Sponsoring Sensory

SPONSORING SENSORY ROOM TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S HEALTHCARE IN BIRMINGHAM
Overview
Modern healthcare environments can be overwhelming for children. Bright lights, loud corridors, medical procedures, and unfamiliar spaces can heighten anxiety—especially for children with sensory sensitivities. Sensory rooms are internationally recognised as an important therapeutic resource that help regulate emotions, reduce fear, improve communication, and enhance cooperation during treatment.

To address this concern, we have partnered with

Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham to establish a state-of-the-art sensory room and a mobile sensory unit designed to support young patients with disabilities, autism, sensory processing differences, and developmental delays.

This effort is undertaken to assist transform paediatric care experiences and foster more compassionate, inclusive healthcare.
Key Interventions
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Key Interventions
A fully equipped, calming therapeutic room designed to help children:
  • regulate emotions before procedures
  • manage anxiety and overstimulation
  • feel safe in a hospital environment
  • prepare for medical interventions with greater comfort
The room features structured sensory tools such as interactive lights, tactile objects, calming visual displays, sound and music therapy resources and flexible seating for children of all needs. The space was co-designed with the Trust’s award-winning Play Team to ensure it meets the unique needs of neurodivergent and differently-abled children.
In addition to the fixed room, we funded a mobile sensory unit that can be taken to a child’s bedside.
This ensures access for children who are:
  • experiencing high levels of anxiety
  • unable to move easily due to medical conditions
  • recovering in wards far from the paediatric play area
  • too fragile to leave critical care settings
The Sensory Voyager allows therapeutic play specialists to deliver comfort, emotional regulation, communication support, sensory cues and de-escalation tools directly to the child, wherever they are in the hospital.
The Trust’s Play Team—named Starlight Children’s Foundation “Play Team of the Year 2025”—will use the sensory room and Voyager to help children:
  • cope with hospitalisation
  • understand upcoming procedures
  • overcome fear
  • build trust with medical staff
  • express themselves more easily through sensory experiences
These interventions can improve medical outcomes by reducing trauma, increasing cooperation, and creating emotionally safer care environments.
The project contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-Being) by:
  • supporting children with autism, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and sensory processing challenges
  • creating hospital spaces that promote equity, dignity, and accessibility
  • ensuring every child feels valued and supported during treatment
Impact
Improved Patient Experience
Reduced Anxiety & Enhanced Emotional Regulation
Better Communication & Cooperation
Inclusive Healthcare Spaces
Support for Families
Community Involvement

Improved Patient Experience

Thousands of children—including infants and toddlers—will benefit each year from this safe and calming environment.

Reduced Anxiety & Enhanced Emotional Regulation

Therapeutic sensory tools help children prepare for procedures with greater comfort, reducing stress for both families and healthcare teams.

Better Communication & Cooperation

Children with complex needs often struggle to express themselves. Sensory interventions provide alternative pathways for communication and emotional expression.

Inclusive Healthcare Spaces

The hospital can now better serve children with:
  • autism
  • sensory processing disorders
  • learning disabilities
  • neurological conditions
  • emotional and behavioural challenges

Support for Families

By easing the burden of hospital stress, the sensory room also offers reassurance and emotional support to parents and carers navigating difficult health journeys.

Community Involvement

The Dawoodi Bohra community in the UK continues to champion initiatives that make healthcare more compassionate and accessible. Community members:
  • work closely with hospital representatives
  • support fundraising and awareness
  • participate in medical forums such as the SBMA Conference
  • advocate for paediatric well-being and inclusive care
The announcement of this project at the SBMA Conference 2025 in London also highlighted ongoing collaborations between medical professionals, researchers, and NHS leaders.

2- Comprehensive Nutrition Support & Mother-Child Health Initiatives 

Implementation Partner
Key actions
Consolidated impact

Implementation Partner

ANNADA (Association for Nutrition and Development Action) & ICDS Department

This multi-regional initiative focuses on eradicating malnutrition, improving maternal health, and strengthening community resilience through a combination of fortified nutritional support and intense health education.

Location:

Roha (Raigad District) & Govandi (Mumbai)
Nandurbar (Tribal Areas)
Jiwati Taluka (Chandrapur District)

Implementation Partner

ANNADA (Association for Nutrition and Development Action) & ICDS Department

This multi-regional initiative focuses on eradicating malnutrition, improving maternal health, and strengthening community resilience through a combination of fortified nutritional support and intense health education.

Location:

Roha (Raigad District) & Govandi (Mumbai)
Nandurbar (Tribal Areas)
Jiwati Taluka (Chandrapur District)

Implementation Partner

ANNADA (Association for Nutrition and Development Action) & ICDS Department

This multi-regional initiative focuses on eradicating malnutrition, improving maternal health, and strengthening community resilience through a combination of fortified nutritional support and intense health education.

Location:

Roha (Raigad District) & Govandi (Mumbai)
Nandurbar (Tribal Areas)
Jiwati Taluka (Chandrapur District)
Why This Project Matters
Hospitals can be overwhelming spaces for young patients—especially those with sensory differences. By supporting the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital with a specialised sensory room and mobile unit, Project Rise is enabling a shift from purely clinical care to emotionally supportive, child-centred care.
This initiative reflects Project Rise’s commitment to:
  • bridging gaps in healthcare accessibility
  • addressing the unique needs of vulnerable groups
  • supporting paediatric well-being
  • building environments where every child feels safe, included, and empowered
The project stands as a compassionate investment in the emotional and medical needs of children, transforming not only hospital spaces but also the experiences and futures of young patients and their families.
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