October 2011

New bras for the BRA group!

Over £500 worth of new bras have been donated to breast cancer patients at Broomfield Hospital thanks to the generosity of colleagues and customers at the Asda Store in Chelmsford as part of the store's Tickled Pink celebrations.

Jackie Ford and Jill Diggens from the Asda deli counter have been busy with a variety of in-store events to help raise enough money to buy the specialised bras. Jackie said: “I know from personal experience that looking around a lingerie department can be a daunting experience particularly after breast surgery.  It makes such a difference to sort out what bra you need with the help of the nurses and to actually take one home.  It makes shopping much less stressful. The nurses have been a great help to me and this is a great of saying thank you to them”.

The Asda ladies have also created a memory scrapbook of their events and Jill said: “All the staff and shoppers here at Asda have really got behind us, from supporting children’s competitions, tombolas and raffles, we even made our colleagues sit in a bath of slime wearing post op bras.  It’s been a lot of fun and we couldn’t have done it them but as there are a few blank pages in our scrapbook, the fundraising will go on”.

Fundraising is a roaring success for Lions club

Sheila Prior, senior sister at the St Andrew's outpatients department, held another prestigious role last year as the President's Lady of the Billericay Lions Club.

As part of that role Sheila was able to choose a charity for the club to support during the year and that honour went to the Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Charity.

Sheila said: “It has been a privilege to be able to present my colleagues in the BRA charity with our donation of £1000 and I’d like to thank all the ladies who have raised this fantastic sum.”  Sheila knows that Jayne Knight, breast reconstruction CNS and a founding member of the BRA charity will be able to put it to good use and hopes these extra funds will enable them to carry on with their much needed work with patients.

Incoming President’s Lady Sheila Norton has also decided to support the Hospital and has chosen the burned children’s unit to benefit at the end of the fundraising year.  The Norton family are very well-known at the hospital as Sheila, now retired, worked with the St. Andrews Centre team for many years and husband Graham is an important member of Hospital Radio - proving there’s still a real community spirit amongst the staff of the St. Andrews Centre.

60th Anniversary celebrations for the League of Friends

Broomfield Hospital’s League of Friends marked their 60th anniversary with special guests Simon Burns MP and Brian Goodwin, non-executive director and Chair of the charitable funds committee, who joined the League’s volunteers at a recent celebration party.

During his welcome speech, the League’s new chairman, Stuart Rawlins, thanked the special guests for recognising the valuable support provided by the volunteers, but told the volunteers that they were in fact the “extra special guests” of the day for all the incredible work they have done over the years, and continue to do so.

Simon Burns congratulated the League for the wonderful contribution they make to enhance patient care and he said: “It’s a great privilege for me to be invited here today to help you celebrate this important anniversary.  I am aware of the enormous contribution the volunteers make to Broomfield Hospital in so many ways.  Not only do you provide a first class service in the shops, but I know that patients benefit hugely from the shop trolley and library service, with volunteers offering a friendly smile to patients and a little extra comfort at a worrying time”.

Over the years, the Trust has benefitted financially to the tune of nearly three quarters of a million pounds since the League’s inception and this figure continues to grow as shop managers, Jenny Gillingham and Barbara Coupe presented the Trust with another £18,000 towards the gynaecology service for an ultrasound machine.

New equipment for the forget-me-not room

Employees at local solicitors raised nearly £2,000 for the maternity unit at Broomfield Hospital to support parents suffering the trauma of having a stillborn baby.

Staff from Birkett Long LLP Solicitors in Chelmsford and Colchester set about raising extra funds in support of colleagues, Claire and Darren Wiles who wanted to purchase new equipment in memory of their baby daughter, Charlotte.  The money they raised has been used to purchase a ‘cold cot’ purchased through the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity (SANDS) which is dedicated to offering support and care to families who have lost a baby.

Bernie Rigdon, midwifery manager said: “We’d like to thank Claire and Darren and their colleagues at Birkett Long for this very generous donation. The new cold cot will be used in the forget-me-not room and will mean bereaved parents can spend precious extra time with their baby in a safe and comfortable environment.  The unit is ideal as it is compact and easy to transport around and means parents can stay with their baby for as long as they need".

Claire explained: “Our colleagues held a variety of fundraising events to raise the money, everything from cake sales, raffles and a dress down day. We’re extremely grateful for all their generous support and it is reassuring to come here today to see the unit knowing it will make a difficult situation just a little easier for many families in the future.”

Tiny Togs for Tiny Tots! 

Nurses at the neo natal unit are always delighted to receive hand knitted goods such as blankets, cardigans, jackets, hats and bootees!  

Tiny babies sometimes have problems regulating their temperature so these donated clothes not only aid comfort but they also ensure that babies are kept nice and warm. What’s more, parents really appreciate being able to dress their baby in lovely clothes when so often they can feel helpless as their baby is cared for mainly by health professionals.

Viv Kernick , neo natal nurse and her colleagues welcomed Jane Callow from Great Baddow, who along with her aunts provide a regular supply of knitted garments.  Viv said: “We are very grateful to Jane and her aunts for making such a wonderful selection of hand knitted clothes and baby items for our premature babies.  We know how much work goes into making them”.

“Thanks to Jane and others that we have such a choice of clothes from vests to hats, and it's a really nice surprise for parents to come to visit their baby to suddenly see them dressed and not just in a nappy!  It can be a real milestone and one more step forward to taking baby home”.

Well done Helen because, Let’s Face It... 26 miles is a long way!

Congratulations to Helen Frances, HR Advisor, who completed her first marathon in less than four hours, and managed to raise an impressive £700 for the ‘Let’s Face It’ appeal

Helen reflected on the race and said “I’ve always wanted to run a marathon and I do feel a real sense of accomplishment now I’ve done it. Having seen the work that takes place on the ward, I’m delighted to support the staff in their efforts refurbishing the area for head and neck cancer patients and buying additional medical equipment.”

Jenny Mead, senior sister, explained just how important every donation is, saying “Helen’s donation will go towards purchasing new monitors, which will mean we can spend less time cleaning and moving equipment and dedicate more time to caring for the patients,”

She continued “Some of our patients have undergone incredibly traumatic surgery and we want to create an environment that is comfortable and relaxing for them to aid their recovery and help them get home quicker. All the money raised for the ‘Let’s Face It’ appeal is going to help us make a real positive difference to patient care on the ward”