Bears of Bath and teddybearstories supports the Royal United Hospital:
' Forever Friends Appeal'

General information

Launched in 1999, The Forever Friends Appeal has helped secured well over £6 million to provide state-of-the-art equipment and facilities at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

Money raised by the Appeal has radically improved facilities particularly in the areas of Children, Cancer, Cardiology and Critical Care, as well as other key departments across the hospital.  The Appeal helps the RUH to provide the best possible level of acute care to the 500,000 people in Bath, North East Somerset and West Wiltshire.

The current focus of the Appeal is the NICU ‘space to grow’ Campaign which aims to raise the last £1.3 million needed to build a brand new and pioneering baby unit at the Royal United Hospital, Bath.

One in ten babies are born prematurely or seriously ill and need to be cared for in NICU, some babies staying in the unit for up to 6 months.  The existing unit is too small to cope with modern day demands, as life saving equipment has grown immensely over the years. Five hundred babies are treated in the unit each year, the clinical care is amongst the best available, however the unit is incredibly cramped, with noisy conditions and a severe lack of privacy making the care of little babies extremely difficult. 

This new unit will be calm, spacious, and purpose built to accommodate the 21 cots and the medical equipment needed for the care of babies.  We believe this new NICU will be the very first of its kind to be designed, built and operated with sustainability in mind, creating a light and spacious environment for our vulnerable babies and, of course, their parents.  Such an environment is proven to be highly beneficial to babies, parents and staff – ensuring the best possible outcomes for these little patients.

There are many way which you can get involved and help The Forever Friends Appeal to reach their goal. You can make a donation, hold a supporter event, participate in an Appeal lead event, become a corporate partner, start a tribute fund, join the NICU Membership Scheme, purchase Appeal merchandise or even become a volunteer.

The Appeal have an event to suit everyone, so join them individually or get involved with family, friends and colleagues. Please contact the Events Team on 01225 825825 or e-mail forever.friends@ruh-bath.swest.nhs.uk for more information.

The Forever Friends Appeal
EVENTS LIST
2010

MARCH 2010

• Sunday 7th March – Bath Half Marathon weekend is now not that far off, thousands of runners will be taking to the streets of Bath to complete the 13.1 mile challenge.  The Forever Friends Appeal has Golden Bond Places that will be available until Friday 5th February and also welcomes anyone who already has a place to run in aid of NICU.

 

Why not get all the family involved in Bath Half Marathon day and sign them up to take part in the Bath Half Family Fun Run?  Celebrating its 3rd successful year The Forever Friends Appeal are excited to be this year’s Official Lead Charity for the event and hope to sign as many people as possible up to take part in aid of the NICU ‘space to grow’ Campaign!  For More information or to get your families place visit www.runninghigh.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are excited to invite you along with your friends, family or colleagues (or even a mixture of all three) to join us for an afternoon of inflatable fun and footie practice at the Olympiad, Chippenham! 
Get 7/ 8 of you together and return your team name along with your £100 entry fee to the Appeal to secure your place.  We ask that you commit to raise a further £250 sponsorship which will go towards the NICU Campaign! 
Don’t miss out – visit www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk today for more information! 

 

 

 

JUNE 2010

• Saturday 12th June – Vanessa Kyte Canal Walk from Devizes to Bath - This event takes place every year in memory of our fantastic volunteer Vanessa Kyte. Not for the feint hearted this 21 mile walk makes for a great day out, if a little hardcore! Why not get your family and friends on board and get sponsored to take up the challenge? Not only will you make friends and most probably get a little fitter but it is an exciting opportunity to support a cause close to your heart.  

OCTOBER 2010

• Friday 15th – Ted’s Big Day Out! – take your teddy to work, school, wherever! – the theme for our annual fundraising day has been set and we ask that you ‘be silly in stripes’ in 2010!!  Pop the date in your diary and pay just £1 and take your teddy out for the day and have a bit of fun while fundraising!  

For more information on any of the above events, please check out
Our website events calendar at www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk, email forever.friends@ruh-bath.swest.nhs.uk
or call 01225 821535.