Get Well Gifts

Get well gifts work best when they ask nothing of the person. Something to look at from the sofa, not something to do.

One practical rule: go easy on scent. Treatment changes how things smell, and a strong candle can be genuinely miserable when you're unwell.

Pair anything here with a get well soon card that has an actual sentence in it rather than just your name.

Shop get well gifts

Prints, coasters, pin badges and cards — small enough for a bedside table, funny enough to be worth the space.

An A4 Certificate of Bravery with a lion's mane illustration and blank spaces for name, deed, date, and signature. A4 Certificate Of Bravery £3.00 Newcastle United coaster of St James' Park Newcastle United coaster of St James' Park £5.00 Brentford FC drinks coaster of Brentford Community Stadium Brentford FC drinks coaster of Brentford Community Stadium £5.00 Opulence 250g Scented Soy Candle Opulence 250g Scented Soy Candle £30.00 I Am Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) I Am Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) £7.99 I Am Always Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) I Am Always Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) £7.99

Shop cheer up gifts

Get well gift ideas

  • A print for the wall opposite the bed.
  • Coasters for the endless cups of tea.
  • A pin badge that treats them as themselves, not as a patient.
  • A card now, and another one in three weeks.
  • Something to read rather than something to do.
  • A certificate for surviving the ward food.

What to avoid

  • Heavy scent during treatment.
  • Food they've no appetite for.
  • Anything with a task or a deadline attached.
  • Advice dressed up as a gift book.
  • Flowers on a ward — most UK hospitals still won't take them.
  • A gift so big they feel they owe you a thank-you letter.

What to spend

  • £5–£10 is plenty. Cheer-up gifts work on timing, not on price.
  • Two small things a fortnight apart beat one big parcel.
  • Anything over £30 starts to feel like an obligation to reply.
  • A card on its own is a real gift, not a cop-out.
  • Group chipping in? £3–£5 a head and one card everybody signs.
  • Spend the effort on the message, not the object.

Funny candles

Hand-poured in the UK, with a line on the label that does the talking.

Opulence 250g Scented Soy Candle Opulence 250g Scented Soy Candle £30.00 Glittery pastel mushroom shaped candles handmade in soy wax Glittery Mushroom Shaped Candles £10.00 Handmade soy wax ghost candle wearing a small orange pumpkin hat Ghost Candle with Pumpkin Hat £7.00 Three handmade soy wax pumpkin shaped candles in different sizes Large Pumpkin Shaped Candles £7.00 Group of handmade white soy wax ghost candles for Halloween Ghost Candles - Halloween Candles £6.00 Apple pie mini scented candle with a warm spiced apple fragrance Apple Pie Mini Scented Candle £12.00

Coasters and desk pieces

Small, funny, and in front of them every day.

Newcastle United coaster of St James' Park Newcastle United coaster of St James' Park £5.00 Brentford FC drinks coaster of Brentford Community Stadium Brentford FC drinks coaster of Brentford Community Stadium £5.00 Derby County Pride Park coaster Derby County Pride Park coaster £5.00 Tranmere Rovers FC coaster of Prenton Park Tranmere Rovers FC coaster of Prenton Park £5.00 Aston Villa Coaster of Villa Park Aston Villa Coaster of Villa Park £5.00 West Bromwich Albion F.C. The Hawthorns coaster West Bromwich Albion F.C. The Hawthorns coaster £5.00 Liverpool FC coaster of Anfield Liverpool FC coaster of Anfield £5.00 Manchester United coaster of Old Trafford Manchester United coaster of Old Trafford £5.00

Prints for the wall

Something cheerful for the kitchen, the hallway or the desk.

An A4 Certificate of Bravery with a lion's mane illustration and blank spaces for name, deed, date, and signature. A4 Certificate Of Bravery £3.00 I Am Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) I Am Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) £7.99 I Am Always Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) I Am Always Enough Affirmations Wall Art (A4) £7.99 One Percent Poster (1% Club) (A4) One Percent Poster (1% Club) (A4) £7.99 One Percent Poster (Every Damn Day) (A4) One Percent Poster (Every Damn Day) (A4) £7.99 One Percent Poster (Member of the 1% Club) (A4) One Percent Poster (Member of the 1% Club) (A4) £7.99 Weird & Wonderful Poster (A4) Weird & Wonderful Poster (A4) £7.99 One Percent Poster (Everyday Progress) (A4) One Percent Poster (Everyday Progress) (A4) £7.99

Pin badges

A pound or two, posted in an envelope, and worn for years.

Star Trek Lapel Pin Badges (Set of 3) Star Trek Lapel Pin Badges (Set of 3) £7.49 Pointless Meeting Survivor Pin Badge Pointless Meeting Survivor Pin Badge £4.00 What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge £4.49 Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge £4.00 Yellow Employee Of The Month Rosette Pin Badge Yellow Employee Of The Month Rosette Pin Badge £4.00 Funny Thinking Of You Voodoo Doll Pin Badge Funny Thinking Of You Voodoo Doll Pin Badge £4.00 ChatGPT Is My Therapist Pin Badge ChatGPT Is My Therapist Pin Badge £4.00 Slow Down Nature Inspired Pin Badge Slow Down Nature Inspired Pin Badge £4.00

Cards to send with it

Add the card and it all arrives in one UK parcel.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) £3.87 Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What do you give someone who is ill?

Something low-effort and unscented: a print, coasters, a pin badge or a card. Anything that needs energy from them defeats the point.

Can you send flowers to a hospital?

Most UK wards no longer accept them, which is why a card, a print or a small boxed gift is the safer send.

What do you write in a get well card?

One honest sentence and no pressure to reply — "thinking of you, no need to answer this" does more than a page of advice.