Nottingham Rugby player supports appeal for play equipment at Nottingham Children’s Hospital
Posted on: 13 Oct 2025
To mark Play in Healthcare Week (13 to 18 October 2025), a Nottingham Rugby player is backing our fundraising appeal to provide more play equipment for children spending time in hospital.
Jacob Wright is best known as a flanker for Nottingham Rugby, having played for the club since he was a teenager in their academy – but many of his fans may not know the health difficulties he faced as a young child.
Jacob, now aged 26, was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of four, and was treated at Nottingham Children’s Hospital for the rest of his childhood and teen years.
He’s now supporting our Big Appeal, to raise money for Nottingham Children’s Hospital and help other children like him during their time in hospital.
Jacob explained: “I remember being in and out of hospital all the time, but I didn’t really know why. I didn’t realise quite how poorly I was, though my parents tell me I was really poorly.
“I remember the ward pretty well, I was sometimes in a bay with other children, and sometimes in a side room. And I remember my parents having to sleep on a bed next to me. I was lucky as my mum worked at the hospital so she could be around for me. It was tough for my parents and my sister, who’s four years older than me, but we had a lot of support from extended family.”
Jacob was cared for on children’s cancer ward E38 (now ward E39). He underwent chemotherapy, and spent much of his time in hospital between the ages of four and eight, with regular visits continuing until he was 18.
As part of the Big Appeal, Jacob is championing the need for more play equipment on the wards at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, which the appeal will help to fund.
Jacob explained: “The thing I remember the most is the playroom on the ward. There was a Nintendo in there, and when my sister came to visit we would go in there and play on a Mario game.
“The playroom was such an important place for me. It’s a place where I could just feel like a normal child again. I spent so much time in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines, but going to the playroom allowed me to be a normal child again for a while. It even gave me the chance to make friends, which I couldn’t do at school when I was in hospital so much.”
Despite the challenges he faced as a child, Jacob is extremely grateful for the care he received at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, and even credits his illness as one of the reasons he became a professional rugby player.
He said: “My leukaemia is actually one of the reasons I got into rugby – I didn’t get the chance to make friends and have fun at school like other children, so once I was feeling better my dad took me to lots of different sports clubs to see what I enjoyed, and help me make friends.
“I found that I was pretty good at rugby, and I made lots of new friends. Our team was pretty good and we stayed playing together throughout the years.”
This is the first time Jacob has spoken publicly about his experiences as a child. He’s chosen to share his story now, in the hope of encouraging fans and people across the local community to support the Big Appeal and help other children like him during their time in hospital.
Nigel Gregory, Chief Executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “We’re so grateful to Jacob for supporting our appeal to bring play to children in hospital. As a club, Nottingham Rugby have already worked closely with Nottingham Hospitals Charity over the years to provide toys and gifts for young patients at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, for which we are extremely thankful.
“We’re honoured that Jacob has now chosen to share his own, very personal story, in order to help raise money for other children and families like his own, who find themselves spending time on the wards at Nottingham Children’s Hospital.
“No child wants to be in a hospital bed, but through the Big Appeal, we want to make sure every child in Nottingham Children’s Hospital has access to toys, games and activities that will add some cheer to their time here.”