Peter Pan coins released to commemorate 90 years of supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital

A set of commemorative Peter Pan coins have been released to celebrate the 90th anniversary of JM Barrie gifting his rights in his much-loved story to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

The special collection has been produced by The Westminster Collection in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) to help support the hospital and includes six legal tender Isle of Man 50p coins, each featuring a well-known character and quote from Barrie’s story. The illustrations on the coins were first produced for the 2007 Oxford University Press Edition of Peter Pan and have been donated by David Wyatt for this special collaboration.

To celebrate the coins being launched, an event was held at the Tower Mint on Saturday 8 June, where GOSH patient Olivia had the honour of ‘striking’ the first of 10,000 collectors’ single, silver coins with full colour illustration. Olivia, whose father Elliot works for the Tower Mint, has the rare genetic disorder Williams Syndrome and has been under the care of GOSH since she was 3 years old.

Talking about his daughter striking the first coin, Elliot said: “I was filled with pride seeing Olivia, who was proudly dressed as Tinker Bell, strike the first Peter Pan coin. Olivia’s mum, Stacey, and younger brother, Charlie, were also in attendance and it was a great moment to experience together. For our family to be a part of something that will raise funds to help support other children at GOSH is very special.”

A donation from each set or single Peter Pan 50p sold will go directly to GOSH Charity to help support the hospital’s most urgent needs. These include support services for patients and families like parent accommodation; pioneering research to find treatments for the most complex childhood illnesses; providing advanced equipment and supporting the rebuilding and refurbishment of the hospital to provide state-of-the-art facilities to match the hospital’s world-class care.

Louise Parkes, Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, who attended the striking event at the Tower Mint, said:

“We’re so grateful to The Westminster Collection and the Tower Mint for commemorating the special legacy of JM Barrie’s gift to GOSH. The money raised from the sale of these coins will help to support the seriously ill children and young people who are cared for at GOSH, children just like Olivia, who did such a fantastic job striking the first coin on Saturday.”

To purchase The Peter Pan collection visit The Westminster Collection. To support GOSH Charity in other ways, make a donation now.

Coin design: 
Obverse: Elizabeth II by Jody Clark
Reverse: David Wyatt/Matt Tindall