No new school blues for Freddie
Thursday, October 30th, 2025
Meet Freddie, the one hundredth young person to be helped through our BubbleBuster Project! He was due to start a new school when a diagnosis of leukaemia meant that he was facing lengthy spells at hospital and at home.
By nature he’s a very sociable and active boy with a large circle of friends. His mother was worried that he would feel very isolated and left behind both socially and educationally, so she contacted us about the loan of a BubbleBuster AV1, a friendly little robot that could sit at his desk at school when he wasn’t able to be there. It became his eyes, ears and voice in the classroom and, by controlling it remotely through a tablet computer at home or in hospital, he could talk, learn and interact with his friends.
The new school were very supportive, and his robot has since provided a vital connection with friends and classmates, as well as keeping his studies on track. His friends were excited to help take his robot from class to class in its backpack, and they promised not to get it into detention!
The benefits of the BubbleBuster Project extend beyond the young person being helped. Many parents, faced with the challenge of their child’s diagnosis and treatment, also face the prospect of their child no longer able to learn and play with their friends when they need them most. Being able to provide that reconnection plays a huge part in supporting the mental well-being of the whole family.
A big thank you as well to Freddie and his family for sharing the positives of the project – while Freddie’s mother was in hospital with him, she met the mother of another young person receiving treatment – and as a result we were happy to help with the loan of an AV1 to that family too!
Since the BubbleBusters Project started in 2020 we’ve connected over 100 families with schools across the UK, and we look forward to our little loan robots, made by No Isolation, being reused again and again to help many more pupils in the future.
Find out more about our BubbleBusters Project here, and become a regular giver to help us support more children with technology here.
Image above: Freddie with his AV1 BubbleBuster robot that’s sporting his new school tie