Prince of Hearts

By Kate Hassett

Prince of Hearts
Call him Patch Adams. Prince William brings smiles to the faces of seriously ill children at WellChild gala

Forget the Queen of Hearts, Prince Harry is winning smiles all over London, after his attendance at the WellChild Awards dinner over the weekend.

The Prince, who was attending the Awards at the London Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, spent the evening surrounded by some of the bravest children in the country and their carers.

Prince Harry is the patron of the national charity for seriously ill children and their families. He was there to support the amazing children and adults who work closely with these children to ensure they have the greatest chance at a normal, pain free life.

The Awards ceremony saw Nellie-May Evans, (pictured above) 9, win the most inspirational young person in her age group. Evans, who was diagnosed with Cardio Myopathy at just seven months old has battled cancer three times and has suffered a stroke – all of which has seen her spend the majority of her life in hospital.

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Nellie-Mai joked around with the royal, asking “Are you a clown? Can you make me a balloon animal please?” to which Harry responded with ‘I will try to but I can’t make any promises.”

Harry was also the recipient of a beautiful hand made gift from Ruby Smallman. Ruby, won the award for the country’s most caring young person, after tirelessly caring for her elder sister Holly, 13.

Her mother, Hayley Smallman said that Harry was completely overwhelmed with joy at receiving the beautiful present.

“She told me she wanted to make a present for him and we went to a friend’s pottery studio, called Fishfingers in Liverpool, where she decided to make him a penguin as she knew he had been to the South Pole.”

 

WellChild Awards 2015 sponsored by GSK at The Hiloton Park Lane, London - Most Caring Young Person Award Winner Ruby Smallman and her sister Holly Smallman  Prince Harry after Ruby presented Prince Harry with a  penguin she made for the Prince - 5.10.2015 Picture by Antony Thompson - Thousand Word Media, NO SALES, NO SYNDICATION. Contact for more information mob: 07775556610 web: www.thousandwordmedia.com email: antony@thousandwordmedia.com The photographic copyright (© 2015) is exclusively retained by the works creator at all times and sales, syndication or offering the work for future publication to a third party without the photographer's knowledge or agreement is in breach of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, (Part 1, Section 4, 2b). Please contact the photographer should you have any questions with regard to the use of the attached work and any rights involved.
WellChild Awards 2015 sponsored by GSK at The Hiloton Park Lane, London – Most Caring Young Person Award Winner Ruby Smallman and her sister Holly Smallman Prince Harry after Ruby presented Prince Harry with a penguin she made for the Prince 
Picture by Antony Thompson – Thousand Word Media

The prince also received another gift from Toby Sweeney-Croft, a boy who was paralysed from the breast bown done at age three, after contracting acute disseminated encephlow myelitis.

At first the Prince was reluctant to take the ball of the boy, but accepted on one condition; “that when I am old and in my wheelchair we play and you thrash me.”

 

Harry also gave a speech to the room of well-deserving people and their children

“This is my eighth WellChild Awards now and every year, without fail, I am humbled by the people and children I meet. You guys are awesome.

‘The stories we have heard tonight are moving beyond words. They remind us of the utter insignificance of our everyday worries.

‘Yet, one of the things that always stands out is the positivity shown by those in the most difficult and testing circumstances.

‘It is heartening to hear so many stories of happiness and hope, even through the dark times.

‘And that is why we are all here this evening; to show our admiration for all the Award winners and to honour their strength of human spirit. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to recognise you all. ‘

He added: ‘Sadly, many stories we have heard this evening highlight the challenges that many families all over the UK are confronting each day. The greatest challenge for families with seriously ill children is often ensuring they have access to the best possible care and support.

‘It is easy to take it for granted that the necessary support is always available.

‘But in many cases that would simply not be the case without WellChild, especially the incredible team of WellChild Children’s nurses who provide life-changing assistance for so many families.’

He concluded: ‘We literally have the bravest children in the UK in this room .’

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