It has been almost a year since we voted the Special Care Baby Unit as our company charity and in that time we have achieved a lot, having organised many events such as a sponsored walk, Spooky Stay-overs and a Shaveathon, raising over £15,000 for many pieces of much needed equipment. Each Charity runs for 12mths and as the current period is drawing to an end we now need to decide upon the next Charity we will support.
This is where you come in. To make this a worth while effort we need the support of everyone, which is why it has again been decided to put this to the company vote. Below are all the nominated charities along with a brief write up explaining what the charity does. If you would like to know more about any of them please contact Sarah Hayden.Votes need to be cast by 5.30 on Friday 28th July and the results will be announced Monday 31st July. Would all team leaders please pass on the link to colleagues without email to ensure they have their vote.
Their philosophy is one which affirms life and is a concept for caring and living. The hospice exists to provide and promote the highest total care possible for people with advanced cancer, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's chorea and AIDs and to provide help and support for their families and others important to their care. Thus enabling patients to live as full a life as possible, with in the limitations of their illness, and a peaceful dignified death at the end of life. These services are provided Free Of Charge to people from Chester, Ellesmere Port, Deeside and Rural Cheshire.
To fulfil the philosophy £1.7 million is needed per year to provide:
Also offered are a range of complimentary therapies such as acupuncture, reflexology and aromatherapy as well as diversional therapies and social contact with the added facilities of a light sensory room and quiet room.
A highly skilled and multi-professional team, which includes doctors, MacMillan nurses, bereavement counsellors, social workers and a chaplaincy team, help provide all this.
Coronary Care Unit is a critical care unit that treats patients who have life threatening cardiac conditions.
The unit has now been opened for almost seven years so the life saving equipment they use is now starting to show its age and needs updating for the unit to continue to maintain the quality of care they give. They are looking to replace equipment such as the diffibrillating machines, which are used to aid with the resuscitation of patients and now need to be biphasic to comply with guidelines from resuscitation council, and cardiac monitoring equipment, which is used for transferring patients within the hospital when they are having ongoing investigations and to other centres for further treatment. Any support we could give would be very much valued by the dedicated staff working within this unit.
An employee nominated this as her charity as they helped her father when he had two heart attacks. Here are her comments:
The reason I am nominating this charity is because in 1995 my dad suffered 2 massive Heart Attacks and without the wonderful team on CCU he would definitely be dead. They do a wonderful job and work really hard, sometimes with equipment that needs updating. He has since been back several times with acute angina and they always take good care of him.
Currently they are fund raising for life saving heart equipment which isn't always provided by the NHS.
Claire House is a children's hospice which provides specialist respite and palliative care, symptom control, end of life care and bereavement support for children and young people with life-threatening/life-limiting conditions and their families from Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales and the Isle of Man.
In order to provide this support they use a number of facilities including a multi-sensory room, jacuzzi, hydrotherapy pool, teenage room, art and craft area and physiotherapy/complementary therapy. There is also a multi purpose room where they offer music therapy, group activities or quiet reflection.
All of the children have complex medical needs which are met by an experienced team of registered sick children's nurses, nursery nurses, care assistants, physiotherapist, family support worker, play specialist and music therapist. Medical cover is provided by four dedicated GPs who visit the children daily and whenever they are needed day or night with access to a specialist paediatric palliative care team.
Claire House provides all of it's children and their families a warm, welcoming haven from the hard reality of their everyday lives.
Capricorn Animal Rescue are on call 24 hours a day, responding to calls from the public, veterinary groups and councils to take in a wide variety of abandoned or abused animals from the Flintshire, Wrexham and Chester areas. The rescue centre was started nearly 30yrs ago by kind hearted Sheila Stewart and her family. It became a registered charity only eight years ago.
A lot of the animals they're asked to take in are usually in need because an elderly person has gone into hospital, into care or a hospice and there is nowhere for their pet to go. Or from someone who has been made homeless and their pet either needs rehoming or caring for until the owners gets themselves sorted out with accommodation.
They are currently based in Padeswood, but have now outgrown this location. In 1997 they purchased 12 acres alongside Park Road, Llay, near Wrexham, with the view that this land would be used to make a Sanctuary and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. In order for them to succeed they need to raise £100,000. Part of the Sanctuary would be a block of 28 kennels to be used primarily by the various departments of Social Services of Flintshire, Wrexham and Chester areas and this needs to be completed by the end of 2006.
Animals that are lucky enough to land on Sheila Stewarts door can be sure of shelter, medical attention (if needed) and a good meal.
Hope House Children's Hospices provides respite, palliative care and terminal nursing for life-limited children. Support is also offered in the family home by the Community Care Team. Bereavement support and counselling is available to all family members for as long as it is necessary.
The organisation runs two hospices, Hope House in Oswestry and Ty Gobaith in Conwy, which cater for the areas of Cheshire, Shropshire, North and Mid Wales. Their facilities include children's bedrooms, Hydrotherapy pool, Multi-sensory room, Play room, Games room, Music room, Kitchen & Dining room, Lounge, parent and family rooms, Parents' lounge, Bereavement suite, Playground and landscaped gardens.
Hope House never closes. They are there 24 hours a day, all year round, to help whenever they are needed. They make no charges to families, and receives very little statutory funding - voluntary income is therefore essential to ensure the continuation of the service.
B.I.R.D is an independent charity that provide its unique approach to the treatment of neurological impairment known as 'Developmental Reflexive Rehabilitation'. Using this approach they work to improve the quality of life of people irrespective of age or severity of condition.
Being told that your child may have some kind of neurological disorder can be a frightening experience for any parent. Seeing someone you care about affected by a stroke can be earth shattering. BIRD may be able to help.
They treat people with conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, communication disorders, autism, ADHD, epilepsy, dyslexia, dyspraxia, behavioural disorders and other neurological impairments. Removing the barriers to learning can allow a child to achieve their full potential.
BIRD provides a service on a voluntary basis. They rely on charitable trusts, companies, voluntary groups and the public to contribute to their funds. However, there always remains a shortfall. They help hundreds of patients each year but their limited funds will not stretch.