Teddies get their annual check-up at the Teddy Bear Hospital

University of Melbourne students volunteered to 'treat' more than 2000 teddy bears at the 2024 Chadstone Winter Check-up.

Over 600 University of Melbourne students from various medical and allied health fields, including medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, social work, and dentistry, volunteered at Chadstone on Saturday and Sunday for the annual Chadstone Winter Check-up.

Approximately 2000 children, as well as their parents and guardians, attended, raising a total of $33,000 for the Royal Children's Hospital's Good Friday Appeal.

This year, we held our first sensory hour on the Sunday, which was held at a limited capacity before the shopping centre opened, to provide a quieter hospital experience for children with sensory needs. Many parents expressed gratitude for the sensory hour, with one parent stating that if it had not been provided, their child would not have been able to participate because their child does not perform well in large crowds.