Buy a 'Baby' Brick As a Gift for Christmas! Grand Raffle Draw 2009
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Giving new heart to the Royal United Hospital Winter 2009 Buy a ‘Baby’ Brick as a gift for Christmas! Grand Raffle Draw 2009 Buy and sell these tickets to raise £10k for NICU! The Bath Half Marathon 2010 All your questions answered Photograph courtesy of the Western Daily Press Raising funds to provide state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for the RUH To support The Forever Friends Appeal call 01225 825691 or visit www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk Team Insight NICU Ted’s Big Day Out! is truly star-studded! Picture courtesy of Sam Farr Sue Tucker Development Officer The day’s events on Friday 16th October … Celebrating the 10th anniversary of our annual fundraising day made this year’s Ted’s Big Day Out! particularly special. The event was kindly sponsored by Rotork and, as always, everyone in the RUH catchment area was encouraged to pay just £1 to take their teddy out for the day. We have compiled What is your role? a storyboard to give you an insight into how the day came together… My role is to develop relationships with those who could have an interest in supporting the 8.00am: Big Ted races Bubbles Appeal and our current NICU ‘space to grow’ the Bath FM cat and Roary the 9.30am: Staff and Campaign – building a brand new Neonatal 3TR FM lion – needless to say children from Intensive Care Unit. These relationships Ted wins hands down! Bathampton Primary include charitable trusts, individuals and School introduce their developing opportunities in the longer term teddies to Big Ted, all for legacies. dressed in silver and 12.30pm: Nicolas Cage visits the blue. existing NICU, before being joined The other aspect of my role is to identify key by Jason Durr and RUH Deputy projects in need of support within the Chief Executive Brigid Musselwhite - hospital. I then liaise with that department to to help promote the Buy a ‘Baby’ understand why and how funding will Picture courtesy of Sam Farr Brick fundraising campaign. improve that service, then work with the Appeal team and produce relevant literature. How long have you been with the Picture courtesy of Sam Farr Appeal? It feels as though I have been here for a comparatively short time, but in actual fact I will have been working for the Appeal for Picture courtesy of Sam Farr eight years in January. Time flies when you are enjoying yourself! 11.30am: Despite being just Picture courtesy of The Bath Chronicle Has your role changed in that time? three months old, NICU triplets Yes, when I joined the Appeal we were Leo, Gwennie and Mae were fundraising for equipment for the hospital to excited to meet Heartbeat actor Jason Durr, whose twins were complement the redevelopment of the ‘heart 9.00am: Appeal volunteers in NICU recently. Tucker Mike of courtesy Picture of the RUH’. There was a lot of contact with sell over £650 worth of 1.20pm: Nicolas Cage is different departments, finding out about delicious cakes and Christmas interviewed by Don Foster pieces of equipment and their functionality stocking fillers, based at the before signing autographs within that department. This work showed RUH Main Entrance. and meeting many hospital me the diversity of need within the hospital. staff, patients and visitors. Whilst this work continues to a lesser degree, we now focus on major campaigns such as purchasing the CT Scanner, which is installed and has reduced waiting times considerably, and on our current campaign - Thanks to all your support, NICU ‘space to grow’. the NICU ‘space to grow’ Do you like working on the NICU ‘space Campaign is progressing well. to grow’ Campaign? We are all really excited about this campaign 12.15pm: Against some tough and I would like to think that my input in Both Appeal and public fundraising competition, staff member Sam Nolan wins helping to get this project off the ground has efforts are continuing to help complete the ‘RUH’s Got Talent’ competition, with her contributed to the enthusiasm and sensational performance of ‘Somewhere 1.30pm: The marvellous RUH choir wow commitment which is making this campaign our pioneering, spacious and brand new over the rainbow’. Congratulations Sam! the crowds with their performance. a success. premature baby unit. Construction work is due to commence in the Spring, but we still As you can see we were fortunate enough to receive some star-studded celebrity On a personal level, I feel very lucky to be support from Heartbeat heart throb, Jason Durr, and the renowned Oscar-winning actor involved in such a worthwhile project. Giving have to work hard to reach our goal. To help Nicolas Cage. Being one of our most successful events yet, our grateful thanks go to premature and sick babies the best start in us on the ‘home straight’, look out for the our visitors for the day: Bath Rugby players Butch James, Lee Mears and David life is something to which I really aspire. Barnes; Chairman of B&NES Cllr Bryan Chalker; Mayor of Bath Cllr Colin Barrett Being part of a fundraising team that is many exciting initiatives in this newsletter – and everyone who took part and contributed to the home straight of the NICU ‘space to turning dreams into reality is really worth and on your own doorstep! grow’ Campaign. Check out our website for more pictures of the day, including the getting out of bed for in the morning! fantastic event held by the Bath Blues Brothers at the Guildhall, Bath. Guy Woodward racing for the Campaign at Castle Combe. Twins Congratulations on coming second! Harris and Edward tell their story! Edward and Harris, 4 days old Harris and Edward age 6 months “Harris here! I stayed in NICU for a whole month as I had pretty much stopped growing and I was born weighing in at a tiny 3lb 12ozs. I then went and lost some more weight and I started living in the highest dependency room, where Mummy and Daddy weren't allowed to cuddle me at first because I was too little. Over the weeks there were lots of worries, but I overcame each hurdle one at a time. Mummy and Daddy came to visit me all the time, but there was no room for my twin brother at first. Picture courtesy of The Bath Chronicle Bath The of courtesy Picture I know that I am lucky to be around and thriving. I am a really happy little fella now and I can stand (with help). I'm starting to sit unaided, laugh for England and love to dance. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without the fantastic people at Bath NICU.” “Edward here. I can't match Harry's story for drama, but I was attached to machines upstairs on the maternity ward and it was hard for me to go and visit him. Because I was poorly too, Mummy and Daddy always had to choose who to be with day and night. Big Ted delivers his first NICU is very special and we have very fond memories of it, but it could do ‘Baby’ Brick leaflet with bringing into the modern world. When I was stronger and I visited Harry in NICU, I was allowed to sleep in with him. Lovely as it was to be right next to my brother, it was very cramped, hot and rather Hey there, wait a scary. The staff at NICU helped a lot and made us very welcome but when they have a bigger centre, minute Mr Postman… other families can all be together!” The Forever Friends Appeal Team geared themselves up in October for a door-to-door mail drop throughout the RUH catchment area, their first fundraising venture of this kind. Assisted by Bath-based direct marketing organisation The Real Adventure Company, a new leaflet about the Buy a 'Baby' Brick scheme was designed and is being delivered to 240,000 letterboxes across the region between now and early 2010. The leaflet tells the real-life stories of families who have benefited from NICU and invites local householders to come on board and buy virtual 'Baby' bricks. Costing as little as £10, these ‘Baby’ bricks will help build the new Unit and your contribution will be permanently recognised within the final building design. The response so far has been fantastic and the Appeal Team hopes it will extend into the New Year. Read on to find out how 'Baby' bricks can help solve all your Christmas gift dilemmas! Give a ‘Baby’ Brick for Christmas! Forget all those hours trudging around the shops, poring over catalogues and surfing the internet for that perfect gift. We have just the present for you this Christmas. In our frivolous and throw-away society, why not give your loved ones something different? -- a gift that lasts a lifetime. Due to the tremendous Buy a ‘Baby’ brick for £10, a row for £100 or, for someone very special, a wall for demand for our ‘Baby’ £1,000. Your generous present will help to finish the new NICU, plus the recipient Brick collection boxes, the will receive a Buy a ‘Baby’ Brick Christmas card and have their name Appeal Team have ordered permanently recognised within the design of the new building. another 3,000 which have been This life-saving gift is ideal for the relative or friend who is impossible to buy generously funded by Appeal for, or for that caring person who likes to contribute to their local committee member Jennifer Skellett. community. If you would like more information regarding our Christmas To order your collection box today, gift ‘Baby’ brick or would like to display a brick collection box, just give the Appeal office a call.