ALDER HEY CHILDREN'S CHARITY INSPIRED MAGAZINE Issue 13

A BIG HELLO & WELCOME TO

Hello!

In the last edition of Inspired we said goodbye to long standing Community Fundraising Manager Irene as she retired after 27 years at Alder Hey.

In this edition we welcome our new Community Fundraiser Sarah as our guest editor…

Hi, my name is Sarah, and I am the new Community Fundraiser at Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

Jumping into the world of fundraising is a brand-new challenge for me, as in my previous job I was a primary school teacher.

I love that in my new role I will be coming into schools and other community groups to support them with their fundraising for Alder Hey. I am especially excited about bringing my skills in British Sign Language (BSL) into the team and maybe even using it at some of our events!

I can’t wait to be a part of some of the wonderful fundraising that happens for the charity.

During the short time I have been in my role, I have already seen that the people who fundraise for Alder Hey are so dedicated and passionate, which is part of what makes working at Alder Hey so special.

I am so proud to be part of the Alder Hey family. Alder Hey has supported my family so much over the years, so to know that I am going to be giving back to such a magical hospital is absolutely amazing.

We are constantly inspired by the support shown to Alder Hey and the amazing, ingenious ways people have raised money to make a difference to our young patients and their families. Here are just a few of the brilliant activities and fundraisers that have inspired us this Summer.

TO OUR FABUL

Skye McSorley raised an amazing £1,450.50 by completing a 5K for Alder Hey – what a star!

Anthony Dunn and friends raised a magnificent £15,596 by climbing Snowdon to thank the hospital for the care received by his daughter.

Riley Dougherty visited us at the hospital to donate an amazing £400 after he cycled through the Mersey Tunnel without stabilisers (the Tunnel was closed at the time!).

Following brain surgery to help with her epileptic seizures, Emily Andrew’s family and former nursery school, Portico Mere Grange Nursey raised an incredible £10,030.50.

OUS SUPPORTERS

Miv and Sue raised over £1,400 by abseiling the Anglican Cathedral. Miv was recently 80 years young and asked for donations to Alder Hey in lieu of presents

Leo Crowder baked 50 cookies and 34 shortbreads and raised £80 in a few hours at ‘Leo’s bakery’.

GXO Logistics raised a striking£2,223 by organising a footballfundraising event.

Charlie Mitchell & Darcie-Paige Mitchell raised £200 by creating and baking their own cakes and pizzas.

Phil Rylands – raised a punchy £2,822.50 by white collar boxing in gratitude for the amazing care his daughter received at Alder Hey. He also got the win – go Phil!

to all our fabulous

BACK TO SCHOOL

We love working with schools,

events/days such as an Alder

PJ Day

as Charity of the Year.

some of the schools

Each year, as we launch our Matalan PJ campaign, we also launch our Alder Hey PJ Day for schools – after all – who doesn’t love going to school/work in their pjs?

PJ Day is any day you want it to be and we have lots of resources for you to download too, to help your school PJ Day go extra smoothly!

register for a PJ Day and receive our PJ Day

school

like more information

like one of our team

work

hospital

A L E TTE

S A M ’ S

AP P E A L

My name is Jen Deeney and

I am Head of Nursing for the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership, a collaborative project between Liverpool Women’s and Alder Hey Children’s Hospitals.

I want to reach out to you as a supporter of Alder Hey to tell you about Alder Hey Charity’s Surgical Neonatal Appeal.

We urgently need to raise £22,000 to buy four new Neopuff Infant Resuscitators. These life saving devices are in use at Liverpool Women’s now, but more are needed to use immediately at Alder Hey. They will then be moved into our brand new Surgical Neonatal Unit (NICU) that we are starting to build on site at Alder Hey, the first of its kind in the UK.

I’d like to tell you about one of our babies, Sam, whose life was saved multiple times by our NHS heroes, using a Neopuff Resuscitator. His mum Zalena told us about their experience:

Sam was born in May 2020 when I was only 24 weeks pregnant. He weighed just 790g and could fit in his dad’s hand. Sam required two major operations to save his life and multiple surgeries to save his sight at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

As Sam was extremely premature, we spent the first four months of his life at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, living out of our bags and worried what each day might bring. Many times, my husband Martin and I were told that Sam may not make it through the night, and we had to be prepared for losing our first child.

To access the specialist care and surgery that Sam needed, he had to be transferred between hospitals six times. For a baby as tiny and fragile as Sam, this was an extremely worrying process. He had to be stabilised in a transport ventilator for an hour before each journey and then travel by critical care ambulance without us due to COVID restrictions at the time.

S T O R Y

I think that Zalena’s words show why having access to the best available technology is so important when caring for extremely premature and sick babies. Our tiny patients and their amazing families inspire us everyday to always go above and beyond.

A Surgical Neonatal Unit like the one being built at Alder Hey would have meant we could have stayed together as a family at the time that Sam needed us both. It would have allowed us to feel a slight sense of normality having our own living space in which to bond as a family in those early days, knowing that every expert was on hand.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity is raising vital funds to enhance the NICU and to fund the life-saving equipment needed, like the Neopuffs. Whilst in intensive care, Sam stopped breathing and turned blue. His ventilator pipe that was keeping him alive had moved in his chest. Our nurse pressed the emergency buzzer and doctors and nurses from all over the ward came flying into the room. They used a Neopuff to resuscitate our little boy and yet again saved his life.

When every minute is fragile and precious, having access to state-of-the-art equipment gives parents like me so much more hope.

The Neopuff resuscitator is the gold standard piece of equipment used for resuscitation of newborn babies at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. It is safer for use on neonatal babies as it is designed to protect and minimise damage to their tiny lungs, and it allows for much more detailed adjustments to be made compared to the standard resuscitation equipment.

A donation from supporters like you will save the lives of more sick babies like Sam. It really is that simple.

I am so proud of our extraordinary community, and I know that together we can change the future of neonatal care and save more babies like Sam.

With warmest wishes Jen

If you would like to donate towards the Neopuffs and the Neonatal Appeal please go to www.alderheycharity.org

RUN FOR FREE!

LIVERPOOL SANTA DASH

Claim a free place if you commit to raising a minimum of £100.

The Santa Dash is always a festive spectacle with thousands of Santas running for fun around the streets of Liverpool city centre - and you could be one of them!

The 5K route includes city centre landmarks Museum of Liverpool, Grade I Listed Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, and a grandstand finish outside Liverpool

Town Hall featuring stilt walking festive characters and ‘real’ snow.

For your free place please visit www. alderheycharity.org/ events/latest/liverpoolsanta-dash and register your interest on the form at the bottom of the page.

LIVERPOOL HALF

MARATHON & 10 MILER

MARCH

9.00am Start, Pier Head, Liverpool

Claim a free place if you commit to raising a minimum of £100.

Visit www.alderheycharity.org/events/ latest/liverpool-half-marathon-10-miler/

RUN EUROPE

ROME

For details visit www.alderheycharity.org/events

For a full list of races with free places available, including the Rome and Paris Marathons please visit our events page at www.alderheycharity.org/events or email adam.dixon@alderheycharity.org for further information.

LEAVING A LEGACY

Will you help us create brighter futures for children at Alder Hey by leaving a gift in your Will?

have been triggered by something. When in the room, they can have space and time to work through their feelings, either on their own if they want that, or with a member of staff who they are comfortable to talk to.

Would you like to include Alder Hey in your Will but don’t yet have a Will? Does the process seem overwhelming? To support you Alder Hey have partnered with several trusted solicitors and Will-writers to help you to write your Will for free. A gift of just 1% in your Will could make a huge difference to the future of our children.

Our brand new mental health unit is about to open its doors to ensure children and young people with mental health conditions get help at the time they need it most. Funding from Wills can ensure that young people with the most complex cases are treated with compassion and dignity, as we know early intervention can mean that children don’t necessarily have to move to adult services later in life.

As one of our Clinical Psychologist explained things to us “We have a deescalation room. It is an amazing resource for us. On first impressions it might just look like a room with safe, soft furniture but as a clinician, when you’re with a young person who is really struggling, this gives us more ways to intervene and avoid the need for restrictive intervention.

De-escalation is about supporting the child or young person to become calmer, helping them whilst they go through the experience. It is a calm and safe space where the young person can be when they are upset, feeling angry or

Over time, young people get used to the concept of using the room and it becomes a really positive space. It enables the young person to put their therapy into practice, to put what they need to do into action. They have a safe space to be in the moment and think ‘how can I change how I’m feeling right now? What do I need?’ It gives the young person a sense of control in the moment when perhaps they feel out of control. With support they can also begin to apply the same techniques in the moment when they are faced with a challenge, at any time they need to. It’s a steppingstone in learning to manage those feelings and emotions.”

These projects are critical to our mission of ensuring brighter futures for our children, but we need your help.

To learn more about gifts in Wills, or how one of our partners can support you, visit our webpage www. alderheycharity.org/support-us/giftsin-wills, scan the QR code, or give the legacy team a call on 0151 252 5716.

If you already have a Will and have made a pledge to support Alder Hey we would love to hear about it. We love to hear what motivates our supporters and learn more about your personal stories.

STRICTLY’S SHIRLEY OPENS GARDEN AT ALDER HEY

Strictly Head Judge Shirley Ballas opened a special ‘Urban Foraging Station’ at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after it was showcased at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May.

Funded by ‘Project Giving Back’, the garden is the creation of Hugh and Howard Miller and was designed to support children’s mental and physical health by encouraging engagement with nature through foraging, sharing healthy food, play and relaxing.

The NHS’s 5 steps to mental wellbeing –connecting with people, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others and mindfulness - have all been integrated into the garden’s design.

The garden won a Silver Gilt Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show back in May and will now has a permanent home in front of Alder Hey’s new mental health inpatient Unit ‘Sunflower House’ which will open its doors this Autumn.

Shirley officially opened the garden and met some of the children and young people who the garden will benefit.

Strictly’s Shirley Opens Garden at Alder

BRAVING THE SKIES for ALDER HEY

IT WAS AMAZING! Craig

Surreal and intense, taking in that view made me feel so alive! I am so grateful I had the opportunity to do it for Alder Hey.

Charli

Scary, exhilarating, amazing Kim

When it comes to challenges, nothing quite beats jumping out of an aeroplane at 11,000ft, freefalling at 120mph and then enjoying the incredible aerial view as you gently glide back down to earth!

Recently a number of Charity staff decided to tick skydiving off their bucket list and put their money where their mouth is to raise vital funds.

Operations & People Manager Kim Platt, Digital Marketing Manager Craig Duke and Trusts and Foundations Research Officer Charli Canfer all took to the skies at the Black Knights Parachute Centre near Lancaster.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

THE ANNUAL MATALAN X ALDER HEY CHILDREN’S CHARITY PYJAMAS LAUNCHED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER WITH A BRAND NEW COLOURFUL EYE CATCHING DESIGN FOR 2022.

The range includes matching unisex pyjamas for adults and children, as well as baby grows for the tiny ones - there’s even an outfit for your pet! 100% of all profits from the campaign will go to Alder Hey, to support our Surgical Neonatal Appeal (see page 20 for more details!)

Following on from the success of the 2021 ‘design your PJ’s competition’, Matalan offered children from all over the UK the opportunity to design and inspire the 2022 pyjama set. The winner of the competition and proud creative behind this year’s PJ’s is seven year old Maiya Ariss-Johnson from Bootle, Liverpool. Her uplifting design features vibrant rainbow stripes and a ‘Let’s Be Happy Together’ slogan, with Alder Hey mascot ‘Oli The Elephant’ making an appearance.

The PJs are available whilst stocks last at Matalan.co.uk and in store, don’t miss out!

Some of our amazing charity ambassadors are supporting the campaign include four month old Frankie and his family, five month old Niamh and her family and Charlie aged 2 with his family.

The overall theme of togetherness and coming #TogetherForAlderHey is a key factor behind all the Matalan X Alder Hey campaigns, and this is reflected through the families and staff featured in every campaign.

PJ designer Maiya takes a well earned break.

IN THE SADDLE

On the 8th June 65 cyclists representing six Children’s Hospital Charities across the UK came together to raise over £160,000 by cycling over 300 miles from London to Paris in a challenge of a lifetime.

Through glorious Kent countryside, traditional market towns and rolling green hills of Northern France, and the war memorials and cemeteries of the Somme, the lycra clad team pedalled on, around the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees reaching their final destination at the iconic Eiffel Tower.

A great sense of comradeship and an unforgettable experience.

A wonderful experience for an even more wonderful cause.

For 2023 we have teamed up with the Liverpool –Chester – Liverpool Bike Ride for their 30th annual event.

Starting with a unique opportunity to cycle the Mersey Tunnel traffic free, the event offers six different route options through Liverpool, Wirral, and Chester catering for all ages and abilities and covering a range of distances from 5 miles for families with children and beginners, to

100 miles for the more serious cyclists.

*Get a free place and bespoke Alder Hey cycling top by registering with us and committing to raise a minimum of £200 sponsorship.

To claim your free entry and register for the event for Alder Hey go to our events page at www.alderheycharity.org/events

OUR NEONATAL APPEAL

And what’s more Alder Hey’s familycentred Surgical NICU will be the first of its kind in the UK, supporting our ambition to be a world-leading centre for neonatal surgical care!

Alder Hey Children’s Charity needs to raise £3 million towards the cost for the unit to fund enhancements to the unit ensuring we go above and beyond what is available on our hard-working NHS, providing comfortable bedroom and furnishings and the latest innovative technology, the charity is ensuring the very best for our tiny patients and their families. Having the opportunity to provide a dedicated Surgical NICU at Alder Hey is very exciting, particularly given the historical context of this appeal. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital developed the world’s first surgical NICU back in 1953. 70 years later, we will again set a new benchmark in surgical neonatal intensive care, delivered with Liverpool Women’s Hospital through the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership.

You may have heard about our current appeal to build and fit out a new Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Alder Hey, dedicated to providing specialist care and support to neonatal babies when they need us most. The new unit will reduce the need for high-risk ambulance transfers between hospitals and bring the experts from Alder Hey Children’s and Liverpool Women’s Hospitals together under one roof.

Our Family Integrated Care Model (FiCare) will provide family accommodation for parents and offer the latest enhanced patient monitoring systems. This will give neonatal babies the best possible environment to receive the urgent care they need, with their families by their side.

Our Neonatal Surgical Appeal will fund the creation of a state-of-the-art Surgical NICU facility with 22 neonatal cots and 18 family rooms, where parents can be alongside their newborns whilst they receive the expert care they urgently need.

The philosophy of care for our new Surgical NICU is founded on three key principles:

Family Integrated Care (FiCare)

Our focus has always been on keeping families together. Inspired by this, the new unit at Alder Hey will be the first NICU in the UK to offer private and secure accommodation for parents which will

be attached to their baby’s room.

These dedicated spaces can either be separate from or opened to join with the clinical cot space, depending on the needs of the family.

Developmental care - creating a relaxed environment

The babies who will be cared for in our Surgical NICU should still be in their mother’s womb and their brains are at a crucial stage of development. Our new Surgical NICU will seek to replicate the natural environment of a mother’s womb to help support their crucial early development and monitoring equipment will be designed to operate with minimum noise. This will not only ensure the optimum clinical setting for our youngest patients but will also bring huge benefits for parents by creating a much calmer care environment.

Supporting breastfeeding

Breastfeeding brings huge health benefits to both mums and babies, and each of the rooms in our Surgical NICU will include breast pumps and fridges, with a separate freezer room for longer term milk storage. These facilities will encourage and support new mums to be able to take ownership of the daily nutrition of their babies, even at the most challenging of times.

You can find out more about our appeal and the development of the new unit by visiting our website www.alderheycharity.org where you can also sign up for our newsletters and emails.

A L D E R H E Y ON THE HIGH STREET

Swan

Huyton

L U N T E E R WITH

WHAT ITEMS CAN

A

NOT

F R A N K I E ’ S S T O R Y

Frankie was born in March 2022 at Arrowe Park Hospital. However, prior to his birth, he had been diagnosed with gastroschisis which meant he would need to be transferred to Alder Hey within hours of birth for an urgent operation.

Gastroschisis is a rare condition which affects only 1 in 3,000 babies. It meant Frankie was born with his bowels on the outside of his stomach, and surgery would be needed to put them back.

As these operations can only be done in a specialised children’s hospital with full paediatric surgery facilities such as

Alder Hey, Frankie and his family had to leave Arrowe Park and journey to Alder Hey.

Frankie’s mum Jessica was also separated from Frankie during his first night at Alder Hey as she was waiting to be discharged from Arrowe Park. Though she was unable to see her newborn baby mum Jessica received a phone call at midnight to confirm that all had gone well with the one hour-long operation, and that Frankie was recovering at Alder Hey.

Despite this difficult experience, Frankie was reunited with mum Jessica the next day. He now continues to recover and Frankie is exceeding expectations.

Frankie’s mum Jessica said:

“ “

I couldn’t be prouder of my son and I couldn’t be more grateful for every single staff member at Alder Hey. He is now feeding on small bottles but to be told originally that he wouldn’t feed for a long time, it’s amazing to see how far he has come. We have had a few setbacks, but we always keep a positive mind.

Speaking on her experience following Frankie’s birth, she said: “The new Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) would have definitely benefitted us, going to different hospitals can be quite confusing and finding your way around can be quite stressful. If there was one place you could go for all of it, that would be amazing!

“When your baby is away from you, you want to be able to go somewhere where you can see them, you want to feel safe and familiarised instead of going to a new place and being worried about your child, whilst also not knowing the people there.

“The whole family being able to stay over would be nice, as it can give you the feeling of being able to take your baby home after birth. Just being able to have the family together would make you feel much more comfortable.

“I was a bit worried at first about just going to a different hospital after Frankie was born, especially because I live over the water on the Wirral and going a bit out of the way. It was a struggle to get used to it all but now that we’re here, it’s been lovely!”

The new Surgical NICU being built at Alder Hey will have 22 neonatal cots and will feature 18 individual family rooms where parents can be alongside their poorly new-borns whilst they’re receiving expert care 24 hours a day. It’s the first of its kind in the UK.

Frankie is featured in the new Matalan campaign

page 16)

You can support our Appeal for the unit by going to www.alderheycharity.org

SNOWDON by Night

Join us on this amazing trek up North Wales’ Mt. Snowdon...at night!

At 3560ft, Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, and a great challenge by day. By moonlight and headtorch, its an even bigger challenge!

Once you reach the summit, you’ll get to enjoy the amazing sunrise (weather permitting) across Snowdonia National Park.

After the epic climb, descend the mountain taking in the fabulous views and enjoy a well-earned cooked breakfast with the team at the bottom.

Registration: £39 | Minimum Sponsorship: £100

To register, please visit www.alderheycharity.org or email adam.dixon@alderheycharity.org for further information

Charity No: 1160661