Play at Julia’s House is about helping children reach their potential | Julia's House

September 2nd, 2026

Walk into one of our playrooms and you might find a teenager racing a remote controlled car with a surprising dexterity given the lightest touch of their hand, a toddler rolling around to squash fish swimming across the floor, or a child selecting farmyard animals with their eyes. At Julia’s House, play sits alongside our clinical care as a core part of how every child develops. We spoke to Ashley Dickinson, a Senior Care Team Member and our Lifelites Champion, about the equipment and ideas-for-play that help children at Julia’s House make the most of every day.

Tell us about your role at Julia’s House.

I’ve been part of the Care Team at our Dorset hospice for 16 years, working both at the hospice and out in the community, visiting families. My days are a real mix, from ordering hot meals for families to checking our stocks of NHS supplies and electrical equipment, literally from syringes to hair dryers. I’m also the Lifelites Champion, which means I get to research and trial the latest toys and technology. How can that not be the best job in the world?

What is Lifelites, for those who haven’t heard of it?

Lifelites is an award-winning charity that provides assistive and sensory technology to children’s hospices across the UK and Ireland, entirely funded by donations. They supply and maintain cutting-edge equipment, like Eyegaze systems and adapted games, that let children with life-shortening conditions play, communicate and connect in ways they might otherwise not be able to.

Can you give us some examples of the equipment in action?

One of my favourites is our magic carpet, an interactive floor projection on the walls and floor. We choose what appears on it; rippling water, fish swimming by, a football pitch with goals at either end. Children can roll around to touch a fish, helping build up mobility, or wheel their chair right through the centre.

Ashley using super-sensitive switches to bake with Alex so he can use the food mixer

Teenagers love our VR system and the latest PlayStation and Xbox games, played through oversized buttons rather than a conventional joystick. They get so good. I don’t stand a chance against them on FIFA! We’ve also got an igloo we can inflate anywhere, wrapped in a favourite theme with lights and music, big enough to wheel a chair straight into. It’s already been outer space, a castle and a fire station.

The switches are large, super sensitive buttons that respond to the lightest touch, whether that’s a hand, a foot, or barely any movement at all. Children steer remote controlled cars with them - and love to crash them into my feet - or guide Thomas the Tank Engine through paint to draw patterns, or control a hairdryer to blow, bake or move things. For a child with limited muscle control, that’s often their first experience of cause and effect; and the impact on them and their family can be profound.

Why does independence matter so much?

It’s amazing to see a child realise they’re doing something for themselves, and that sense of independence carries into other parts of their lives. Working closely with the wider nursing team and our play workers, I help identify the toys and equipment best suited to the individual children’s needs so they can all join in the fun. We build a bespoke play plan for every child, run in tandem with their care plan, to help each child and teenager reach their full potential. Children with cerebral palsy for example, can use just a foot or a hand, exerting the slightest touch to make something happen that delights them.

What about for the children who are non-verbal?

This is where it becomes so much more than play. Switches and Eyegaze technology can be the beginnings of a whole new form of communication. With Eyegaze, a child tracks and selects things on a screen with just their eyes, choosing which animal or game they want, often expressing a preference on their own for the first time. Making play a means of interpreting individual choice.

Tell us about Food Explorers.

It’s one of our sessions for children who find food textures difficult, whether that’s a sensitivity to touch, or not having been fed a particular food by mouth. We build up gradually: touching jelly with bugs hidden inside, feeling different textures with hands, lips or feet, having fun and sharing experiences with other children, but always in an environment where each child feels safe and secure. Over time, we see children grow braver, and all that information is shared with parents, giving them ideas and the confidence to try new things at home.

Olivia painting with Ashley at the hospice

Do you have a memory that’s stayed with you?

Many, but one that stands out was a teenage boy with autism. Interacting with another teenager side by side was never going to work, but by using our gaming set up, we could move his wheelchair to a screen at one end of our cinema room and position another teenager on a screen at the opposite end, both playing the same game, but facing away from each other. Because he felt safe, he was happy to chat through the game and came back wanting to play again. Their parents got chatting too, and the two boys have gone on to play against each other from home. They formed a friendship, on their terms.

How does play therapy help the parents, not just the children?

Our play sessions ease stress on the parents too. They can see their child getting thoughtful, rounded care, and that lifts the pressure. It also gives them ideas for play they might never have tried at home, with our team on hand to help guide them if needed. Families often tell us they no longer feel like they’re figuring it out alone. We also support in getting the right equipment for their child, like specially moulded seats or developmental toys.

What’s next for you and for play at Julia’s House?

Equipment has come on so much, even in the years I’ve been here. What started as an Eyegaze system fixed to a screen can now go anywhere, we've taken cameras and switches outdoors, into the garden, on trips. Lifelites keep us up to date with what's coming, and I'm always hunting for fresh ideas, whether that's an adapted spoon for a child learning to feed themselves, or a gripper that makes turning something a little easier. There's always a next thing to try, and that's what keeps this job exciting, a new way to help a child discover they can do something entirely on their own.