A reformed scrooge paid a visited to Queen’s Hospital to deliver presents to poorly children in our Emergency Department.

Daniel Curnock, 32, is a lawyer from Leigh-on-Sea. His brother Matt, 30, one of our doctors, last year decided to challenge Daniel’s scrooge-like attitude during the festive season by getting him to hand out presents to children in hospital.

It worked a treat and this year, for his second visit to the hospital, Daniel donned a full elf outfit – much to the delight of the young patients.

The brothers visited our Paediatrics Emergency Department to deliver the gifts on Friday 23 December. They paid for the brand new toys themselves, with some additional toys donated by Daniel’s clients.

He said: “I wasn’t that into Christmas but when it comes to kids lying there not feeling well it’s different. It’s really rewarding and is something I can do to make the festive season that bit better for them and their parents, especially when they might be in hospital at Christmas.”

Among the children receiving gifts was six-year-old Joe Cross, of Basedale Road, Dagenham, who had injured his foot falling down the stairs at home.

Pictured is Paediatric Emergency Department lead nurse Preetee Ludhor, Joe Cross and Daniel Curnock.