At Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health Charity joined staff and donors at the official opening of the newly refurbished Isha Thakrar Sensory Room. The opening held on Wednesday 17th July, brought together paediatric consultants, nursing staff, and others that cared for Isha during her hospital stays.

The sea-themed sensory room nestled in the Childrens’ Ward was created in Isha’s name, and was made possible thanks to a generous donation by Isha’s parents, Radhika and Jai Thakrar. The Thakrars were guests of honour, along with their daughter Viya, to officially open the room in the presence of many of the team that had cared for Isha. Dr Sejal Patel, Isha’s Paediatric Consultant, welcomed guests and gave thanks on behalf of the team and children who will use the space for many years.

The room features immersive sensory play equipment and bespoke furniture that was created alongside the expert team at Total Sensory.

The underwater-themed space features a custom mural and sea sounds to create a calm place of relaxation for the children, or to conduct off-ward assessments in a more informal environment.

Laura from Total Sensory said,
‘We thoroughly enjoyed creating this beautiful room in honour of Isha. We really hope that the children here in this ward enjoy the space.’

Jai and Radhika Thakrar commented,
‘We were blown away by how incredible the room looked. It exceeded all of our expectations. Being in hospital is never easy, so we hope that Isha’s sensory room will bring the children a bit of joy whilst being in hospital. We always felt included in all decision making, and our ideas and opinions felt heard. We couldn’t have asked for much more.
All of the doctors and nurses on the children’s ward did an incredible job looking after our daughter Isha. We’re touched that we could leave a little memory of her, in a place where she was so well looked after.’

Emma Carr, the Arts and Creative Health Manager at Frimley Health Charity added, ‘We were so humbled to be able to bring this room to our patients at Wexham Park Childrens’ Ward due to this kind gift. We have ensured the highest level of design and collaboration with suppliers, artist Helen Brady, and staff to deliver a space that will impact many. We were able to reuse and reposition older pieces of equipment, and also donate some to our onsite nursery that staff use for their children.’

If anyone would like to know more about donating to a department they appreciate, please contact Kathryn Moore, Philanthropy Manager Kathryn.Moore25@nhs.net.