Santa paid a visit to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) on Wednesday 3rd of December, to officially light the nine-metre Christmas tree in the hospital’s atrium, Main Street.

Santa also led a crowd of RCH patients, siblings and parents in a round of Christmas carols, and posed for photos with children under the tree. He’ll be back at the hospital on Christmas morning to deliver presents to all the children in the hospital.

The striking tree will feature in Main Street for the month of December and was beautifully designed and donated by the team at Kmart, in conjunction with Christmas tree designers Dovecoat.

The tree incorporates native Australian flora and fauna, in keeping with the hospital’s interior design and the names of our patient wards. The tree bursts into song and movement every hour.

Kmart has been donating toys to patients at the RCH through the hospital’s fundraising arm, the RCH Foundation, for almost six years. This year, Kmart has spread Christmas throughout the hospital by supplying over 60 Christmas trees and decorations for wards and family spaces. A team of 70 volunteers from Kmart and Pied Pipers set up the trees last weekend.

Kmart also ensures every patient in the hospital wakes up to a gift at the end of their bed on Christmas morning, and receives another present from Santa.