Leicester Children's Hospital Appeal Archives - Page 2 of 3

Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal Smashes Through £5M Mark Thanks To Local Muslim Community

A new state-of-the-art dedicated Children’s Hospital for the East Midlands is one step closer to reality after the charity appeal supporting it today reached their £5million milestone. The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal is now one step closer to achieving its £7.5million Phase One target to support a new dedicated Children’s Hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The milestone has been reached following a pacesetting £250,000 donation from Leicester-based Muslim charity Drop of Compassion, who gave the money to support the project in their home-town.

Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal chairman, Stephen Woolfe, hailed passing the £5million mark and urges local people and businesses to get behind the appeal and help raise the remaining £2.5 million for Phase One.

“All of us involved with this landmark project are delighted that we’ve reached this significant milestone,” says Stephen. “We are deeply grateful to Drop of Compassion and the Muslim Community in Leicester for such a generous donation of £250,000 to the appeal.

“To have raised £5million already shows how much the people 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 have already contributed towards helping us get to this point.

“Now we call on everyone who believes the East Midlands should have its first dedicated children’s hospital to support, donate to and fundraise for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal and help make this into a reality.”

Drop of Compassion chairperson, Ismail Patel says the charity is proud to show its support for a new dedicated children’s hospital in Leicester

“It brings us all great joy to support this important appeal and help Leicester Hospitals Charity reach £5million raised with our donation,” says Ismail.

“We are proud to present this donation on behalf of our supporters and the wider Muslim community in Leicester. All of us have a stake in wanting to make sure children’s hospital services in our region are as good as they can be and it is so pleasing to see all areas of our community rally together to support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“We look forward to the target of £7.5million being reached and the completion of Phase One of the project.”

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.

Mars Knitwear Boost Children’s Hospital Appeal With £12,500 Donation From Anti-Bacterial Mask Range

An appeal to give Leicester and the East Midlands its first dedicated children’s hospital has been boosted by a £12,500 donation from a Leicester based knitwear manufacturer.

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, Mars Knitwear was quick to respond to the growing demand for protective, comfortable, eco-friendly face masks and through a seamless manufacturing process, they developed high quality, anti-microbial, re-usable face masks to be sold on-line. The anti-bacterial and washable masks are made in the UK using natural materials, available in 40 different colour combinations.

After hearing about the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal to create a dedicated Children’s Hospital on the site of the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Mars Knitwear agreed to pledge 10% of all on-line mask sales to the Appeal and this week presented Leicester Hospitals Charity with a cheque for £12,500.

Technical Director Keith Cummings says the company saw an opportunity to adapt their business in the new climate and at the same time support their local community.

“With the impact of the pandemic, we started working on the masks about two or three weeks before anyone even asked for them,” explains Keith. “We saw there would be a need for them and it just took off from there. A lot of work went into designing them but we are very pleased with the result. Each mask has a soft, anti-bacterial fibre in the lining and we also paid special attention to the tension of the straps to make them as comfortable as possible around the ears so they don’t pull.”

Managing Director Said Saleh said the company wanted to pledge a percentage of the sales of the masks to a cause that they felt lay at the core of their community.

“We felt we needed to give something back to the hospitals” says Said. “We saw that there was a tremendous amount of donations going towards COVID relief but there was a new children’s hospital being built on our doorstep which was also in urgent need of our help. Mars Knitwear has been trading in Leicester for over 30 years so we wanted to support our local hospital.

“We believe charity begins at home. Our children, our grandchildren and even our great-grandchildren will, at some point in their lives, use this state-of-the-art children’s hospital and it is something we should all be proud of. I believe every local business should support this project in whatever they can.”

Louise Jones, Major Giving Manager at Leicester Hospitals Charity thanked the team at Mars Knitwear for their support of the Appeal. “We’re so grateful to Said, Keith and everyone at Mars Knitwear for showing their support for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal at this time” says Louise.

“This is a wonderful example of how a local business is adapting to the challenges we are all facing in light of the pandemic but choosing to support their community too. On behalf of everyone at the charity and all those involved in working so hard to give our city the state-of-the-art children’s hospital it deserves, we’d like to thank Mars Knitwear and everyone who has contributed to this donation by purchasing a mask.”

Masks can be ordered directly from Mars Knitwear online at www.MarsKnitwear.com with 10% of all purchases going to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

The £7.5m Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will help support the first phase of creating a new, dedicated Children’s Hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary where all children’s services will be together under one roof. If you want to contribute to our Appeal for a dedicated children’s hospital in Leicester please visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the Appeal, or you can follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

Clapping For NHS Inspires Young Charlie To Go The Distance For Leicester’s Hospitals

As a proud Beaver Scout, 7-year-old Charlie Craven has a strong sense of looking out for others in need.

When life changed for his family as the nation went into lockdown, Charlie took an opportunity to do something positive and helped raise £2,000 for good causes, including the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, by running a full marathon distance in just two weeks.

His fantastic achievement has attracted the attention of Sir Mo Farah, a congratulatory message from Paula Radcliffe, comedian Keith Lemon and Leicestershire Cricket coach Paul Nixon.

Charlie’s dad, Matthew, explains how he was inspired by the national outpouring of support for the NHS and key workers as the coronavirus pandemic peaked.

“Since lockdown, we let Charlie stay up for the clapping on Thursday nights and I think that inspired him to want to do something to help,” says Matthew.

“The Beavers have been great throughout lockdown and made all the kids set themselves a personal challenge and we came up with a running challenge for him. We started off running around where we live to help build up how long he could run for without stopping.

After a week, he’d already achieved all his targets. So his mum said, half-jokingly, ‘maybe you could run a marathon?’. And Charlie said ‘okay’. We set him a goal to run a marathon distance over three weeks, but he got really into it. He ran a lot further than we thought and after the first week, he’d already run over half of his marathon. So we revised his target to do it over two weeks instead.”

Despite only being a challenge for his Beavers group, Charlie’s Great-Grandmother offered to sponsor him for running the marathon. The family set up a JustGiving page with a target of £300, but were stunned when Charlie hit that within just 24 hours.

“It’s amazing,” says Matthew.

“To think it started off as just a little thing for Beavers and getting a little bit of sponsorship from friends and family, to think that he’s raised over £2,000… I can’t believe it.”

Matthew set up Charlie with a dedicated Twitter account to try and spread the word of his efforts. Videos and photos of his running were liked by British athletic legend Sir Mo Farah, comedian Keith Lemon, Leicestershire Cricket coach Paul Nixon and even a personal message of congratulations from former marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe.

Charlie has decided to share the money he’s raised between the Beavers and our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“We wanted to give it to something local to Leicester, rather than the national NHS,” explains Matthew.

“We spoke with Leicester Hospitals Charity about all the different places the money could go and Charlie decided he wanted it to go to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“It’s been an adventure for him. It’s a big achievement, something really positive that we can look back on through all of this when it’s been not a very nice situation at all.

“I’m very proud. Every time he went out for a run, even on the days when his feet were hurting, he never stopped at all. He always made it home. So I’m proud of him for how he always kept going too.”

New Children’s Book To Support Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal

A delightful new children’s book dedicated to NHS staff, carers and frontline workers and those who have lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic is being released with all proceeds going to support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

Leicester author Joe Nixon has written ‘The Fearless Fox & Daring Deer’, a rhyming picture book illustrated by Nottingham-based Ami-Lou Harrison, after his own personal experiences with the coronavirus.

Inspired by the events of lockdown which saw towns and villages across the nation fall quiet, the book invites children to enjoy the adventures of woodland creatures as they play human games in an empty town.

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All proceeds from the book will support a new charity partnership between the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal and BrightSparks Arts in Mental Health. Together, the two charities aim to help give Leicester a new, dedicated children’s hospital where all children’s services will be located under one roof at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Reflecting the rainbow posters draw by children that have been seen in windows across the country, The Fearless Fox & Daring Deer features a rainbow inspired song and a rainbow coloured scarf offered by a small boy to a wild fox.

Author Joe Nixon says the book’s message is one of hope during times of crisis:

“As they sing a message of hope for a better future, they dare to imagine a world where humans and animals can live together in harmony,” says Joe.

“I was inspired to write a story for my young niece and nephews, who were finding it difficult to understand why they’ve been trapped at home during lockdown. The book has entertained them and given them hope for a better world when the crisis is over.”

The Fearless Fox & Daring Deer is published by WORD!, a poetry organisation uniquely co-produced by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust., the rhyming picture book invites children to enjoy the adventures of woodland creatures as they play human games in an empty town.

For more information and to order, visit fearlessfox.co.uk.

Home Eddie Entrepreneur Nominated For Lord-Lieutenant Award

James Rimmer, the 14-year-old entrepreneur behind the ‘Home Eddie’ bear initiative supporting our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, has been nominated for the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire’s Awards for Young People 2020.

The good news comes in recognition of James setting up his Home Eddie project to help children feel calm and comfortable no matter where they were. With every ‘Home Eddie’ bear sold, a proportion is donated to our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

James’s efforts have attracted a lot of media attention, including being featured on both BBC and ITV regional news. He even grabbed the attention of World’s Strongest Man champion Eddie Hall – whom the bears are named after – who included James in a video on his popular YouTube channel, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers.

The Lord-Lieutenant’s Awards for Young People 2020 was originally scheduled to take place at Leicester County Hall on Thursday 30 April. However, the event has understandably been postponed to a future date due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

All of us involved with the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal are delighted for James that his remarkable efforts are being recognised.

We are grateful for everything he has done to show support for children in our hospitals and help us in our mission to give all our children the new dedicated hospital they deserve.

For more information about Home Eddie bears, or to place an order for one, visit HomeEddie.co.uk.

To learn more about the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, or to donate to the appeal, visit DoThemProud.com.

Sam Doubles Down To #DoThemProud After London Marathon Is Postponed

Leicester’s X-Factor winning singing star Sam Bailey says she is even more determined to complete the London Marathon in support of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal after the event was postponed until October.

Sam Bailey had been preparing to run her first ever marathon during next month’s edition of the iconic event, along with husband Craig Pearson, personal trainer Dan Morris and friend Debbie. Due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak, London Marathon organisers have postponed the event until Sunday 4 October.

The team had decided to take on the 26.2 mile run around the capital in support of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, raising over £8,000 towards efforts to give the East Midlands its first dedicated children’s hospital in Leicester.

Despite the disappointment of the run being postponed, Sam says she is not letting up in her goal to complete the race in the autumn and raise even more funds for the cause.

“It’s with great sadness that the London Marathon has been postponed until October,” says Sam.

“It is the right decision because of this unbelievable virus. It’s made me and the team even more determined and motivated to support Leicester Hospitals Charity and to do the run in October and raise as much money as possible for the new children’s hospital. We want to do the children of the East Midlands proud. We stand by the staff of our NHS.”

Anyone wishing to donate to Team Sam’s fundraising efforts is encouraged to sponsor them via their Virgin Money Giving page.

The public can also help make the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal a success by visiting 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.

Construction Work Begins On New Leicester Children's Hospital

A new state-of-the-art dedicated Children’s Hospital for the East Midlands is one step closer to reality after the very first ground beam was laid last Friday at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The official start of construction for the new dedicated Leicester Children’s Hospital – supported by the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal – was marked by the laying of a ceremonial ground beam at the foundation of the site, alongside the Infirmary’s Kensington Building.

The beam, featuring a commemorative plaque, was laid by Leicester’s Hospitals Chairman Karamjit Singh CBE and Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal Board Chairman, Stephen Woolfe.

“It’s a great privilege to be present at the laying of the ground beam of the first phase of our new children’s hospital,” says Karamjit Singh.

“This marks the movement of our East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre to this building, which we envisage should be completed by the end of this year. It’s also important for us to have the support of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, which has a number of local dignitaries who are very much involved in it.

“We hope that the local community sees this as something that they can really identify with.”

Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal chairman, Stephen Woolfe, hailed the important milestone and urges local people and businesses to get behind the appeal and help reach the £7.5million target.

“All of us involved with this important project are delighted that construction has begun on the new Leicester Children’s Hospital,” says Stephen.

“The millions of pounds in donations we have received already show how much the people of Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands care about giving all of our children the new hospital they deserve. We are deeply grateful to all of the families, businesses and community groups who have already contributed towards helping us get to this point.

Other Appeal Board members present at the ceremony included Tim Maxted Owner, Chairman and CEO of Berkeley Insurance Group – Andrew Granger, Founder of Andrew Granger & Co – Dr Vijay Sharma, Trustee and NED for various organisations – Zuffar Haq MBE, health campaigner – Robin Graham-Brown, Emeritus Consultant – Sir Laurence Howard KCVO OBE and Ballu Patel, NED of UHL NHS Trust.

Thanks also go to David Tams from the Edith Murphy Foundation and MTX Construction.

Paris Abseils To Support Children’s Hospital Appel Ten Years After Cancer Diagnosis

A Physician Associate Student who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer as a teen ten years ago is abseiling down the same hospital she credits with saving her life to raise money for a new children’s hospital in Leicester.

Paris Tompkins, 24, a Physician Associate Student at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, is abseiling down the site’s Windsor Building to raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal to help secure a new state-of-the-art dedicated children’s hospital for the East Midlands.

Paris, who received treatment as an outpatient at the LRI after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 14, says it’s important for both her and her family to support the children’s hospital that she is proud to now be working in.

“This year marks ten years since I was first diagnosed,” says Paris. ”As a family, we all thought we should try and raise a bit of money to recognise that.”

Paris was diagnosed August 2010 after months of tests at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, before undergoing surgery followed by months of further treatment between hospitals in London and Leicester.

“This time ten years ago, I would’ve been going through all the tests and then coming back here to the LRI and at Children’s Outpatients every week,” Paris explains.

“At 15, you obviously have other priorities on your mind than cancer. But it obviously it had a major impact on my family. They understood what it meant for my future.”

Paris says her experience in hospital and her positive impression of the clinical staff had a profound impact on her choosing to pursue a medical career of her own.

“From every nurse to every doctor I met, they made sure that my family and I were always well informed about everything that was happening,” she says. “They made sure things were turned around quickly – it was just a week between my diagnosis and my surgery.

“I always wanted to be part of the NHS, but having been in hospital for so long and having gone through the system as a patient, it made me realise that I wanted to work here in the future. I’m working with consultants now who used to be my consultant. So it’s nice to evolve into that role. It’s also nice to know that if I go to talk to a parent of a patient on the children’s ward, I know what it’s like.”

With the appeal helping to create the first dedicated children’s hospital in the East Midlands, Paris is determined to help bring a state-of-the-art new facility to Leicester.

“I know what this hospital was like a decade ago. I’ve seen over ten years how it’s improved a lot, but having everything together under one roof would make it easier for families. It would take the pressure off from having to travel to different hospitals. I know how hard that was for me.

“You look at Birmingham Children’s Hospital – everyone knows it. It’s a flagship hospital. I think for us to have one here in Leicester would help so much. Everyone knows someone who is going through the hospital system, who’s had contact with the Children’s Hospital. If your child ever needed it, you’d want them to get the best possible care. For us all to be able to have that on our front door is a big motivator.”

Paris is among over 100 people who will be scaling 100ft down the side of the Windsor Building of the Leicester Royal Infirmary on the weekend of 28th-29th March to raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

Bubble Rush Comes To Leicester To Support #DoThemProud

Leicester’s Abbey Park will be transformed on Sunday 31 May as the Bubble Rush 5k event comes to Leicester in support of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

The only event of its kind in the East Midlands in 2020, the Bubble Rush Leicester 2020 will see participants run, jog, walk and play around a 5k course marked by a series of 4ft high bubble stations.

Bubble Rush Leicester 2020 comes to Abbey Park on Sunday 31 May and is expected to see hundreds of people of all ages take on the family friendly fun-run.

Participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship for the event, with all proceeds going to support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal to help give the East Midlands its first ever dedicated children’s hospital in Leicester.

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Liz Hodson says she is thrilled to be partnering with Bubble Rush to help raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“We’re bursting with excitement that our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal is the official charity partner of Bubble Rush Leicester,” says Liz.

“If you’ve ever considered doing a Bubble Rush before, this is the perfect opportunity to take part in one. It’s fun for all the family and a fantastic day out in the beautiful setting of Abbey Park. I promise that it’ll be the most fun five kilometres you’ll ever cover in your life.”

Anyone interested in participating can sign up right now at Bubble-Rush.co.uk/Leicester, with early bird discounted tickets available.

For more information about Bubble Rush Leicester 2020 and the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, contact Liz Hodson on 0116 258 8709 or uhl-tr.lhcharitymailbox@nhs.net.

Grateful Parents Take The Plunge For The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal

A brave couple are taking on a 100ft abseil down the side of the same hospital that they credit with saving their young daughter’s life.

Grateful parents Nerice & Jason Burrows of Great Doddington in Northamptonshire are taking on the challenge on Saturday 28 March after their two-and-a-half year old daughter Lily received extensive treatment for respiratory and stomach problems at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Mum Nerice (37), says she and husband Jason (35) are “eternally grateful” to Leicester’s Hospitals for the treatment and care they have given to Lily throughout her short life so far.

“We can’t thank Leicester’s Hospitals enough for how they saved our baby girl and also supported us as family,” says Nerice.

“We thought this was the perfect way to raise some money as we are abseiling at the place we spent so much of our life and who we are eternally grateful to.”

Born at 32 weeks, Lily was transferred from Kettering Hospital to the Leicester Royal Infirmary at three months old with severe breathing difficulties. After an extended stay in intensive care and then the high-dependency ward, Lily was diagnosed with ‘Pierre Robin Sequence’, meaning her jaw had not grown as it should and was obstructing her airway.

“Lily is our hero and such a fighter. She battled so much in her first 15 months in hospital and continues to do so,” says Nerice.

“We were told that it could have been a ‘catastrophic brain injury’. So to be told that it could actually be understood, managed and could even possibly get better was a relief.”

Lily underwent an operation at just a year old to help improve her condition, but has needed regular and lengthy stays in hospital.

Nerice says she and Jason opted to have Lily admitted to the Leicester Royal Infirmary due to the standard of care they provided her.

“To this day Lily still has extra needs and a few too many hospital admissions for our liking, but we instantly feel safe at this hospital,” Nerice says.

“We’ve spent most of our time on Ward 10 and they have become our family. We will always have a special place in our hearts for each and every one of them and can never thank them enough. From the Emergency Department to Intensive Care they all know our Lily and we know the care and support we will receive is outstanding.”

When Nerice & Jason heard about the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal’s Big Abseil event, they decided it was the perfect way to help give something back to the hospital that had come to mean so much to them.

“We wanted to do something to help raise some much needed funds for the new Leicester Children’s Hospital,” explains Nerice.

“This will not only enhance what they already have, but also give us a children’s hospital in our region that can continue to help children like Lily who need that extra care.”

The Burrows are among 70 people who will be scaling 100ft down the side of the Windsor Building of the Leicester Royal Infirmary on Saturday 28 March to raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

The appeal aims to raise £7.5million to help give the East Midlands its first dedicated, single-site children’s hospital and make children’s services more effective and efficient for patients, their families as well as hospital staff.

Leicester Hospitals Charity is calling on people across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and the wider East Midlands to donate to and show their support for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

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