Sainsbury’s staff vote to support First Touch for second year
Charitable staff at Tooting Sainsbury’s have chosen, First Touch, St George’s dedicated neonatal charity as their ‘Charity of Year’ for another year!
Staff have taken part in a number of fundraising events raising money to help sick and premature babies. Last year they donated £2,000 which was used to help refurbish family areas at the baby unit.
Sainsbury’s invited First Touch to visit the store on Tuesday 16 June to receive a further donation of £3,500. Neonatal ‘graduate’ Grace Wiles and her parents Hannah Dunmall and Steve Wiles from Dorking went along to meet the Sainsbury’s staff and express their gratitude for their efforts.
Grace was born at St Peter’s Hospital at 23 weeks (four months premature) and was transferred to St George’s for specialist care six weeks later. During her stay with us she had laser eye surgery and underwent multiple operations on her intestine. She celebrated her 1st birthday on our neonatal ward and was finally discharged two days before she was 13 months old.
Mum, Hannah, said, “The doctors and nurses at St George’s were just amazing. They didn’t just look after Grace, they truly cared for her. They became our second family, somehow always managing to get a smile out of us even on the bad days.
“Grace’s big sister Erin always looked forward to her visits, not only drawing pictures for Grace’s incubator or cot, but sometimes for the nurses as well!
“We will forever be grateful to St George’s neonatal unit. They got Grace home to us even though sometimes that looked like an impossibility.”
Louise Williams, charity co-ordinator for First Touch, said, “It was wonderful to take Grace and her parents to meet the staff at Sainsbury’s. The staff could see how donations to First Touch really do make a big difference.
“600 babies are cared for at the neonatal unit each year. First Touch funds equipment to help give these babies the best chance of a bright future, and uses donations to help families during the stressful and worrying time that their precious baby is receiving hospital care.”
The £3,500 donated by Sainsbury’s will be put towards First Touch’s current campaign to raise £90,000 to fund three state of the art Giraffe incubators.
