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OUH prepares to mark Coronation of Charles III

05/05/2023

As the country is preparing to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6 May, staff and patients at Oxford University Hospitals are also making plans to mark the big day.

Inpatients on our wards will have the opportunity to watch the ceremony free of charge on their bedside TV sets, and our Chaplains have put up a photo of our new King - the 'Supreme Governor of the Church of England' - in each of our Chapels and Prayer Rooms on our different hospital sites, for anyone who would like to drop in and offer him a prayer or two.

From 8am on Friday morning until 8pm on Monday evening there will be Union flags flying on the John Radcliffe, Churchill and Horton sites for the big occasion, and a special message will be displayed on the digital screens in waiting areas across our hospitals.

Our newest Acute Rehabilitation Support Workers started work on Coronation preparations in the middle of April, and they have really made an impact on our Complex Medicine Unit (CMU) at the John Radcliffe, with Union flags hanging from the walls and ceiling and a giant Union flag on the double doors.

Patients on CMU have been getting into the Coronation spirit, wearing festive red, white and blue paper crowns made by staff on the ward.

Oxfordshire Hospital School provides an education to inpatients at Oxford Children's Hospital and, according to Leader of Learning Catherine Costello, it has been offering activities on a royal theme this week. They have had a 'royal building maths challenge', an exploration of anthems in music lessons and creative bunting-making, as well as some 3D Coronation resources for pupils with visual impairment and, of course, some very royal chocolate brownies in food technology lessons.

Continuing with the cake theme, Diana Beere, Catering Manager at the Horton General Hospital, will be supplying cake to all at the Horton on Coronation Day.

After the formal ceremony in Westminster Abbey, and the Coronation procession on Saturday morning, there will be a celebration concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday 7 May and a Bank Holiday Monday to round off a weekend of festivities and events across the country.

Thank you to all our staff who will be spending the Bank Holiday weekend providing excellent, compassionate care to our patients, and working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our services running smoothly.

Pictured: decorations on CMU-A with Lorraine Livingstone (Housekeeper), left, and Etta Humphries, Acute Rehabilitation Support Worker (ARSW), right