A company which helps provide children with school lessons in hospital has raised hundreds of pounds towards an appeal which aims to build a life-saving helipad at the site.
Nexus Multi-Academy Trust, based in Rotherham, is one of many donors to Sheffield Children’s Hospital’s Snowflake Appeal to ‘build a better future’ for the hospital.
Warren Carratt, the firm’s CEO, said staff raised £600 in three working days to sponsor one of the illuminated snowflakes on the walls of the hospital.
Nexus provides children with education during their stay in the hospital through the Becton Centre which operates on the site, and the Becton School which caters for pupils with complex mental health problems.
Mr Carratt said: “We are deeply involved with the Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Becton’s relationship is deep-rooted. Becton wouldn’t exist as a hospital school without the Children’s Hospital.”
The educational support includes regular bedside or classroom teaching, arts and crafts activities and a route back to regular school.
Mr Carratt added: “I’m overwhelmed with the pace at which we raised the £600. We managed to raise the target in three working days which is fantastic.”
Jeff Perring, medical director at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, praised the ongoing partnership between the Trust and Becton School.
He said: “We are delighted to partner with Becton School to provide vital education to our patients across the Trust and in the community.
“Their school provision to our Becton Centre and to our acute hospital is fantastic and provides young people who aren’t able to attend school with the opportunity to access crucial education while undergoing treatment.”
Chloe Brunton-Dunn, corporate partnerships officer at Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “The money raised will help Sheffield Children’s where it is needed most, including by building a new on-site helipad at the hospital.
“We’re hoping to complete our fundraising for this life-saving new facility in the spring, and by this time next year it might even be ready to welcome a landing from Santa’s sleigh!”
If you’d like to contribute to Nexus’ JustGiving appeal, the link is here: https://t.co/3EggNFbaJW and click on the following link for more information on the Snowflake Appeal.
