A group of volunteers, all wearing bright red noses, are being trained to become ‘doctor clowns’ with the aim of helping sick children with high doses of fun and laughter.

The 19 new volunteers, who are being trained, will join the current six clowns who form part of the voluntary organisation Dr Klown that is dedicated to providing clown doctor services at Mater Dei Hospital.

The idea is to encourage children not to be afraid of doctors, so the clowns dress up in white lab coats – and some fun props.

“We hope to be able to visit each child at least once a week by summer,” said Dr Klown president Maurice Sleypen adding that all the clowns were dedicated volunteers.

He explained that a group of trainers, from a similar Belgian NGO called Cliniclowns, had come to Malta to provide the training. This included teaching the new clowns artistic tricks like juggling and puppeteering as well as teaching them how to communicate and entertain sick children in a hospital environment.

“All children are so different,” said Mr Sleypen’s wife Christine, who is the vice-president of the NGO. She recalled a case of a sick child who initially looked at the clowns suspiciously but, by the end, was clapping at them and enjoying the show.