“It's magic!”.

The words of youngsters at Huddersfield’s Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice who have received an exciting new package of specialist technology - and a portable mini Magic Carpet.

The carpet, which enables youngsters to play games despite mobility problems, is the first among the 50 children’s hospices throughout Britain.

National charity Lifelites provided the original educational and entertainment technology package when Forget Me Not opened its doors to sick children with life limiting illnesses four years ago and chief executive Simone Enefer-Doy came up from London to unveil the latest state-of-the-art technology, thanks to funding from local Freemasons.

The equipment will enable young people to play, to be creative, control something for themselves and communicate.

The package includes a number of items such as touchscreen PCs, Eyegaze and music packages, assistive mice, and games.

The Magic Carpet helps children escape the confines of their illness by projecting interactive games and images onto the floor so that those with little or no mobility can play simply by moving on or over the picture.

It brings the outside world to them by giving them the chance to splash in the sea, fly a plane or play football with their brothers and sisters, irrespective of their disabilities. And it is portable which means the hospice community team can take the Magic Carpet to the children to use in their own homes.

Forget Me Not Children's Hospice Brackenhall

West Yorkshire Freemasons funded the original package at Forget Me Not with a £20,000 donation and have provided £10,000 towards the latest equipment.

Sharon Burton, Director of Care at the Hospice said: “We are delighted to have received the support from Lifelites with their latest donation of specialist technology at our hospice, Russell House.

“The donated items will offer children we support some great opportunities to play and interact with some amazing, state of the art equipment which we are sure they will thoroughly enjoy.”

Mr Enefer-Doy, said: “We’re so pleased to turn our technological expertise to providing these children with new opportunities. The magical Lifelites package will be used for play, but it will also help them to communicate and join in with the world around them”.

Freemason Roger Newhouse, regional chairman, said “It was truly wonderful to see the reactions on the children’s faces as they interacted with the new “Eyegaze” system . Our donation was only possible thanks to the generosity of the Freemasons of Yorkshire, West Riding, their families and friends.”

Additional support for the package at Forget Me Not came from the Revere Charitable Trust, Khoo Teck Puat, Microsoft and GamesAid.