YouTube star DanTDM donates over £300,000 to fund gaming equipment for kids at GOSH

The donation by the leading gamer will fund 120 medical-grade gaming carts from TheRockinR Gaming Charity.

These mobile carts transport gaming equipment in hospitals, making gaming accessible to all children as they undergo treatment for rare and complex diseases.

For children and young people at GOSH who can’t visit one of the hospital’s play rooms due to their condition, the RockinR carts alleviate any infection control concerns and mean patients in isolation can also enjoy the benefits of gaming.

The carts will be accessible in every inpatient ward and outpatient department, the hospital school and weekend volunteering club, and will help us continue to ensure seriously ill children at GOSH have the best childhood possible.

Staying in hospital away from family and friends can be an isolating time for children, but the dedicated staff at GOSH work to make the hospital environment a home-from-home as much as possible. This includes providing patients with opportunities to have fun and experience relief from the seriousness of their condition.

Gaming is just one of the activities facilitated by the hospital’s Play team, which is fully funded by GOSH Charity. The team of around 50 Play Workers and Play Specialists help bring fun into the hospital while easing patients’ fears and concerns about their treatment.

The new gaming carts funded by DanTDM will allow the Play team to bring digital play to the bedsides of patients, so they can enjoy gaming in a safe way while in hospital.

DanTDM has been a passionate charity supporter for a number of years and has championed various initiatives for children’s causes.

As well as sponsored streaming events, Dan has met many families through his fundraising activities, including those treated at GOSH. Creating memorable moments for children and young people going through some of the toughest experiences of their lives is central to Dan’s mission and a reason he continues to create content.

“Having worked with GOSH on and off across the years, to be able to make such a meaningful financial gift to them in an area that is very close to my heart means so much,” he says.

“Gaming has brought me a huge global community of wonderful people who look out for one another and have fun together. Being young and in hospital shouldn’t stop you having access to that community, if anything it becomes more important and I'm extremely proud to be able to help GOSH in any way I can.”

To celebrate his incredible donation, DanTDM visited the hospital to see the RockinR carts in action on Leopard ward.

He met DanTDM fan Josh, aged 12, who has been under the care of GOSH since he was a couple of days old, receiving treatment for cystic fibrosis. “I can’t believe I played FIFA with someone who has 29 million followers on YouTube! It’s definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done,” Josh says of the visit.

Gaming has been really important to Josh both in and out of his hospital experience. Not only did it provide a welcome distraction whilst at GOSH, but it’s also been key to ensuring he can keep up with his friends when they play their favourite games together, FIFA, Fortnite and Minecraft.

Josh’s mum, Becky says: “Gaming has really helped Josh throughout his hospital experience, and has been invaluable in making the time go quicker. While at GOSH, he’s socially isolated from his school friends so being able to stay connected is so important.

“It was really exciting to meet DanTDM – it's really kind of him to take the time to come and meet us in person. We feel very privileged to have access to this new equipment; it will make a real difference to children, like Josh, who are isolated whilst undergoing treatment in hospital.

“It’s things like this that make GOSH the magical place it is. We feel very lucky to be in a hospital that’s world-renowned and that does so much for families and children.”

Aoife Regan, GOSH Charity’s Director of Impact and Charitable Programmes, says the donation will have a huge impact for hundreds of thousands of seriously ill children who are treated at GOSH.

“We’re so grateful to DanTDM for taking the time to visit the hospital to meet some of the patients and spend time gaming with them, and I’d like to say a huge thank you for his incredibly generous donation from which we’ve been able to buy a special gaming cart for every ward at the hospital,” she says.

“Gaming can help children and young people to express themselves, to get away from the difficult challenges of a long-term illness and to continue to experience childhood, even when they’re in hospital.”