Getting married on 13th August this year proved to be a lucky date for the ‘Barely Born’ appeal. Guests invited to the wedding of Rachael Bushby and David Pugh raised an incredible £1,200 for the ‘Barely Born’ appeal when they were requested to make a donation rather than giving a wedding gift.
David was one of the faces of the Barely Born campaign when it was launched in April 2008. He was born prematurely at St. Mary’s Hospital, where he received care and support from the intensive care unit.
Rachael’s daughter Zoe was also born prematurely in 2002, weighing in at only 3lb 9oz. She was cared for and nurtured by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team for over a month.
On 31st August, Rachael, Zoe and David presented a cheque to the Barely Born Appeal for £1,200. David commented; “Without the dedicated care of the NICU team neither I nor Zoe would be here today. With that in mind it seems only right to give something back to the unit on our special day, in appreciation for what they have done for us. We want to recognise and support the wonderful work the Neonatal team do for many babies and families across the Island on a daily basis. “
We would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank all our guests who generously supported and donated to the ‘Barely Born’ Appeal.”
The Barely Born Appeal was launched to raise additional funds to help provide St Mary’s Hospital with a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the Island’s babies and their parents. You can find out more about the unit and how to donate by visiting: http://www.barelyborn.co.uk
Gill Kennett, Associate Director for the Community Services Clinical Directorate commented: “I would like to thank Rachael, David, Zoe and their guests for their kind generosity and £1,200 donation to the Barely Born Appeal. While all donations are gratefully received, those that are given by past recipients of care always hold special meaning.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers of the 2011 SQ2SQ. The Barely Born Appeal is one of two charities being supported by the challenge that will see fire-fighters from the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service embark in October; this time cycling from the Isle of Wight to Gibraltar.” More about the challenge can be viewed on their website http://www.squaretosquare.org.uk/ .”
Additionally, there is a new exhibition at St. Mary’s Hospital’s ‘Full Circle’ Exhibition Space which will raise funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’s Barely Born Appeal. The exhibition ‘GlassArt’ by Brian Marriott opens to the public on the afternoon of Wednesday 7th September 2011.
The exhibition which is free of charge is open daily at St. Mary’s from 8.00a.m. to 8.00p.m. All works are for sale and 25 per cent of all sales will be donated to the Barely Born Appeal supporting the work of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. To make a purchase or to make an enquiry please contact Guy Eades on 01983-534253 or e-mail guy.eades@iow.nhs.uk.
