCH is proud to offer families the use of our seaside caravans free of charge. These breaks provide a much-needed escape from the stresses of hospital life, giving families a chance to unwind, recharge, and create happy memories together.
Our caravans are located in two beautiful coastal spots: Trecco Bay in Porthcawl and Kiln Park in Tenby. Both locations offer stunning surroundings and plenty of family-friendly activities. Whether it’s enjoying walks on the beach, exploring local attractions, or simply spending quality time together, these breaks provide a welcome opportunity for families to reconnect and experience the joy of normal family life.
By removing the financial burden of a holiday, we ensure that every family we support can enjoy these seaside getaways during what is often one of the most challenging times of their lives. These holidays are about more than just taking a break—they’re about creating lasting memories that will be cherished forever.
We know spending time together and making precious memories is invaluable.
This supported the idea of purchasing Emyr’s Karavan4theKidz in Porthcawl. With the amazing support of the community we purchased the first caravan and gave it to LATCH so children and their families could have respite during treatments.
Due to the demand we also purchased Emyr’s Karavan4theKidz 2. Again the community support was amazing and Paul, Christian, Kev, Huw & I are extremely grateful.Sandra Owen
iPads for Patients
Since 2017, LATCH has been gifting iPads to children undergoing active treatment for cancer or leukaemia.
These iPads have become an invaluable tool, offering children a near-endless world of entertainment, helping to reduce anxiety and fear, and providing a sense of connection and normality during a challenging time.
The benefits for children are numerous and include:
- Staying connected with family and friends through video calls, social media, and email.
- Keeping up with schoolwork and extra-curricular activities, helping them maintain a sense of routine.
- Communicating with doctors and nurses more easily during treatment.
- Managing symptoms and improving their understanding of treatment through educational content.
- Reducing boredom with games, online streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, and other forms of entertainment.
- Preparing for radiotherapy with interactive tools and videos that help explain the process.
- Expressing emotions using innovative psychology apps designed to help children communicate how they feel.
By providing these iPads, LATCH helps make the hospital experience a little easier, giving children the tools they need to stay engaged, informed, and connected.
Creating Joyful Moments and Lasting Memories for Families
We provide a range of activities and events that offer much-needed respite, peer support, and opportunities for families to create lasting memories
We provide a variety of entertainment and activities on the ward for patients, including visits from SparkLab, art workshops, therapy dog sessions, storytellers, and balloon modellers. These activities bring fun and creativity to the hospital, helping to lift spirits and reduce anxiety.
In addition to ward-based activities, we offer special events for siblings and families, giving them a chance to step away from the hospital environment and enjoy quality time together. Our activities include Build-A-Bear parties, sibling days out, family outings, and community coffee mornings. These events offer families the chance to connect, relax, and simply enjoy themselves in a supportive and uplifting setting.
These experiences make a significant difference by providing emotional relief and helping families cope with the challenges of childhood cancer. They create opportunities for positive memory-making and moments of joy during difficult times. Based on family feedback, events like Build-A-Bear parties and family days out have been especially beneficial, offering much-needed fun and respite.
We are thrilled that we have been awarded National Lottery funding through the Awards for All Wales programme to provide these vital wellbeing events and activities throughout 2025 that support children being treated for cancer and their families. The funding will enable us to deliver these much-needed respite events throughout 2025, offering emotional relief, peer support, and memorable experiences for families facing the challenges of childhood cancer.
In addition to ward-based activities, we offer special events for siblings and families, giving them a chance to step away from the hospital environment and enjoy quality time together. Our activities include Build-A-Bear parties, sibling days out, family outings, and community coffee mornings. These events offer families the chance to connect, relax, and simply enjoy themselves in a supportive and uplifting setting.
These experiences make a significant difference by providing emotional relief and helping families cope with the challenges of childhood cancer. They create opportunities for positive memory-making and moments of joy during difficult times. Based on family feedback, events like Build-A-Bear parties and family days out have been especially beneficial, offering much-needed fun and respite.
We are thrilled that we have been awarded National Lottery funding through the Awards for All Wales programme to provide these vital wellbeing events and activities throughout 2025 that support children being treated for cancer and their families. The funding will enable us to deliver these much-needed respite events throughout 2025, offering emotional relief, peer support, and memorable experiences for families facing the challenges of childhood cancer.