Cheekiemonkies: Singapore Parenting & Lifestyle Blog: A Carnival, Heritage Trail & Theatre Show at a Hospital? That was how Gleneagles celebrated its 60th Birthday! Cheekie Monkies

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How did you spend the last day of the June School Holidays? For Ale and I, we played it up at Gleneagles Hospital's 60th Birthday Carnival!

Organised in support of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, Gleneagles Hospital marked its 60th Anniversary with “Healthy Ever After”, a fairytale-themed carnival, on 30 June 2019.

And if you were one of the lucky ones who managed to snag the free tickets after my previous post (tickets were fully taken up within 15 minutes of posting!), then you will know what an enjoyable experience it was!

Let's be honest here - hospitals are not exactly a fun place to visit. Which is why by organising the fairytale-themed carnival, Gleneagles Hospital hopes to let families experience a fun and light-hearted hospital experience, while letting children gain some medical knowledge through various activities, including a trio of medical activity stations.

At Fast Task, kids were briefed on the importance of quick and responsive medical care should an emergency arises. FUN FACT: Did you know that the average waiting time at Gleneagles Accident & Emergency is only 30 minutes? Every second truly counts when it comes to emergencies!

The kids were also taught how to apply a simple dressing for small wounds.

At Food Plate, , kids were tasked to select some of the foods that they usually consume. A nutritionist was also present to offer tips on how to make their meals more wholesome.

Over at Body Anatomy, kids got to place Tin Man's vital organs in the correct position, rounding up an educational morning espeically for younger kids!

The educational aspect continued in the form of a special theatre show, aptly named Healthy Ever After.

Kids went on a journey with characters from The Wizard of Oz, Wonderland, Princess, The Frog and Humpty Dumpty as they met Doctor G while adventuring through The Gleneagles Forest.

Along the way, they found out how the Tin Man got his new heart beating right again; what the Frog Prince had to do to get his tummy well again; if Humpty Dumpty could be put back together again; and what the White Rabbit did with his friends all sick. SPOILER ALERT! They all had to visit Doctor G at Gleneagles Hospital because the average waiting time at Gleneagles Accident & Emergency is only 30 minutes! 🤣

All in all, it was a fun show with plenty of audience interaction. In fact, the best testimonial probably came from Ale who refused to leave midway through the show because we were running late for another appointment.

And to get us exploring and learning more about the hospital, we also went on a self-guided Heritage Trail within the hospital premises.

Gleneagles Hospital Singapore is the first of the Gleneagles Hospitals globally. It is also the oldest healthcare provider in the Orchard Road area.

Originally a six-storey luxury hotel in the 1950s, the Gleneagles Hotel was later converted for use as a hospital by the British European Association on 16 January 1958. It was later opened to the public on 8 June 1959. Located just opposite the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Gleneagles Hospital Singapore could count on the lush greenery to give patients an ideal healing environment.

Parkway Holdings later acquired Gleneagles Hospital in May 1987 and the hospital has since grown with more than 300 multidisciplinary specialists and healthcare professionals working 24/7 in the hospital.

Yes, we learnt all that through the various trivia stations set up around the hospital. The stations had questions and flip-up covers revealing answers that aided us to complete our stamp cards.

And the reward for completing the trail? An exclusive Gleneagles teddy bear!

Of course, what's a carnival without the mandatory bouncy castle, balloon sculpting and face painting activities?

Ale particularly loved the Bead Art and Terrarium Making stations!

And obviously, there was plenty of FREE FOOD too! 😁

Amid all the fun carnival-like atmosphere, I think the greatest takeaway for Ale - and for other kids who were at the event too - was the deeper understanding of the history behind Gleneeagles Hospital through the Heritage Walk and the medical specialities of the hospital through the various informative activity stations and theatre perfomance.

A big thumbs up to the many hospital staff who had volunteered their own time on a Sunday to make the event a successful one.

Happy Birthday, Gleneagles Hospital! Here's to another 60 years!