Amy O’Shaughnessy

George’s Rockstars

Founder, George’s Rockstars children’s charity

George’s Rockstars was set up in memory of 6 year old Gorgeous George who battled leukaemia from 22 months old. Our mission is to make children in hospital smile through the magic of music therapy.

Since we began after losing George in August 2019, we have grown to provide music therapy for children in hospitals across Hampshire and this year expanding further to Brighton. Many of the children we support, like George, have serious and life limiting/ threatening illnesses or mental health challenges and spend a large proportion of their time in hospital. This can impact them in many ways, from the physical challenges they face due to their condition to missing time with friends and family. For many they have to come to terms with the long term impact their condition will have on their day to day life, or that their condition will be life limiting.

As well as their condition specific challenges, the hospitalisation of children has been shown to have a negative and lasting impact on the motor, cognitive, emotional and social development of the child.

Music therapy uses music to help children and their families live creatively and resourcefully in the face of illness, disability and trauma. It can be used to support children and their families to explore and express their emotions without having to put them into words, to encourage them to engage in activities and support their treatments, to help meet developmental goals, and build positive memories of time in hospital.