Archive: Jan 2018

We are Looking for Dads Help…

We are looking for Dads help.

Staff on the neonatal/special care baby unit are asking Dads if they would be happy to share their stories, of their experience as a Dad who has been through the neonatal/special care baby unit with their babies .

Your story of your individual neonatal journey, whether it is one short paragraph or a few pages. Will be compiled into a file, that can be accessed by Dads currently on the unit. Any names of babies or staff will be changed making it confidential, unless you state you are happy for names to be kept as the original.

Having stories specifically from Dads would be great, as new Dads on the unit will know they aren’t alone and it will also help staff understand as a unit what your unique needs are and how they can look to meet them.

If this is something, you would like to help with please contact either Matt Cray (matthew.cray@nuth.nhs.uk ) or Louise at Tiny Lives (louise@tinylives.org.uk ) 0191 230 2112.

Thank you!

Make a difference - qoute

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together we can make a difference

 

Because of you…

…Tiny Lives won the Green Token Scheme at Asda, Gosforth.  Thank you so much to all staff and customers who supported Tiny Lives through the green token scheme.

We were over the moon when Michelle, Community Colleague at Asda contacted us to say we had won the Green Token Scheme, in which we received a wonderful cheque for £500.

We could only think of one special little girl to collect the lovely donation on behalf of Tiny Lives.  Islay who always put her green token into the Tiny Lives slot, came along with her mum and little brother to accept the donation.

Islay has been a great supporter of Tiny Lives from day one by featuring in the Tiny Lives Film and helping her dad with his latest challenge for Tiny Lives and Cerebra.

Islay and Michelle with green tokens

Ialay 2

Islay and Michelle

Islay with chq

Islay and Louise

Islay and Michelle with chq

 

 

Running for Charlie

Every year Rowley takes part in the Great North Run supporting local charities that are close to his and his friends heart.  In 2017 Rowley was speaking to Joanne and Dave Stephens and after hearing about their grandsons story (below) Rowley decided he wanted to run the GNR for Tiny Lives to honour Charlie’s memory.

Thank you to everyone who supported Rowley with sponsorship in which £3,724 was raised.  It was lovely to have the chance to meet Rowley at the Ashington Comrades Social Club for a chq collection and also to say a massive thank you face to face not only to Rowley but to Charlie’s family and everyone in the club who made a donation on the sponsor forms.

“Charlie David Stephens was born on 12th April 2012 weighing 2lbs 4oz.   Charlie was born at Wansbeck General Hospital 3 months premature.  He was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the RVI who are supported by Tiny Lives, this was his home for the next 96 days (3 months 5 days). Charlie came home with his mammy & Daddy for 3 months before he took ill on 5th October with Meningitis.  Charlie fought very hard to stay with us for 12 days before passing away on 17th October 2012.”

Charlie

We never had the chance to play,

To laugh, to rock, to wiggle,

We long to hold you, touch you now,

And listen to you giggle

She’ll always be your Mother

I’ll always be your Dad

You’ll always be our child

The Child that we had

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1Charlie David Stephens

Charlie smiling

6307_10201439782945043_286334001_n Charlie Tattoo

Chq collection with Rowley

 

December Bag Packing at Asda, Gosforth

bag pack at asda

On Saturday 23rd December (Christmas eve eve) we had been given the opportunity to bag pack at Asda, Gosforth.

With the help of our great volunteers giving up some of their Christmas shopping hours to help us bag pack we managed to cover 8 tills throughout the day and with the great support of customers donating into our buckets we have raised £968.06 which is amazing and this was only possible because of Asda, our volunteers and the very kind shoppers of Asda.

It’s also nice to speak to customers who have experienced life on the neonatal/special care baby unit, listening to their story and the kind words they have for staff on the unit.

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Alison and Marney

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