Smokers who light up near the entrance to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital will now hear a stark warning from children about the health risks, thanks to an innovative new project led by local charity The Archie Foundation.
A buzzer has been installed next to the main door of the NHS Grampian facility, which when pressed transmits the voices of children asking visitors not to smoke near the hospital door.
As well as English, there are recordings in Doric, reminding smokers that smoke makes the youngsters feel “nae weel” so “please dinna smoke by oor hospital door”.
The other versions include: “Smoke from cigarettes or vapes is not good for our breathing and it makes us feel sick. Let’s keep the air clean for us wee ones nearby.”
A group of eight pupils from P1 to P5 at Meiklemill School in Ellon were involved in creating and recording the phrases, with the help of deputy headteacher Lorna Keith.
Mrs Keith said: “It’s an important part of our teaching in the school to keep traditional Doric alive and we knew the use of local dialect in other projects had proved to be successful, so when we were approached to get involved, we asked the children for the phrases they thought would resonate with people.
“None of the children were native Doric speakers so we worked together to translate their phrases into Doric that would be understood by most people because of the context. They sound great and we hope they will be really effective.”
The project was led by Sarah Pirie, project co-ordinator at The Archie Foundation, with the support of a team including paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Mike Reidy.
Pupils from Meiklemill School pictured with the smoking buzzer at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital
“We are so pleased to see the smoking buzzer installed at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital entrance and it’s now there for anyone to press if they see someone smoking outside,” Sarah said. “We are grateful to our colleagues in NHS estates and also to Aberdeen Alarms, which supplied the system.
“The use of the children’s voices through the speakers is very impactful and will hopefully serve as a reminder that it’s against the law to smoke at the entrance to any hospital in Scotland.”
Mike added: “The harmful effects of secondhand smoke, particularly on children and babies who are visiting the hospital, are well documented and the chemicals spread by vapes are unhealthy too. It has been a pleasure to be part of this project and we hope this will make people think twice before they light up outside the children’s hospital.”
The Archie Foundation has helped children and families across the north of Scotland for 23 years, funding specialist roles and projects at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and, more recently, at Highland Children’s Unit, Tayside Children’s Hospital and Dr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin.
For more information on the financial and emotional support the charity provides to families, visit www.archie.org