Rhys Connah, who starred in BBC TV drama Happy Valley as Ryan, brought his forestry skills to Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in Huddersfield to the delight of children, parents and staff.
With Rhys’ help and encouragement, children supported by Forget Me Not as well as their siblings built a den in the hospice garden using fallen branches and twigs from a nearby wood, created bird feeders and bug hotels. And there were a fair few selfies taken with parents and staff too!
Rhys said: “Having opened Forget Me Not’s second shop in Hebden Bridge earlier this year, I wanted to do something more with the children that this amazing charity supports.
“So, using some of the forestry crafts that I’ve learnt from being a scout and together with the team at the hospice, we created some really fun activities for the children and parents to get involved in. It was a great day.”
Emma, mum to Alfie and Willow, said: “Alfie loves playing outdoors building dens so when I heard about this I thought, that’s perfect.
“He doesn’t often get the chance to do things like this because he gets tired really quickly, so having the hospice put this on was great. It’s lovely seeing Alfie and Willow get to do things together too. And I’m obsessed with Happy Valley so to meet Rhys was amazing!”
Kerry Griffiths, care co-ordinator at Forget Me Not, said: “We’re always looking for ways to help children and families spend time together having fun and making memories, away from the day to day challenges of caring for a child with a life-shortening condition.
“So when Rhys said he’d like to do something with us, we jumped at the chance! Today has been really special – a huge thank you to Rhys for being such a good sport.”
