A NEW club for children aims to take the fear out of going into the operating theatre.

The pre-admission club at Blackburn Royal Infirmary has already started to reassure children who have to undergo the surgeon's knife.

The group has been running for two months on alternate Saturdays and youngsters have already begun to reap the benefit.

Children booked in for surgery are sent letters three weeks before their operation inviting them to the club.

They are shown around the children's ward and the operating theatre where their surgery will take place.

The club is run on the first and third Saturdays of each month by three nurses.

Nurse Christine Ralph said: "We want to make more parents aware of the club, but it has already been a benefit to children and parents."

The club prepares children for a range of operations affecting the tonsils, adenoids, ears, nose and throat.

The federation of the Ear, Nose and Throat department into Blackburn means children from the Burnley area are also regular patients.

The pre-admission club has already worked wonders for five-year-old Felicity Sowerbutts, of Park Avenue, Clitheroe.

Three weeks before her grommet operation her parents took her to the infirmary for pre-admission advice.

Mum Elizabeth said: "They took her around the ward and explained what would happen before her operation.

"She was also shown a video outlining what would happen.

"The experience was very helpful and she was extremely relaxed afterwards. I was really glad I took her there."

Felicity's grommet operation to repair the hearing loss in one of her ears was a success.

The next club meeting is tomorrow from 10am.

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