We’re proud to introduce our charity ambassadors which includes leaders within the health service, food industry and media.
Their passion, commitment and dedication to the charity is truly inspiring and we are privileged to welcome them as advocates and ambassadors for Sophie’s vision for change.
In the summer of 2021, I was privileged to meet with Sophie and Charlotte Fairall. At a time of great pain for them both, Sophie shared a number of challenges with me, describing so eloquently the lack in quality and availability of children’s & young people meal choices, as well as the lack of compassion for parents and guardians when food and drink should be supplied when appropriate.
In my role of Senior Operational Manager and Lead for food at NHS England, I have committed to work closely with Sophies’ Legacy, driving positive change with hospitals and linking closely with the nursing directorate to support “what does good like”. At a time when we recognise that there are significant pressures on the NHS, it is vital that we understand what is the right thing to do, and put “care” at the centre of healthcare.
Caroline Benjamin is honoured to take on the role of ambassador for Sophie’s Legacy, a charity focused on improving hospital food for children and supporting families affected by childhood cancer.
In her role, Caroline has introduced Charlotte, Sophie’s mother and founder of the charity, to influential figures such as Phil Shelley, members of the Hospital Caterers Association, and professionals within the hospitality sector, helping to extend the charity’s reach. She is also deeply involved in fundraising efforts, securing raffle prizes, and incorporating Sophie’s Legacy into the Wessex Branch Salon Culinaire competition, all to raise awareness and drive meaningful change.
Although I never had the privilege of meeting Sophie I know she would have been challenged us all to do more for children and young people in hospital, and importantly their families.
This is why I am so supportive of Sophie’s Legacy. I am in a position where I can influence the care we deliver at Alder Hey and am proud of what we have been able to achieve. I see each day the difference this work has made to our families.
All parents are vital in the care we provide to children and young people; therefore, I strongly believe we should be ensuring they receive food which is not means tested or seen as charity, it should just be the level of family centred care we provide. If we look after the parents basic needs they are more able to care for their children and it helps reduce financial burden of being I hospital for families at what is already a difficult and worrying time.
I have been lucky enough to know and work with Charlotte over the last 3 years.
In my national CYP lead nurse role at NHS England, we worked closely supporting a series of pilots across the country raising the profile of feeding resident parents and supporting Trusts in embedding this. There are now more Trusts than we’ve ever had supporting resident parents being fed and this is down to the hard work and determination to makes things better for our families from the team at Sophie’s Legacy.
In my role as Deputy Chief Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, I continue to work closely with our senior teams and our charity to continue to support the feeding of families whilst they are staying with us.
Tackling health inequalities and ensuring that our parents can stay well whilst caring for their children at such difficult and worrying times is key. We have some way to go , but I am a huge advocate for supporting all of Sophie’s wishes and making a difference to all the babies, children, young people and the families we care for.
I’ve had the privilege of working with NHS Supply Chain: Food for the past four years, partnering with Phil Shelley and NHS England to improve food across our NHS hospitals and support the development of chefs within our Trusts.
After meeting Charlotte and hearing Sophie’s story, I knew we could support in the way we know best — through food. Together, we created “More Please”, a colourful, child-friendly cookbook designed to make hospital meals more appealing, while also offering valuable nutritional guidance. We even introduced a playful menu sleeve to brighten up bedside ordering — small touches that can make a big difference to a child’s hospital stay.
This year, we’re proud to be launching the sequel, “Even More Please”, building on what we’ve learned and including some of Sophie’s favourite dishes.
As an ambassador for Sophie’s Legacy, I’m passionate about raising awareness and continuing to drive change so that every child in hospital has access to food that’s not just nutritious, but joyful too.
