The Hummingbird Project

We recently visited St Philip’s CE Primary School in Atherton to bring the Hummingbird Project to Year 5 pupils.

St Philip’s was a particularly fitting school to visit, as its values focus strongly on kindness and compassion, which align closely with the aims of the six-week Hummingbird Project.

During the visit, Project Manager Ian Platt led one Year 5 class, while sessional facilitator Lucy Platt worked with another. Ian’s class explored their own character strengths using the Hummingbird set of strength cards. Understanding these strengths can help children feel good about themselves and draw on their inner resources when life feels difficult.

The pupils also took part in the Hula Hoop challenge, where they had to hold hands and pass a hoop around the circle without letting go. This inspired a discussion about perseverance and teamwork, before the children filled in their “resilient glow worms” in their workbooks with ideas about how to bounce back when things get tough.

In Lucy’s class, pupils were taking part in mindfulness meditation and thinking hopefully about the future, writing down some of the things they would like to do and achieve.

It was wonderful to see pupils engaging so warmly with the activities, supporting one another and reflecting on the skills they can use in everyday life.

We were delighted to attend the : Our Future, Our Voice at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester today, an inspiring event centred around children’s voices and experiences.

Speakers included Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Dame Rachel de Souza, Children's Commissioner for England. Both spoke powerfully about the importance of listening to young people on issues affecting them, including AI, online safety and democracy. The event was accompanied by delightful performances from Oldham Youth Choir (pictured below).

Caroline Simpson shared examples of local initiatives shaped by children's voices, including , (https://beewellprogramme.org/) and Our Pass (https://ourpass.co.uk/), which offers free travel to 16-18s in Greater Manchester. The latest findings show that hope and optimism among young people in Greater Manchester has risen since the pandemic, but recognises that significant challenges and inequalities remain.

This really resonated with our work through The Hummingbird Project. In the Hummingbird sessions, pupils explore themes including gratitude, kindness, resilience, character strengths, growth mindsets, hope and optimism. Our evaluation shows especially strong improvements in pupils’ levels of hope (measured using the Children's Hope Scale) after taking part.

Dame Rachel de Souza spoke about the launch of , her new national survey asking young people what it's like to grow up in England today and what they want childhood to look like in the future. She hopes to hear from one million children. The survey is open here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-future/

One of the key themes was human connection. Dame Rachel noted that in previous research, one of children's biggest worries was having friends. In a world where so much of life is now viewed through screens, the need for human relationships feels more important than ever.

She also mentioned democracy and young people’s readiness to take part. With plans to lower the voting age to 16 before the next general election, many young people could be eligible to vote for the first time, yet polling shows high levels of uncertainty about whether they would vote or how they would decide.

The most moving part of the event was hearing from two of the Children’s Commissioner’s young ambassadors. Both were extraordinary speakers. Annabel, 17, spoke about losing her leg to osteosarcoma as a teenager, undergoing extensive medical treatment, and going on to play football for England in the Women’s Amputee World Cup in Colombia.

Tamar, 19, spoke about experiencing instability as a child, being moved between foster homes and not feeling heard. She now uses her voice to speak up for care-experienced children, while also studying at Oxford University.

Their stories were reminders that young people are not simply “beneficiaries” of services, but leaders, advocates, and agents of change.

We’re proud to share some recent feedback from teachers at Brandwood Primary School in Bolton, following delivery of the Hummingbird Project by Abieyuwa Sonia.

What really stands out is not just that pupils enjoy the sessions, but that they are using what they’ve learned in real life:

“Some of the children have been using this to cope with SATs.”

“They now have a tool kit we can refer to throughout this important year for them.”

Teachers also highlighted how pupils are developing practical skills to support their wellbeing:

“Strategies to calm… opportunity to reflect.”
“Breathing techniques, teamwork, positive thoughts… what it means to be happy.”

This is exactly what the Hummingbird Project is designed to do: equip children with simple, evidence-based tools they can carry with them beyond the classroom.

Demand for the programme continues to grow as schools recognise the value of early, preventative support for children’s mental health. We are hugely grateful to all our current funders and supporters who make this work possible.

We are also keen to connect with organisations and partners who share our commitment to improving children’s wellbeing. There are exciting opportunities to work together to expand the reach of the Hummingbird Project and support even more young people in Bolton and beyond.

If you’d like to find out more, we’d love to hear from you.

Our two fantastic MedEquip4Kids runners, Christine Cornock and Ed Banham-Hall, reflect on their experiences of the TCS London Marathon 2026.

https://www.medequip4kids.org.uk/2026/04/29/tcs-london-marathon-2026/

And... our fabulous MedEquip4Kids colleague, Christine Cornock, has just completed the TCS London Marathon 2026, finishing at 15.06.17 in a time of 04.46.17.

Huge congratulations and well done to Christine, who has raised nearly £1,500 to fund vital medical equipment and facilities for hospitals and special schools, helping to give every child the best start in life.

And... he's finished! Our runner Dr Edward Banham-Hall completed the TCS London Marathon 2026 at 13.28.08, in a time of 03.31.47. What an amazing achievement - congratulations Ed!

Ed has raised over £2,000 in sponsorship to support young people's mental health in schools through the Hummingbird Project. We are so grateful for his fantastic support.

This Sunday, two amazing supporters of MedEquip4Kids will be taking on the 2026 TCS London Marathon, and we want to wish them the very best of luck.

A huge thank you to Dr Edward Banham-Hall who is running to raise funds for the Hummingbird Project, helping us support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing in schools.

We’re also incredibly grateful to our colleague Christine Cornock, who is running to raise funds for vital medical equipment and enhanced facilities in hospitals, as well as resources for CAMHS, to improve children’s health.

Training for a marathon is a huge commitment, and fundraising alongside it is an extraordinary achievement. We are so thankful for all the time, energy and determination Ed and Christine have given to support children through MedEquip4Kids.

We’d also like to say a big thank you to Gail Armstrong, who raised an amazing amount for MedEquip4Kids before injury sadly forced her to withdraw from this year’s event. We’re so grateful for her support.

Together, their efforts will make a real difference, helping us support children’s mental health and wellbeing through the Hummingbird Project and provide vital medical equipment to improve children’s health.

Please join us in cheering them on this Sunday and, if you can, sponsoring them for this incredible challenge:

Ed Banham-Hall: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/edward-banham-hall

Christine Cornock: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/christine-cornock

Good luck, Ed and Christine!

To end the week on a positive note, we've got some lovely posters from St Mary's Deane Primary School and Clarendon Primary School, both in Bolton, where Abieyuwa Sonia Ebenezer-bamigbayan recently delivered the six-week Hummingbird course. As you can see, the pupils really enjoyed Sonia's visit and learned a lot about ways to feel happier.😊

Examples of feedback include:

“We are so happy Mrs Sonia chose Clarendon Primary School.”
“Hummingbird project is an excellent way to feel happier for you and your mental health.”
“It is important to look after yourself and your mental wellbeing because I learnt that feeling happy is very very important so Hummingbird project is perfect.”
“Sometimes you can do the most tiny things and it will make a big difference.”
“The Hummingbird Project does many creative things such as the hula hoop challenge and making cards. It makes me feel mindful and calm even happy.”
“I can improve my calmness a lot!”
“We have been learning about the fabulous things that make us calm.”

Great news - our London Marathon runner Dr Edward Banham-Hall has already beaten his fundraising target of £1,200, raising a fantastic £1,445 to support children's mental health, which is a really impressive achievement in such a short time. Thanks so much to everyone who has sponsored Ed. There's still a month to go before the run, so please do consider supporting him if you haven't already:

Edward's page I was offered a London Marathon place late after another runner unfortunately had to withdraw due to injury. With the race just around the corner on 26 April, I have decided to step in and take on the