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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sian Traynor

Edinburgh Sick Kids patients watch on as Santa scales building in early visit

Children staying at the Edinburgh Sick Kids were treated to an incredible surprise this week as they watched none other than Santa scale his way down the building.

Putting on a jaw-dropping display for the RHCYP's patients, old Saint Nick and his elves abseiled down from the hospital's roof in order to spread some well-needed Christmas cheer.

Also joined by Spiderman for the occasion, unsuspecting children watched in awe along with their families and staff as the group scaled two different walls of the building to ensure everyone got a good view.

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Organised by Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) in partnership with Edinburgh Rope Access, the daring deed was helped towards raising money to deliver magic and happiness to seriously ill children in hospital this Christmas.

Nicky Erskine, managing director at Edinburgh Rope Access, dedicated the gutsy stunt to all those at the hospital who fight their own brave battles on a daily basis.

Nicky said: “Who needs a chimney when Santa can abseil off the roof instead? Scaling the side of a hospital isn’t for the faint-hearted but it is nothing compared to the challenges that children staying here face with such courage every day.

“We wanted to do our bit to spread some Christmas cheer, bring lots of smiles to those on the wards and raise funds for an incredibly worthy cause while we were at it.”

Pippa Johnston, director at ECHC, added: “We are enormously grateful to Santa and his elves for coming all the way from the North Pole to visit children and families at the hospital. It was marvellous to see so many faces light up when Santa dropped by their window and gave them a wave!

“Every year, together with our friends at NHS Lothian, ECHC works hard to make time spent in hospital a little bit brighter. At Christmas, this becomes even more vital, but we rely solely on donations and kindness to do this.

“Though we can’t stop their pain, we can deliver some happiness. For those facing a hospital stay at this time of year, special events like this really do go a long way in delivering magic and lifting everyone’s spirits.”

You can find more about the ECHC's Christmas appeal here.

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