The Rays of Sunshine and Bacta collaboration to make wishes come true for young children struck by illness was given a powerful endorsement by a 5-year old girl with a rare blood condition. A visit to West Midlands Safari Park showed just how impactful the charity programme is as Rays of Sunshine’s Rhea Dickman explained to Coinslot.
Rays of Sunshine was delighted to be able to grant Arrianne’s wish to get up close to all her favourite creatures, with a visit to West Midlands Safari Park.
5-year-old Arrianne is, in her mum Hannah’s words, “incredibly happy all of the time,” with “a real thirst for knowledge.”
Hospitals and treatment have been constant parts of Arrianne’s world. Arrianne was diagnosed with sideroblastic anaemia – a rare blood condition – as a baby. Last year, Arrianne had a bone marrow transplant. Even through the incredibly hard recovery, her spirit never dimmed.
When Rays of Sunshine began talking with her family, it didn’t take long for Arrianne to settle on a wish. Whenever they talked through ideas, one theme kept returning.
Animals have always been one of Arrianne’s greatest loves. The family made special trips when they could, including visits to London Zoo and the Natural History Museum, carefully planned around quiet periods so ensure Arrianne was kept away from any potential threats to her health. And when they couldn’t do that, Arrianne still found comfort watching the slice of nature she could see from her hospital window or walks along the canal or in Hyde Park.
With the help of Arrianne’s wish granter, her wish to visit West Midlands Safari Park was planned.
From the moment they arrived, the experience was full of joy. They enjoyed a drive through the safari park, where Arrianne was blown away by how close the animals were to the car. “Seeing the animals up close, watching them move and play, was everything she had hoped for,” Hannah recalls.
Staying at the Tiger Lodge meant the family had a view straight into the tiger enclosure, and in the morning they spent hours watching the tigers wake up.
Arrianne also loved the park’s birds, especially when they were extra friendly and landed on her head while she was feeding them. And she laughed at the bats swooping overhead and wanted to go back and see them again and again.
For a little girl whose early memories were shaped so heavily by hospitals, treatment and long periods of isolation, the wish gave her something else to hold onto: joyful memories outside of illness.
Hannah reflects that it was “just nice to put a different, happier sort of memory into her head,” and to have something bright to sit alongside the more difficult parts of the past year. “It was just nice to be the three of us and make those memories together,” Hannah says.
Rhea Dickman, Senior Major Gifts and Partnerships Executive, said: “Wishes like Arrianne’s are only possible thanks to the support we receive from our partners like Bacta.
“We are so grateful to every Bacta member who has passionately helped us to grant magical wishes for seriously and terminally ill children since the start of our partnership.”
Rays of Sunshine cannot grant magical wishes for seriously ill children like Arrianne without the support of its partners. If you’d like to sponsor a wish, please get in touch with our partnerships team:
Originally published on Coinslot on June 8, 2026. Republished with permission.