CHILDREN at Oxfordshire Hospital School had a very important date yesterday when the White Rabbit visited to deliver books and other goodies.
The event was organised following a donation to reading charity Readathon from the Lewis Carroll Society.
It mean the White Rabbit was able to hop across wards and into the hospital school to hand out Alice in Wonderland-related gifts donated by the society to mark the 150th anniversary of the children's classic.
The school is part of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, which was one of the first hospitals to pilot Readathon's bookcases and storytellers in 2010.
The charity has now expanded into all 30 of the United Kingdom's main children's hospitals, restocking its mobile bookcases every six weeks and arranging regular visits by professional storytellers.
Chief executive Justine Daniels said: "Alice's adventures have been sparking the imaginations of children for 150 years.
"We all know the power of a good story to entertain, inspire and distract, but in hospital this becomes a super-power.
"Our mission at Readathon is to get brand new books and storytellers to children at a time and in a place where a little distraction goes a long way."
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