M. Barrie the copyright to Peter Pan in 1929, which has provided significant funding for the institution.HistoryAfter a long campaign by Dr Charles West, the Hospital for Sick Children was founded on 14 February 1852 and was the first hospital providing in-patient beds specifically for children in England. Despite opening with just 10 beds, it grew into one of the world's leading children's hospitals through the patronage of Queen Victoria, counting Charles Dickens, a personal friend of Dr West, the Chief Physician, as one of its first fundraisers. The Nurses League was formed in February 1937.Audrey Callaghan, wife of James Callaghan (prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979), served the hospital as Chairman of the Board of Governors from 1968 to 1972 and then as Chairman of the Special Trustees from 1983 until her final retirement in 1990.
