Chicks in our chapel
In August 2017, as part of a Spiritual Care project, quail eggs were incubated and hatched. We were overwhelmed by the response from our young people, families, and staff who all felt part of the journey of our chicks, which brought joy, love and hope.
In Easter 2018 our project grew and after three weeks with us, our hen chicks hatched on Good Friday to great excitement from the many people, young and old, that got involved across our Trust - and that was it.
All of our chicks went to appropriate, good and loving homes which was always arranged before the start of each incubation.
Our project continued until 2023 and we have many fond memories of the time we spent with patients, families and staff watching and waiting for the chicks to hatch at easter.
The future of our chicks
All of our chick babies have good, loving homes at the end of the project, which is incredibly important for us to arrange before we start incubation.
Chicks In Our Chapel Aims
Although it’s a lot of fun, there are several reasons why this project is so important to us. We aim to:
- Allow children, families and staff to see new life birthing in the hospital and, in doing so, bring hope
- Offer the opportunity for reflection on several different aspects of our lives at the Children’s Hospital, including waiting, patience, excitement, sadness, love, touch and hope
- Engage and support spirituality such as meaning-making, connection, hope, and lifting spirits
- Provide a safe space to explore disappointments, sadness, and loss (such as incubated eggs not hatching, or young chicks not being strong enough to survive)
- Allow a natural reflection of the faith we each have – in God or a significant other
- Provide a sense of belonging – these are our chicks
- Offer a sense of safety – a place where the chicks may be held. Animals are a great source of bringing hope and love to a place
- Give children, who are often in beds for a long time or in wheelchairs, an opportunity to experience the usual human touch and adults an opportunity to receive some hope
- Provide a ‘together’ space, where all know they are welcomed and may come to meet with others perhaps they had not talked to before
- Provide an avenue of pure fun for children, families and staff
- Allow chance for children’s voices to be heard through the chick visiting book and other activities
- Provide opportunities for fun activities in the Chapel and beyond.