Yahoo News Grand National winners greet children at Alder Hey as 35th runner named
An Alder Hey worker received the honour of being named 35th runner in the 2024 Randox Grand National.
Amanda Walker, a play specialist in the Accident and Emergency department at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, was given the honour for this year's big race at Aintree.
A ceremony was held at the hospital on Friday and although Amanda couldn't attend herself, several jockeys were present including Mick Fitzgerald, who won the National on board Rough Quest in 1996. Neptune Collonges, who won the 2012 renewal was also on hand to greet children while soprano Laura Wright sang Disney songs.
READ NEXT: Grand National 2024 sweepstake kit to print for free for the big race
READ NEXT: Ladies Day 2024 live - best dressed pictures and race updates
Amanda has been a play specialist at Alder Hey for the last nine years. Amanda’s career had always revolved around the care of children, including working as a nursery nurse, a nanny, and in a school where she looked after a boy with arthritis.
As well as making the patients feel comfortable using hi-tech equipment, such as iPads and VR headsets, or some of the other age-appropriate toys available, it's her role to prep patients if they need further treatment, like a scan or a blood test. In this instance, Amanda will use prep dolls, example medical equipment and even create storyboards to demonstrate to the patients the step-by-step process of their treatment, in order to relax and reassure them.
Explaining the passion she holds for her role, Amanda said: "I love the job because you’re always a friend to someone. You can see a child who comes in so scared, and they can leave so relieved and happy, and being a part of that is great. When we’re speaking to the patients and their families, everyone is so worried and they don’t know what’s going to happen next, so to be able to make their experience a bit more pleasurable and make them feel a bit more reassured is what this job is all about."
Along with other members of the play specialist department at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Amanda will be representing Alder Hey at this year’s Grand National Festival as guests of The Jockey Club, who are again helping to highlight the vital work of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
On her day out to Aintree, Amanda said: “I’ve got my hat ready! I’m very excited to be attending and am really looking forward to it, as well as being very proud to represent Alder Hey. A big thank you to Jockey Club for the opportunity, and for the support they’ve shown us throughout the years.”
The Jockey Club first created the honorary runner berth for the Randox Grand National in April 2017 for five-year-old Neuroblastoma campaigner Bradley Lowery, who sadly died three months later.
In 2018, the honorary place was given to three-year-old Edie Molyneux, who suffered from a rare brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). "Spider-Ede" - as she was affectionately known due to her love of Spiderman - tragically died in October of 2018.
Alder Hey Children's Charity was given the honorary berth in 2019 and the race did not take place in 2020, due to COVID-19.
Liverpool teenager Lydia Barker was named as the honorary runner in 2021. The then-19-year-old struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for years but studied to be a paediatric nurse and was looking forward to a career helping other young people with mental health issues.
Last year’s honorary runner berth went to Betty Batt, a then four-year-old girl who was born weighing just 650 grams and spent the first 13 months of her life in hospital.
Aintree Racecourse’s 22-year association with Alder Hey is further reinforced with the final race on Ladies Day being run as the Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle. Additionally, Aintree Racecourse has handed out 110 complimentary tickets to Alder Hey for each day of the Randox Grand National Festival.
Get Grand National updates straight to your phone by joining our new WhatsApp community
