What happens when you combine award-winning chocolate, a Golden Ticket, children and young people from across Scotland, and a very special birthday celebration for Bear? You get a truly magical SMS:HUB adventure! This month, children and young people from across Scotland joined us online for The Golden Ticket Chocolate Adventure with Iain Burnett, The Highland Chocolatier. From the comfort of their own homes, our young chocolate detectives explored a world of flavour, creativity and craftsmanship through a very special chocolate tasting experience.
Armed with their tasting packs, participants used all their senses as they sampled a selection of luxurious chocolates and tried to guess the mystery ingredients hidden inside. There were lots of brilliant guesses, surprised faces, and plenty of smiles along the way!
But this HUB was about much more than chocolate.
At Children’s Health Scotland, we know that play is powerful. Play helps children and young people learn new skills, build confidence, connect with others, and support their emotional wellbeing. Through fun experiences like chocolate tasting, young people can practise important self-management skills including communication, observation, mindfulness, decision-making and trying new experiences.
Chocolate tasting encouraged everyone to slow down, pay attention to flavours, textures and smells, and be present in the moment. Taking time to notice and enjoy the little things is a wonderful example of self-care, helping young people develop skills that can support their health and wellbeing every day.
One of the most special parts of the afternoon was knowing that children and young people from communities across Scotland could come together and share the same experience. Whether joining from the Highlands, Islands, cities or rural communities, everyone had the opportunity to be part of something magical.
Creating accessible online opportunities like SMS:HUB means that children and young people living with health conditions can enjoy exciting experiences, make new friends, learn new skills and build confidence, no matter where they live.
One parent told us:
“What an amazing HUB! It really cheered him up after a really difficult time. He was counting down to it really, and he could join from hospital, meaning he wasn’t excluded. Just thank you!”
We would like to say a huge thank you to Iain Burnett and the wonderful team at The Highland Chocolatier for partnering with us to deliver this extra-special experience. Their generosity, enthusiasm and support helped create an unforgettable afternoon for our children and young people, bringing a little bit of chocolate magic into homes across Scotland.
Michelle Wilson, Head of Children’s Services at Children’s Health Scotland, said:
We are incredibly grateful to Iain Burnett and everyone at The Highland Chocolatier for helping us create such a special experience for our children and young people. Opportunities like this allow children from all across Scotland to come together, try something new, build confidence and have fun. We know how important these moments are for wellbeing, and we simply couldn’t create magical experiences like this without the support and generosity of partners such as The Highland Chocolatier. Thank you for helping make this Golden Ticket adventure so memorable.
We would also like to thank The National Lottery Community Fairer Life Chances Fund, The Agnes Hunter Trust and the Hugh Fraser Foundation for supporting our health and wellbeing services. Their funding enables us to continue creating opportunities for children and young people with health conditions to connect, learn, develop self-management skills and, most importantly, have fun.
After all, every child deserves the chance to experience a little bit of magic. 🍫✨🐻
Want to join us on our next adventure?
Want to find out more about our SMS:HUBs and Self-Management Skills (SMS) Programmes for children and young people with health conditions across Scotland?
We’d love to hear from you. To learn more about our activities, upcoming opportunities and how to get involved, please contact the team at sms@childrenshealthscotland.org.
