Tiny Hearts Incubator raises eleven thousand for local charity appeal

Barnsley Hospital Charity would like to say a big thank you to its staff, patients and the general public who have made donations to the Tiny Hearts Appeal Incubator – no matter how big or small – helping it raise a staggering £11,522.63.

The initiative was officially launched at World Prematurity Day on 17 November, and has proven to be a huge success, contributing significantly to the charity’s capital appeal, bringing the current total to almost £120,000 for the appeal.

The Tiny Hearts Appeal is a campaign run by the charity  which aims to raise £1 million to support the development of a brand new, state of the art neonatal unit for babies who need special care. The unit will be situated alongside the Barnsley Birthing Centre which means that the babies will not have to be exposed to different environments and different temperature changes, nor will they have to be taken into an elevator.

The charity received the incubator after it was kindly donated free of charge by Drager Medical UK Limited, it is being used as a visual tool for the Tiny Hearts Appeal to increase public awareness. Special signage has been created and placed as a backdrop to create a large visual display on entrance to the hospital.

The incubator is acting as a giant money box to raise funds for the appeal and has been sealed and secured by the Trust’s engineering department to ensure it is safe.

Diane Wake, Chief Executive of Barnsley Hospital says:

“Since its launch, it has received many positive comments from staff, patients and the public and has proved to be a real hit and vocal point of conversation.

“Children stop to put their pocket money inside, and parents explain to their children that they were once cared for in an incubator. Everyone has a story to tell, and they often share these with us.

“We all know someone who has had a baby or is due to have a baby and this is a chance to raise funds for Barnsley Hospital and support the build of a brand new home for Barnsley’s special care babies.”

Premature babies are underdeveloped and have to be given extra help for their tiny bodies to cope with the outside world, and can spend up to 13-14 weeks on the unit. The care on the unit is focused around allowing the babies to fully develop and the current unit needs to be updated and expanded in order to allow parents to have proper bonding time with their babies.

If you’d like to support the Tiny Hearts Appeal, you can make a donation online at www.justgiving.com/tinyhearts or alternatively, contact the charity on 01226 431650.