Tag: Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal

The successful major step towards giving Leicester and the East Midlands its first ever stand-alone children’s hospital was marked today with a special event held at King Power Stadium.

Fundraisers and supporters of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal joined staff from Leicester’s Hospitals at the home ground of Leicester City Football Club to celebrate the completion of the £7.5million fundraising appeal and the impact it will have on the region’s children for decades to come.

Reaching the target has allowed the first Phase for the new Leicester Children’s Hospital to be completed – moving the world-renowned East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre (EMCHC) to its state-of-the-art new home in the Kensington Building at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The new facilities will enable more patients to be seen under one roof, reducing waiting times, providing faster diagnosis, treatment and discharge and eliminate the need for delicate patients to be routinely transferred between multiple hospital sites.

Over the coming years, the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will continue to support University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) to relocate all remaining children’s services to the Kensington Building, giving the East Midlands its first ever single-site children’s hospital.

Chair of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, Stephen Woolfe, hailed the completion of Phase One of the project as a ‘fantastic achievement’.

“All of us involved with this landmark project are delighted that we’ve reached this remarkable milestone,” says Stephen.

“To have raised £7.5million shows how much the people of Leicester care about giving our children the new hospital they deserve. We are deeply grateful to all of the families, businesses and community groups who contributed towards helping to make this achievement possible.”

Lisa Davies, director of Leicester Hospitals Charity who runs the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, says the charity are ‘in awe’ of the support the appeal has received.

“This is, by far, the single biggest project that our charity has ever been involved with and we are overjoyed to see Phase One completed on schedule,” says Lisa.

“We’ve been truly in awe of the support shown by our community to help us do our children proud – not just the volume of people, but the lengths many of them have gone to help. We are delighted to celebrate all of them here today and say a heartfelt thank you to all who showed such unwavering support – even during the midst of a pandemic.”

The moving story of Leicester resident and appeal fundraiser Asiya Parekh’s young son, Yahya, inspired the Muslim community to raise over £250,000 for the campaign. After living years beyond expectations despite being born with multiple complex heart conditions, Yahya sadly died last year.

“When my husband and I saw the new children’s heart facilities, I cried tears of sadness and joy all at once,” says Asiya.

“This new hospital is now the beginning of so many journeys. So many new days will rise from here for so many mothers just like me, and babies just like mine. Everyone here today has played their part in making this dream a reality for the city of Leicester.”

Anyone wanting to contribute towards the future efforts of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

A £1,000 donation from charity Welfare for Humanity to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal has been hailed as “amazing” by Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth.

Local charity Welfare for Humanity – set up by British Muslims with shared cultural heritage from the Daman region of India – has donated £1,000 to help support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal’s efforts to create a dedicated, single-site children’s hospital in Leicester.

The generous sum of £1,000 was presented to hospital staff at the Leicester Royal Infirmary this morning by Welfare For Humanity representatives Riyazzuddin Ramjanali, Ramzan Ibraimo and Shabaz Nurmamado.

The donation was made in the presence of Leicester South MP and Shadow Health Secretary, The Rt Hon Jon Ashworth MP, who was in attendance at the Infirmary for the presentation.

Mr Ashworth said he wanted to show his appreciation for the community’s support of the city’s NHS Trust hospitals and the efforts to develop the East Midlands’ first-ever dedicated children’s hospital.

“I congratulate the Daman Community here in Leicester for raising this amazing sum for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal,” Ashworth said.

“This very kind donation will help to make the hospitals here in Leicester even better.”

Welfare For Humanity’s Shabaz Nurmamado said the Daman community were proud to show their appreciation for the hard-working NHS staff in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland.

“We have decided to offer this donation for the Children’s Hospital project in Leicester in saying a big thank you to the Hospital and their committed staff for their dedicated services,” said Shabaz. “The community is pleased to contribute to this project, which is an exciting development that will be a valuable addition for our children.”

Lisa Davies, director of Leicester Hospitals Charity – who run the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal – expressed her gratitude to Welfare For Humanity for their generosity.

“We are incredibly grateful to the entire Daman community here in Leicester for wanting to show how much they value our hospitals and the staff who work in them,” said Lisa.

“Having recently completed phase one of our children’s hospital project and successfully moved our world-renowned children’s heart services to their new home at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, this donation helps us as we look forward to bringing all our children’s services together under one roof in a state-of-the-art facility.”

The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal is run by Leicester Hospitals Charity and has successfully raised £7.5million to support the relocation of the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre from Glenfield Hospital to its new home at the Kensington Building at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will continue to fundraise to help consolidate all of the children’s services at Leicester’s Hospitals together at the Kensington Building, giving the East Midlands its very first dedicated children’s hospital.

An inspiring new initiative from Pukaar News to show support and solidarity for keyworkers and those who affected by Covid-19 is helping to raise money for our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

From 23 March – the first anniversary of national lockdown – you can pick up a beautiful ‘Always in our Thoughts’ badge with all proceeds shared between our appeal and fellow charity, Care Of Police Survivors (COPS).

Romail Gulzar, founder of Pukaar Group and the Always in our Thoughts campaign, says he wanted to pay tribute to all those who have fought to help those in need during the pandemic.

“Covid-19 has affected millions of people worldwide,” says Romail. The UK experienced a huge impact which has been met with an incredible effort by our key workers.

“This has put people under huge stress. Many have lost their lives, many are suffering with the long-term effects of the virus, and many have been left alone after their loved ones were taken from them.

“People have lost jobs or a portion of their income after being furloughed. Yet they have often staunchly continued to work to help others – despite the risks to their own health and wellbeing.

“I wanted to find some way to encourage all of us to repay the kindness of these workers. The Always In Our Thoughts campaign will provide donations to charities that support those in need during this crucial period.”

Lord Lieutenant Mike Kapur OBE, patron of Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal says he is thrilled that the Always in Our Thoughts campaign has chosen to support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“The difference this support will make to the lives of local children over the next five years will be felt by the communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for a long time to come,” says Mr Kapur.

“Despite the appalling impact Covid-19 has had, and will continue to have on many peoples’ lives, the development of the East Midlands first ever dedicated children’s hospital, here in Leicester, is such an optimistic project to get behind. The NHS has never been more in the forefront of all our minds and I look forward to wearing my flower with pride.”

Anyone who wants to get their own badge can do so online at www.alwaysinourthoughts.com

The new Leicester Children’s Hospital will receive a late Christmas present in the form of two brand-new, lifesaving ventilators after over £80,000 was raised during the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal’s Christmas Campaign.

The campaign to raise £33,000 to purchase one brand new ventilator for the new Leicester Children’s Hospital proved so successful that the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will now be able to buy two ventilators to support critically ill children at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

The new ventilators will treat patients like five-year-old Hope Penney from Loughborough, whose inspiring story became central to the Christmas Campaign.

Hope – born with her left-side organs on her right side of her body – despite needing regular monitoring, is now finally able to enjoy a fairly normal childhood after she received intensive treatment at both Glenfield and Leicester Royal Infirmary. Hope’s heart stopped five times before she received a series of life-saving operations.

Hope’s story inspired many across the county to donate to the campaign. The outstanding total was boosted by a £10,000 donation from the Anand & Sethi Families of Leicester on behalf of their company Anand International Ltd.

Vic Sethi contacted the NHS and made the sizeable gift on behalf of the family and business just before Christmas which led to the campaign’s success.

“We are proud and grateful to the entire NHS for their hard work and for looking after the patients in their care,” says Vic.

“This year, it is our wish to donate £10,000 to Leicester Hospitals Charity on behalf of all of us, our companies, employees and clients.”

Claire Campbell, Head of Fundraising at Leicester Hospitals Charity, who run the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, says the charity has been blown away by the support shown over Christmas.

“We are beyond thrilled that we’ve been able to raise funds for not one, but two ventilators which will help save more children’s lives,” says Claire.

“We were inspired by Hope’s story and it shows that the people of Leicestershire were too, as we saw their generosity grow throughout the Christmas appeal. The donation from Vic Sethi and family on behalf of Anand International was a wonderful surprise Christmas present and we are truly grateful to him and everyone at Anand International for helping us make sure that all children like Hope get the treatment they deserve.”

Anyone wanting to contribute towards the appeal can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

When nine-year-old Alice Rands set off on a 50-mile running challenge, she only wanted to raise £50 for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal – just £1 for every mile.

But after she finally completed her challenge after weeks of running over the Christmas period, Alice had managed to raise an incredible £1,085.

Proud mum Caroline says the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal is a cause that is very important to the family after Alice was treated for a serious condition at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in her younger years.

“It all started in May 2015,” explains Caroline. “Alice was three-and-a-half, fit and healthy. Then, suddenly, she started regularly being sick – first once a week, then twice a week, then once a day, then twice a day.

“Obviously we were quite concerned, but after we followed medical advice to make sure it wasn’t food intolerances and she wasn’t getting better, I ended up taking her to the Emergency Department at the Leicester Royal Infirmary at 3am one night.

Alice was in hospital for three weeks and received a range of scans and tests as hospital staff investigated what was causing her such problems. Caroline stayed with Alice at the LRI while her husband continued to work and look after Alice’s older sister.

Eventually, Paediatric Consultant Mr Haitham Dagash diagnosed Alice with Brunner’s Gland Hyperplasia, an exceedingly rare tumour having developed on a gland that helps protect the digestive system from the acidic contents of the stomach during food digestion.

After a six hour operation, Mr Dagash and his team successfully corrected Alice’s condition and she has since made a full recovery. During lockdown in the run up to Christmas, Alice was inspired by her mum to take on a charity challenge to raise money for the children’s hospital that had treated her.

“I did a 50 mile running challenge in October to help raise money for prostate cancer support,” says Caroline. “Alice saw me doing that and said that she wanted to run 50 miles to raise £50 for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“We worked out that going into the Christmas holidays if she could do a mile or two after she’d finished school every day she could hit the 50 miles by the end of Christmas if she had a couple of days off on the way.”

Every night, Alice ran alongside either her mum, her dad, or some of her friends around her local neighbourhood. The more people learned about Alice’s efforts, the more the donations came flooding in.

“We’re really fortunate that our family, friends, work contacts and the others who saw it were so generous,” Caroline says. “She managed to raise £1,085. I think people were touched that a nine-year-old wanted to do something so out of her comfort zone.”

Alice’s incredible discipline and hard work has earned the attention of BBC East Midlands Today, who will be featuring her on tonight’s evening news bulletin. Caroline says she is very proud of her daughter’s efforts.

“I think it’s really pleasing to see people wanting to support a child doing a good thing. We’re really proud of Alice for coming up with the idea and then seeing it through.

“We had a little hiccup over Christmas when she was told to self-isolate because of a positive test in her class which meant we lost about six days. But when she came out of isolation and we heard Tier 4 was being introduced to Charnwood, we worked out that Alice had eight miles to complete in just 12 hours. She pushed herself to the very end and even clocked one of her fastest miles at the time! So it’s been very uplifting and a great experience.”

Inspiring children like Alice are helping to make our dream of a new, state-of-the-art children’s hospital in Leicester a reality by supporting the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

Anyone wanting to contribute towards the appeal can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

Our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will support families across Leicestershire, Rutland and the wider East Midlands for years to come.

For so many children and young people, like 14-year-old Alex, our children’s services are literally life-saving.

Alex’s mum, Karen, is usually a private person. But to help show how important our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal is to her and her family, Karen says that if sharing their story helps to support the appeal, then she is happy to tell it.

“Alex’s story began in December 2011 when he was five years old. He collapsed on the bathroom floor with severe breathing difficulties. As a diagnosed asthmatic, we were used to managing Alex’s attacks with inhalers and the occasional trip to urgent care and the Emergency Department. But this particular episode he had been poorly for several weeks and we were finding it hard to manage his symptoms.

“We never imagined how quickly he would deteriorate.

“The ambulance crew were with us rapidly to take us to Kettering General Hospital. The ambulance crew said the resuscitation team were waiting for Alex on arrival. They worked hard to stabilise him and told us that he was in a serious condition.

“Alex needed a hospital with a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). They tried to find a bed for him anywhere in the country. We were so relieved to hear that Leicester’s Hospitals had a bed available. As this was our local hospital, it meant that we could visit him every day and continue to care for our older son.

“It took five hours to stabilise Alex. An intensive care ambulance arrived with two paediatric doctors to escort him back to Leicester. It was very dangerous and very scary. We weren’t even able to travel with Alex because of the amount of equipment that was needed in the ambulance to keep him alive.

“When we arrived at Leicester and found the PICU, we were beside ourselves with worry. An intensive care unit is somewhere that you would never want to find yourself.

“Alex looked so tiny in the bed, surrounded by machines they were doing the vital job of breathing for him. The staff who were caring for Alex were so kind and calm. They watched him around the clock, but they always made sure to look after us too.

“Alex was on intensive care for three days. He survived because of the care and expertise of the Leicester Children’s Hospital staff and because of availability of the equipment that he needed. We will be eternally thankful for this.

“Alex recovered slowly in hospital and at home. He had amazing ongoing care and support from his GP and the consultants at Leicester’s Hospitals. He also became part of a research project investigating why some children are so severely affected with some respiratory viruses. He was eventually diagnosed with a near-fatal asthma attack, caused by an unknown virus.

“We are pleased to report that Alex is now 14-years-old and is fit and strong. He is six foot tall and plays football and runs for the local athletics club. He cannot remember anything about his time on intensive care, apart from meeting the Leicester Tigers rugby team and our trips to the café for a cake when he was recovering on the high dependency unit and the ward.

“We have obviously been concerned about him with the outbreak of coronavirus and now more than ever it is vital that there is all the equipment possible for the Leicester Children’s Hospital staff to help look after patients and give them the treatment they need.

“We were more than happy to donate to Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal to support the amazing life-saving treatment they provide. We would urge everyone like us – parents, families and even those who aren’t – to support the appeal to make sure the children’s services in our city are as good as all of our children deserve them to be.”

An appeal to help create a state-of-the-art new children’s hospital has received a special Christmas gift of a £250,000 grant by the Garfield Weston Foundation.

The major grant has been awarded to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, that supports the creation of the first dedicated children’s hospital in the East Midlands at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The £250,000 grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation echoes the foundation’s long history of charitable support for healthcare capital projects across the United Kingdom.

A region of the under-construction Leicester Children’s Hospital where ultrasound scans are conducted on children with heart problems will be named in honour of Garfield Weston in light of the donation.

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Director, Lisa Davies – who run the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal – hailed the gift from the Foundation as ‘remarkable’.

“We are truly delighted to have been granted this remarkable grant of £250,000 by the trustees of the Garfield Weston Foundation, especially in the lead up to the Christmas period,” says Lisa.

“It’s hard to overstate how important this grant is to our efforts to build the East Midlands’ first dedicated children’s hospital in Leicester. We believe it’s only fitting that the new Echocardiogram Suites Corridor in the new Leicester Children’s Hospital be named in honour of the Foundation.”

Garfield Weston Foundation director, Philippa Charles, says the Foundation are pleased to award such a generous grant to the appeal.

“The Foundation has worked with charities across the country for over 60 years to support projects that help shape communities for the better. Our Trustees are delighted to contribute towards the creation of the first ever dedicated children’s hospital in the East Midlands. We hope this grant encourages others to show their support for the project too.”

The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal aims to raise £7.5million to help create a new state-of-the-art children’s hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary where, for the first time, all children’s hospital services will be located together under one roof.

Anyone wanting to contribute towards making the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal a success can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

People across the East Midlands have a unique opportunity to support critically ill children this Christmas and purchase a new paediatric ventilator for Leicester’s Hospitals during the Big Give challenge event.

DONATE TO THE BIG GIVE NOW

From Tues 1-8 December, all donations to Leicester Hospitals Charity will be doubled as part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020. Every pound donated – with a minimum £5 donation – will be matched up to £16,500 by a body of Big Give pledgers.

This one week only event is raising money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal with a mission to help purchase a brand new ventilator for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the new Leicester Children’s Hospital.

The new ventilator will help children’s specialists at Leicester’s Hospitals care for critically ill children like five-year-old Hope from Loughborough. Hope’s dad, Adrian, urges people to support the appeal by doubling their donations during the Big Give.

“Hope was born at the Leicester Royal Infirmary with her left organs on the right side of her body,” says Adrian.

“Hope’s heart stopped five times but thanks to the wonderful staff at the Neonatal Unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, she survived. I know that 2020 has been a tough year for all of us, but if we come together as a community and support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal during the Big Give week, we can provide a new ventilator to help critically ill children at Leicester’s Hospitals just like the one that kept my Hope alive.”

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Director, Lisa Davies, says donating to the appeal during the Big Give is a powerful way for everyday people across the region to have an impact on children’s services this Christmas.

“Throughout this year, we’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for our hospitals,” says Lisa.

“Christmas is always a time for giving and there’s no better time to give to our hospitals than during the Big Give event all this week. With every pound donated being doubled, we all have the power to give critically ill children like Hope and their families the care they need and deserve by gifting our children’s services a brand new ventilator.”

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is active for just one week, between Tues 1 and Tues 8 December 2020. To donate to the Big Give, visit LHCharity.org.uk/biggive, or visit LHCharity.org.uk for more information.

Heart Link children’s heart charity have made a substantial donation to the new children’s cardiac unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The £170,000 donation to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal means the campaign to help create a state-of-the-art new children’s hospital in Leicester has now reached £6million raised of its £7.5million target.

Heart Link has pledged the donation to fund eight rooms in the new Leicester Children’s Hospital as well as much needed equipment, continuing the many years of funding equipment and facilities at the children’s cardiac service.

Heart Link began in 1981 to help children with heart conditions and their families.

It was founded following the experience of Geoff and Gill Smart after their daughter Amanda was born with a serious heart condition, and there were no facilities for families to stay with their sick child at the then Groby Road Hospital.

Since then, Heart Link has contributed millions of pounds providing equipment, parent facilities, as well as funding for research and training.

Sadly, both Gill and Amanda have passed away – Amanda in December 2018 and Gill in June this year.

The charity also lost one of its longest serving trustees, John Rigby, in May this year. It is hoped that Amanda, Gill and John’s memories will be commemorated within the funded rooms for all the hard work, time and commitment they gave to raising funds for Heart Link and to supporting families and children over very many years.

The donation will allow their great work to continue as it will support the relocation of Glenfield Hospital’s world-renowned East Midland’s Congenital Heart Centre (EMCHC) to a state-of-the-art new children’s hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Heart Link trustee Shirley Barnes says everyone involved in the charity is proud to support the next evolution of children’s heart services in Leicestershire and will remember Gill Smart fondly.

“Everything Gill did was from the heart,” says Shirley. “She lived, ate, slept and breathed Heart Link. Everything she did was for families and kids. She was there right from the very beginning and she worked so, so hard to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for children’s heart services in Leicester alongside other trustees no longer with us like John Rigby.

“All of us at Heart Link work to do whatever is necessary to make things better for the children on the cardiac wards and the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. It is for those families and the amazing staff on those wards that we are making this £170,000 donation in support of.”

Heart Link has had a long association with EMCHC. They notably funded the introduction of ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) into Great Britain at Groby Road in 1989. This is a modern invasive life-support technique which can be used in patients with extremely severe respiratory (lungs) and cardiac (heart) failure. The treatment is very expensive, labour intensive and, at this time, financial support from the NHS was out of the question.

Heart Link also played a major role in campaigning to keep EMCHC in Leicester when it was under threat of closure in 2017. Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Director, Lisa Davies, says her charity – who run the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal – are deeply grateful to Heart Link for this poignant donation.

“We are incredibly touched to have received this generous donation to our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal from Heart Link,” says Lisa.

“Gill Smart was an amazing individual who had such a remarkable impact on developing and then saving the children’s heart services at Glenfield Hospital. We are proud to honour Gill’s legacy by supporting the relocation of these vital services to a new, dedicated children’s hospital that will benefit families like the ones she supported for over 30 years long into the future.”

The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal aims to raise £7.5million to help create a new state-of-the-art children’s hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary where, for the first time, all children’s hospital services will be located together under one roof.

Anyone wanting to contribute towards making the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal a success can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

We are delighted to announce the launch of our Virtual Leicester Marathon, supporting our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

Between Wednesday 9 September and Monday 12 October, you can run, jog or walk a full marathon, half-marathon or 10K to help raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

We know how difficult it’s been for our city to be locked down for so long – longer than anywhere else in the country. That’s why, for every mile you run, you’ll unlock a famous Leicester landmark to check off your Landmark Logger printable tracker.

There’s 26 of our wonderful city’s most iconic landmarks to unlock using running tracker service STRAVA. With every one you do, you’ll help bring us that much closer to creating Leicester’s newest landmark – the news, state-of-the-art Leicester Children’s Hospital.

You can choose any distance you want and your miles count no matter how you do them, no matter where you do them.

Sign up now using the link below. Unlock your Leicester and help us #DoThemProud!

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