Zephyr s bereavement support centre opens its doors. How you ve helped patients receive massage therapy

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1 pulse Spring/Summer 2017 At the heart of your care Zephyr s bereavement support centre opens its doors How you ve helped patients receive massage therapy 6 Have fun and get involved in our upcoming events 8 Win a trip to the Big Apple, in aid of the Big Appeal! 16

2 Special appeals together we can change lives Special appeals together we can save lives 3-5 Meet new Trustee Harish Vyas 3 BIG Appeal goes to the movies 4 Hayden gets on his bike for BIG Appeal 4 Zephyr s opens its doors 5 What you have made possible How your donations have helped 6-7 How you can help Get involved! 8-9 Working with business and the community Backing our appeals could boost your business 10 Can you volunteer for us? 10 Lord Mayor champions tiny babies 11 Golf clubs drive to support full spectrum of care 11 Fundraising Hall of Fame Prize Draw: Back the BIG Appeal win a trip to the BIG Apple! 16 Get in touch Call us on charity@nuh.nhs.uk Address Nottingham Hospitals Charity Sherwood Building City Hospital Hucknall Road Nottingham NG5 1PB Facebook Nottingham Hospitals Charity Visit us Welcome Welcome to the Spring/ Summer issue of Pulse, where you can catch up on the latest news from Nottingham Hospitals Charity and see how your support is making a difference to patients at Nottingham s hospitals. In this issue we cover the opening of Zephyr s support centre for families who have lost a pregnancy, baby or child. This project is close to my heart as it shows what can be done when people come to our Charity with an idea and work with us to bring their dream to fruition. It is wonderful to see the centre open. On page 3 is an interview with our new Trustee, Prof Harish Vyas. Harish recently retired from his role as Consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care and is a staunch supporter of the Charity. We look forward to working with him. If you ve been to the Showcase cinema recently you ll have seen our short animated film about Nottingham Children s Hospital. We launched the film in February as part our BIG Appeal to raise 3m for family accommodation, state of the art diagnostic equipment and crucial research into childhood illnesses. On page 4 you can read the story of one of our young patients and find out how you can help the BIG Appeal. There are lots of other ways to get involved too. Pages 8 and 9 are packed with fun events you can take part in. On pages 10 and 11 you can read how businesses, sports clubs and community groups can work with us to benefit patients, and how you can volunteer. On pages 6 and 7 you can read about some of the fantastic projects your support has enabled. It s also the time of year when we re holding our prize draw and the first prize is a trip to New York - so by supporting our BIG Appeal you can win a trip to the BIG Apple! There are many more fantastic prizes too. If you d like to buy tickets, or take some to sell to family and friends, please call us on Barbara Cathcart, Chief Executive Meet new Trustee Harish Vyas Professor Harish Vyas has joined the Charity as a Trustee after retiring from his role as Senior Consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care. His illustrious medical career spans four decades and includes studying at Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust and then working at Great Ormond Street, Westminster and the Sultanate of Oman where he set up paediatric services from scratch at a brand new hospital. At Nottingham he brought together children s units from the former City and QMC hospitals to form Nottingham Children s Hospital, and led the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Prof Vyas, along with Dr Andrew Prayle and their team at Nottingham Children s Hospital, recently reached their fundraising target to buy a brand new piece of pulmonary function testing equipment for the Children s Hospital the ProLab which will support early diagnosis and treatment of children s lung disease. Pulse caught up with Harish to find out what the future holds. Q. Your career has taken you to many places but you seem to have a soft spot for Nottingham can you tell us why that is? A. I came to Nottingham in 1978 at the age of 27 because it had an amazing reputation for paediatric training. I have also worked in London and Oman but settled in Nottingham because I met my wife here and made lots of friends. Nottingham is my only real home. Q. How do you think the Charity helps the work of clinical teams and consultants at Nottingham s hospitals? A. The Charity has been hugely supportive in helping to provide equipment, research and training to enhance the paediatric and respiratory services. When we revamped the High Dependency Unit a lot of the funding came from the Charity. Q. What made you decide to become a Trustee? A. I come from a family with a strong tradition of charitable work. My grandfather worked for a Charity in Kenya which helped prisoners find jobs and for a hospital that gave free maternity care for African women. Charity is synonymous with the name Vyas! Q. How do you see the Charity developing? A. The Charity has become a lot more professional in recent years and is developing a distinct identity and a tremendous reputation both in Nottingham itself, throughout Nottinghamshire and beyond. Q. What difference will our BIG Appeal make to children such as your patients? A. Parents accommodation is very important. You often see parents sleeping by the child s bedside. There is a real need for decent accommodation, particularly for parents of chronically ill children who are in hospital for a long time. Imaging equipment is also crucial. Children s diagnostic needs are different from adults so it will be fantastic to have dedicated imaging equipment which will mean children get diagnosed quicker. Q. Having been until very recently a senior Consultant at the Children s Hospital, what special insights do you bring to the Charity? A. The Charity often gets approached for funding for research projects. Having been a researcher as well as a clinician I can provide a service both in vetting and arranging peer reviews for research projects. Q. Apart from working with the Charity, how else are you planning to spend your retirement? A. I am working as a specialist adviser for Médecins Sans Frontières. I get up very early each day to respond to s from young doctors working out in the field who want advice on paediatric cases. I am also planning to learn to play piano, spending more time with my wife Catherine and going for long country walks with my lovely black Labrador Poppy. 2 Follow us on 3

3 Special appeals together we can change lives BIG Appeal goes to the movies If you are planning a trip to Showcase Cinema over the next few months you will see Nottingham Children s Hospital s Robin mascot on the big screen! In a short animated film, Robin takes you on a whistle-stop tour of the Children s Hospital and shows how you can support the Charity s BIG Appeal to raise 3 million to help young patients. The cartoon - showing at Nottingham s Showcase Cinema for the next six months shows Robin trying out a whole range of fundraising challenges, from skydiving to getting in a bath of beans, all putting the fun into fundraising. The BIG Appeal is raising funds for much-needed parent and family accommodation, state of the art diagnostic equipment, and life-saving research into childhood illnesses. If you d like to show the short film at your school, community group, organisation or business, please call us on or charity@nuh.nhs.uk Hayden gets on his bike for BIG Appeal One parent getting behind the BIG Appeal is Hayden Whitehead, who is gearing up for a 24-hour, 300-mile Nottingham to Edinburgh cycle challenge in July, inspired by his son s illness. Hayden s four-year-old son George was diagnosed with leukaemia after collapsing at playgroup in March last year. He immediately required blood and platelet transfusions along with chemotherapy and is now on a three-year programme of chemotherapy, weekly home visits from community nurses and frequent visits to the Children s Hospital. Feeling helpless in the face of his son s diagnosis, Hayden decided to raise money for Children s Ward E39 and for Children s Oncology Day care where his son is treated. He has already raised more than 8,700 of his 10,000 target. Hayden says: Visiting Daycare Oncology unit three to four times a week has opened mine and my wife s eyes to the fantastic work all the staff do. They are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week helping children as young as three months old battling cancer and offering kind words of support and encouragement to the parents. We cannot change George s diagnosis but we can support the ward where these brave babies, toddlers, children, and teenagers spend so much of their time in treatment. If you would like to support the BIG Appeal go to the Nottingham Hospitals Charity s donation page at charity.org.uk/donate/ or call the Charity team on to make a donation or to volunteer, or you can Donate by Text by typing NUHC13 and your chosen amount ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10) into a text message, and send it to For example, write NUHC13 5 to donate 5 via text. Special appeals together we can change lives Zephyr s opens its doors If you or someone in your family has been affected by the loss of a pregnancy, baby or child, there is now a special support centre at the City Hospital offering counselling, bereavement support, healing arts activities and complementary therapies. The centre, in a former flat on the hospital campus, was set up by Nottingham couple Carly Williams and Martin Sommerville whose son Zephyr was stillborn at the hospital. They raised 20,000 through Nottingham Hospitals Charity and worked with other families, NUH staff and volunteers to create Zephyr s a centre where families can access counselling and peer support away from the maternity wards. More than 200 people attended an open day in April at Zephyr s where they took part in arts activities, met staff and families and helped plant apple trees and flowers outside the centre. Lisa Brewer, who went to the Open Day, says: What a fantastic space which is so needed. You are truly amazing people, channeling something so devastating into a huge positive achievement which will benefit so many. Carly says: We set up Zephyr s in our son s name to create a better place for families and staff to come together in compassionate surroundings, to find strength to talk openly about our children and our grief and be in the company of others who understand. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who was part of Zephyr s opening and to all those who ve got the place to where it is by lovingly giving their time, care and creativity. To keep up to date with developments, please like the Zephyr s Facebook page: ZephyrsNottingham To contact the Child Bereavement Team please call extension To contact the Bereavement Midwife, Mandy Dann, please call extension or Follow us on Get in touch by calling

4 What you have made possible How your donations have helped With your help we are able to give around 4 million each year to fund lifesaving equipment, ground-breaking research and environmental enhancements to help patients at Nottingham s hospitals. Here are some of the projects you have helped us fund across all areas of your local hospitals. 175,000 to fund a clinical research project to develop new and effective treatments for Multiple Myeloma. 200,000 to refurbish the lounge and recovery areas at Trent Cardiac Centre so that heart patients are admitted to and discharged from patient-friendly areas close to where they are treated rather than needing to be transported some distance from a ward. 47,500 to fund complementary therapies including hand and foot massage for Myeloma patients. 32,000 for a thermal imaging camera to help develop better quality breast reconstruction for cancer patients. 23,500 for an activities co-ordinator to run creative activities including arts, drama and singing for Cystic Fibrosis patients. 27,000 for lung function testing equipment for children. 15,000 to fund a lab technician to develop 3D models of oesophageal cancers to help with research into individual treatment options. 1,900 for a ramp and safety rail to allow less mobile patients to access the ENT garden. 12,100 to fund musicians to enhance the care of dementia and stroke patients. 282 What you have made possible for a Lego Linac model of the radiotherapy unit to help explain to young patients what to expect during their treatment. 988 for special temperature controlled blankets for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Nottingham Hospitals Charity: at the heart of your care for life 6 Donate now at Get in touch by calling

5 How you can help How you can help Get involved! Thoresby 10K Date: Sunday 22nd October 2017 We ve got a whole host of events you can get involved in to raise money for Nottingham s hospitals. Whether you want to get fit, do something daring or just have fun, you will find something to suit you! Call us on or charity@nuh.nhs.uk to find out more! Dragon Boat Race Location: Thoresby Hall and Estate, north Nottinghamshire Details: Taking place in the stunning grounds of Thoresby Hall, you can take park in the 5k, 10k or 10 mile run. We have a limited number of free spaces available. The Great Notts Bike Ride Date: Saturday 1st July 2017 Cyclone24 Location: Trent Bridge, Nottingham Date: Sunday 25th June 2017 Details: Join us for a day of fun, excitement and furious paddling! Teams of 17 required, with prizes for the top three teams, best dressed and most successful fundraisers. There s a 50 registration fee and a minimum fundraising target per team of 500. Location: Nottinghamshire Date: Saturday 3rd February 2018 Details: Cycle 25, 50, 75, 100 Location: Derby Arena or even 125 miles! There are distances for all levels, whether you re looking for a fun day out for the family or a BIG cycling challenge. Details: A unique 24 hour team cycling relay challenge at the Midlands new hub for track cycling, Derby Arena. The 250m track has already been ridden by some of the world s top cyclists now it s your turn! You will need six people in your team. Robin Hood Marathon Total Wipe Out & Big Fun Day - Join #TeamRobin and support the BIG Appeal! Date: Saturday 2nd September 2017 Date: Sunday 24th September 2017 Field, City Hospital Location: Nottingham Details: The Robin Hood Marathon guides you through Nottingham s iconic landmarks and stunning parkland, this flat and fast course is perfect for experienced runners and beginners alike. 8 Get in touch by calling Location: Cricket Details: Take part in a hilarious day of competition and bouncy fun, based on the popular TV show. Teams of six will tackle the Wipeout Sweeper, Big Red Balls, Dash n Grab, Demolition Ball and a 70 foot Inflatable Obstacle Course! Register your team for 60 with a fundraising commitment of 180. Nottingham Inflatable 5K Date: Saturday 24th June 2017 Location: Nottingham Racecourse, Colwick Park Close, NG2 4BE Details: The 5K course is packed with some of the largest and most extreme inflatable obstacles ever created! To sign up simply go to and us at charity@nuh.nhs.uk to let us know what you would like to fundraise for! Charity Skydive Date: Any date of your choice Location: Langar Airfield, Nottinghamshire Details: A day you will never forget, performing an exhilarating 10,000 ft tandem skydive in aid of Nottingham Hospitals Charity. Jump for free by committing to fundraise 395 or more. Get in touch by ing charity@nuh.nhs.uk 9

6 How you can help Backing our appeals could boost your business By working with us as a corporate partner, you can build your brand, improve team spirit, raise your profile and attract new clients. Here s just a few of the companies who are already supporting Nottingham Hospitals Charity. DC Training & Development Services Ltd organised a gala dinner, raising more than 13,400 to support the Nottingham Children s British Transplant Games team who are competing in North Lanarkshire in July. The company has raised more than 70,000 to help patients at Nottinghamshire Hospitals during the last seven years. Managing Director Darren Calow s young son Daniel, who has himself had a transplant, is taking part in the games. British Edible Pulses Association raised more than 11,000 for QMC Neonatal at their annual dinner inspired by the care of Amaya Ibriham, born 16 weeks premature and treated at the unit for chronic lung disease. Amaya s grandfather Paddy Barrett is a member of the Association and he and Amaya s mum Melanie are keen supporters of our BIG Appeal. Lincolnshire company Inzpire Ltd donated 3,720 for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in recognition and thanks for the care given to the daughter of a staff member. This is the third year running the company has supported the Charity. If your business would like to support Nottingham Hospitals Charity, please call us on or charity@nuh.nhs.uk Could you volunteer for us? We could not achieve all that we do without the tireless efforts of a team of committed volunteers who give their time to support the Charity. Volunteers help in many ways, from carrying out collections at the theatre to marshalling at marathons and setting up stalls as well as helping our busy calendar of events to run smoothly. We are keen to bring in more volunteers from all cross sections of the community and Charity Assistant Lucy Fisher is working hard to develop voluntary activity across all aspects of our work. Lucy says: As summer approaches it looks set to be another busy year for Nottingham Hospitals Charity so we are keen to hear from volunteers of all ages, with a wide range of experience and interests, who would like to support our office and community activities. In return, we hope to offer a supportive environment in which you can enhance your skills and feel valued as part of a friendly team, by carrying out a varied role that is stimulating and rewarding. To find out more call Lucy Fisher on or lucy.fisher@nuh.nhs.uk Golf clubs drive to support full spectrum of life Mapperley Golf Club is teeing off to support Nottingham s hospitals, with both ladies and men s captains choosing Nottingham Hospitals Charity as their charity of the year. Between them they are supporting the whole spectrum of care from premature birth to end of life. The ladies team chose the hospital s Neonatal Unit and the men s team have chosen Hayward House palliative care centre. Ladies captain Maria Timson says: I wanted to help tiny babies at the beginning of their lives. I also wanted to support a local charity. Nottingham Hospitals Charity allows you to choose exactly where your money will be spent. Men s captain Dave Olley chose to support end of life care because both his parents died of cancer and because he volunteers at Hayward House. Dave and team-mates How you can help Lord Mayor champions tiny babies Personal experience of his own children being born prematurely inspired Nottingham s Lord Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Saghir, to choose Nottingham Hospitals Charity s Tiny Babies Appeal as one of his nominated charities during his year in office. Councillor Saghir experienced the heartbreak of losing his son at three months old after a premature birth. Both his daughters, now 16 and 26, were also born prematurely. During his tenure as Mayor, Councillor Saghir visited the Neonatal Unit, took part in the Charity s BIG Appeal launch and hosted a thank you afternoon tea for 28 families who raised more than 27,000 for the Neonatal Units to mark World Prematurity Day. Councillor Saghir says: I wanted to choose a charity that would reflect my personal experience of having a premature baby. Charity funding is vital in providing state-of-the-art equipment, funding research to improve care for tiny patients and supporting parents and families at a difficult and emotional time. have planned a host of fundraising events including a Charity Golf Day on 30 July, a charity auction and a quiz night. Mapperley is one of several Nottinghamshire golf clubs choosing to support Nottingham Hospitals Charity. Beeston Fields Golf Club raised more than 6,200 and Radliffe on Trent Golf Club recently donated 5,270. If your sports club would like to support Nottingham Hospitals Charity, please call us on or charity@nuh.nhs.uk 10 Follow us on Get in touch by ing charity@nuh.nhs.uk 11

7 Fundraising hall of fame Fundraising hall of fame A massive thank you to everyone Huge thanks to Plumtree School who donated 2,000 for the BIG Appeal raised at their Spring Stroll and Charity Ball. Thank you for your support! Massive congratulations to Brent Stojanovic who ran 58 km in four hours 50 minutes to raise money for the Hepatology department at QMC, where his Dad was treated. Brent raised 1,635. Thank you so much! Special thanks to June Baines and members of the GMB union who donated more than 3,500 in memory of June s husband Vic to the oncology department s SCOPES unit (Systematic care of older people in elective surgery). A huge well done to Hospital Chief Executive Peter Homa, Chief Nurse Mandie Sunderland and others from the NUH Executive Team for taking part in a daring 10,000-foot skydive which raised more than 3,700. Special thanks to the families of Zach Sinclair and Bella Hurst who have funded two paediatric care cots for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. A big thank you to Abbie Anderson who asked for money for charity instead of presents for her ninth birthday. She donated 165 to the children s cancer wards. 12 Get in touch by ing charity@nuh.nhs.uk Follow us on 13

8 Fundraising hall of fame Fundraising hall of fame A massive thank you to everyone Special thanks to Gethin Edwards who is getting in training to run 177 miles from North to South Wales and to heights totalling 28,000 feet in October to raise funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where his son Leo was treated after being born prematurely at just 28 weeks. Special thanks to the The Harley Jae Trust who have donated more than 30,000 in the last 14 months to support children and families on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, funding portable medical equipment, training aids, and helping to make the unit a more homely environment for all children and their families. Huge respect to Connor Mulcahy, a teenager treated for Lymphoma at Nottingham Children s Hospital. Having recently finished chemotherapy treatment, and got the all clear, Connor climbed Snowdon last month, raising more than 2,000 for the ward where he was treated. Thank you so much Connor! Thank you for your support! A big shout out to play specialists Claire Hardy and Sam Ward, who have so far raised 6,000 for the BIG Appeal through a series of events including a curry night, Salsa evening, and several cake sales. They are planning a Teddy Bear s picnic and Carnival Ball in the summer and are gearing up to cycle the coast of Brazil in September. Special thanks to Ann Keeling who asked for donations instead of flowers at her husband David s funeral and to the hospital Pharmacy where David worked: between them they donated more than 600 in David s memory. Well done to the Haematology Day Case team for taking on the Three Peaks challenge in July. They have already raised 7,000 of their 20,000 target to improve facilities on their unit. Big thanks to the team for getting active to make a difference for their patients. 14 Get in touch by ing charity@nuh.nhs.uk Donate now at 15

9 Support our BIG Appeal and win a trip to the BIG Apple! For the cost of a 2 ticket for our prize draw you could win a trip to New York, thanks to the generosity of Virgin Atlantic, who have donated two return tickets from Heathrow, and Yotel New York, who have donated a three-night stay for two in their stylish contemporary hotel in downtown Manhattan. Plus you ll receive 500 in cash to spend during your break! Plus there are many more fantastic prizes, including a brand new ipad (donated by Jigsaw24), family outings, fine dining, theatre tickets, gift baskets and more. Please go to for a full list of prizes. Tickets are 2 each available on their own or in books of 5. The draw will take place on Monday 2 October If you would like to buy tickets or take some to sell to family and friends please call us on