I had this great idea, only weeks back, that I wanted to host a fundraising evening. My brother George had raised a huge amount in aid of his cycle ride from the Children’s Hospital to Paris – he did so well! But I knew we could help even more if I could come up with a community event.
The idea of a pub quiz, raffle, and charity auction was born.
The event came around quickly – the quiz and raffle were to be held in The Red Lion in Kidlington, the auction would be held online.
Wow – what a success.
The auction raised £2500.
The quiz and raffle night raised £1130.
Prizes for the online auction ranged from a week in St Lucia, to an MOT, a cake a month for four months, a family bbq, and Christian Louboutins amongst other items. The raffle had a cake hamper, BMW Production line tour tickets, gym memberships, family days out, and more. Such variation!
All prizes were very generously donated from local and national businesses, and exceptionally kind individuals. Without this, the evening wouldn’t have been possible. So if you contributed – THANK YOU!
Time to shop
So far we have raised approximately £4700 from George’s charity cycle, and £3630 from the evening and auction this week.
We are working with the team on Tom’s Ward (where Clara lives) to understand where the money is needed most. We will also be supporting SSNAP, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Rosie’s Rainbow Fund, and Ronald Mcdonald House Charity. We have benefitted from all of these already in the twelve weeks since Clara’s critical illness was discovered.
Items currently being discussed are:
- Vein finders (there are currently only two in the whole children’s hospital!)
- Recliner chairs that allow skin to skin for parents with babies on the ward
- Baby baths (the one in NICU has a hole but no plug, just a tube held up by a plastic clip on the edge of the bath!)
- Stethoscopes
- Thermometers
- Medical trolleys
- Wipeable artwork
- Colouring books
- Air drying clay (the play specialists created a cast of Clara’s hands and feet for us, something we’ll always treasure)
And much more medical equipment!
What are vein finders and why are they important?
Vein finders are just that – equipment that show up veins very easily. At one of my appointments whilst I was pregnant, I had to have two samples of blood taking and ended up being stabbed nearly eight times. As an adult, it hurt but I knew I could get over it, and I knew my veins were always hard to find. As a child, well OUCH! For a child that’s pre or post operation, it’s just something else to worry about. Every child will need at least one cannula inserted. Clara has had many!
And why the colouring books?
The colouring books, and similar items, are equally important, despite costing a lot less. They are vital distraction techniques for children waiting to go to theatre, for children bed bound recovering from theatre, and for siblings of poorly children who are cooped up inside a surgical ward because their parents need to be there.
Some items need to be purchased through approved NHS suppliers, eg the vein finders (at around £3,000 each!), whilst others can be purchased wherever we can get the best deal. I plan to contact national stationary, book, art, and play companies to see if they’ll donate the ‘fun’ items like colouring books, saving our funds for the bigger items that can’t be negotiated on.
Watch this space – I’ll share with you the items we purchase.
Clara and the Gutcracker 