We take a look back at the NHLI's first ever bring your child to work day in October, which featured a host of fun educational activities.

In recent years school pupils have become a more common sight at Imperial with the various outreach initiatives and events that the College puts on; but it’s a rare for an entire department to be given over to the younger generation for a whole day.

That’s what happened on 28 October, as the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), hosted its first ever ‘Bring Your Child to Work Day’.

Over 60 children and their parents, all staff and students of NHLI, arrived at the Hammersmith and Royal Brompton Campuses for a morning of activities including craft workshops, scientific demonstrations and games.

After lunch the troupe descended on South Kensington, with the youngest children taking a trip round the Science Museum, 5–12 year-olds taking part in activities at the Wohl Reach Out Lab and the older guests visiting undergraduate teaching laboratories.

Several smoking pumpkins, lung biscuits and sputum smoothies later, everyone gathered at the Queen’s Tower Rooms for a Halloween Tea Party, for which Provost James Stirling was guest of honour.

“There was a real buzz to the event, it was clear to me that the children and their parents had enjoyed a great day. The feedback was extremely positive and I hope that it will grow to become a feature of other departments across the College,” said Professor Stirling.

The event came together thanks to the dedication of an NHLI organisational team composed of over 40 postgradaute students, postdocs, administrators, technicians and academics.

Professor Clare Lloyd (NHLI), Institute Lead for Women, says: ‘We are delighted that it was such a success and to have been able to show that staff and students at NHLI can combine a successful career at Imperial with having a family.

Clare notes that feedback from staff and students and their children was positive, with some of the comments shown below.

• I enjoyed it, and Chanel - who traumatised me by talking about it all the way home and most of this morning as if I hadn't been there as well - clearly enjoyed the day. She diagnosed a man with a cough on the bus last night with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (thankfully said quietly enough that only I could hear!).
• It was a brilliant day, thank you so much for organising. The Reach Out Lab experiments were perfect, and have been recounted in detail at home and by phone. You can also add that the next generation of scientists has been inspired – my 8 year old daughter provided statements that left me speechless last night!
• I thought all of the activities were very imaginative and enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed painting the hearts on our hands and decorating the biscuits like lungs. The sputum activity was a little gross, and I was put off tasting the fake samples, although they were apparently very tasty!