Brilliant new bookcase brightens up North Devon children’s ward playroom

Families visiting the Caroline Thorpe children’s ward at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) are enjoying an improved book corner, thanks to local charity Care for Kids North Devon and Bideford joinery business Face Edge.

Care for Kids supports families with children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and regularly carries out improvement projects on the children’s ward. 

Their latest project focused on refreshing the playroom, with particular attention on creating better storage for books.

Face Edge, which specialises in bespoke interiors for commercial and residential projects, stepped in to donate a custom-built bookshelf.

Mark Minnaar, Face Edge Client Account Executive, said: “We were genuinely pleased to have the opportunity to support our local community when Care for Kids reached out to us. The work they do for children and families across North Devon is truly inspiring, and it was a privilege to play a part in helping to refresh the playroom. We hope the bookcase brings a bit of brightness, comfort and enjoyment to children during what can be a very challenging time, and we’re really glad to have been involved.”

Fran Greenaway, Play Specialist at the Caroline Thorpe ward, said: “Everyone loves the new bookcase - we can display and store so many more books now for all ages. We’re able to provide better access to books and this is encouraging more children to read while they’re on the ward having treatment. It looks great, really brightens up what was a tired corner of the play room and it’s also the perfect way to celebrate National Year of Reading! Thank you to Face Edge for supporting us.”

Care for Kids Charity Manager Jacky Massos added: “We were blown away when Face Edge offered to design and donate a new bookcase for us. This is just another example of generous local businesses coming up trumps for local causes. Face Edge has created exactly what we asked for, a durable and practical storage solution that looks fun, colourful and blends in with the existing storage in the play room.”

Later this month, Care for Kids plans to add more digital wallpaper and new blinds to complete the playroom refresh.