Plans for an aquarium revealed at Children’s Hospital as part of new entrance

Birmingham Children’s Hospital has unveiled plans for a 2,200-litre aquarium which will be housed in its new main entrance.

The charity’s £3m It Starts Here Appeal to transform the whole front entrance of the hospital has successfully reached the £2.5m milestone, paving the way for it to start share its exciting vision for the interior.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity launched the appeal in summer last year. Last updated nearly three decades ago, the hospital’s existing main entrance is cramped, dull and unwelcoming and doesn’t reflect the world-class care that takes place beyond it.

The hospital lacks communal areas where patients and families can take much needed breaks from wards and clinical spaces.

The entrance will become the new heart of the hospital, transforming the existing walkway into a welcoming, child-friendly, open and bright community space which reduces the fear and anxiety of patients and reflects the needs of everyone who uses it.

With only £500,000 left to raise, the hospital project team has been busy working on plans for the interior design.

With input from patients, families and staff, the team has proposed a number of themed areas for the entrance based on the natural world, including mountains, safari, rainforest and deep sea.   

At the centre of the deep sea area will sit the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the new entrance – the 2,200-litre aquarium.

This impressive 4m x 2.2m tank will be filled with approximately 61 fish species and over 300 fish.

Mark Brider, CEO of Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’ve been blown away by the support our It Starts Here Appeal has received so far, which has helped us reach the brilliant milestone of £2.5m raised. Our incredible vision for our front entrance will soon become a reality.

 “When we started on this journey, one of our key objectives was to make our patients feel less anxious about visiting our hospital.

“We wanted to transport them from a place of worry and fear, into a world of wonder, filled with awe-inspiring features that take their mind off what’s ahead.

“That’s exactly what our new entrance, aquarium and other exciting plans will do. We’re so excited.” 

More details and plans for the main entrance will be revealed as the appeal and project progresses.

To find out more about the It Starts Here Appeal, or to donate, please visit the website.

Pictured: A CGI of the proposed aquarium at BCH. Credit - Design Buro