Friends, supporters and celebrity patrons joined a celebration held by Coleford charity, Time is Precious, last Friday at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, as the brand new Sensory and Teenage Chill Out Rooms were opened, thanks to £28,000 worth of donations.

Olympic Gold Medallist, Jason Gardener MBE, was first to open the Sensory Room, which cost £13,000 and will provide young children with a new, colourful and stimulating environment, with Actor, Will Thorp, opening the hospital’s new Teenage Chill Out Room, to give teens the chance to have a space within the hospital, either to watch television on the sofas provided, connect to the internet, or go somewhere quietly to have some space at what can be a difficult time.

Emily Graham, Head of Children’s Therapies at the RUH, spoke at the opening of the Sensory Room, which will help children with complex visual, physical or communication impairments. She said: “The Sensory Room has made such a difference to local children who use our service. We have seen staff come out of sessions with tears in their eyes at the progress that is being made by children as a result – and money can’t buy that.

“A huge thank you to Neil and Nicky (Halford, founders of Time is Precious), and all of the volunteers for their positive drive which means that children can have access to these amazing resources.”

Nicky Halford explained that Time is Precious has achieved more than the couple ever expected, having set up the charity five years ago in memory of their son, Ben. She added: “We wanted to make life a bit easier for families who have to spend time in hospital, and began by buying toys and games and now here we are! We have very big plans in the near future, including work on the children’s day surgery recovery area and supporting the pediatric A&E department at the RUH.”

Supporters of the charity at the opening included local businesses and individuals who have offered their services or helped with fundraising, including Thatcher + Hallam, Eye-Tech IT, Bath College, Westfield runner and new Patron of the charity, John Reynolds, and friends who are running online raffles for the charity via Facebook (search raffles for TIP).

Officially opening the new Teenage Chill Out Room, Will Thorp said: “There’s no doubt Time is Precious makes a huge difference to families at what is a really stressful time, and I hope everyone who uses this room enjoys it. I am really proud to be a Patron of this wonderful charity.”