Fundraising day to be held to raise funds for hospital ventilator (From Essex County Standard)

Fundraising day to be held to raise funds for hospital ventilator

2:50pm Monday 23rd July 2012 in News

A FUNDRAISING day is being held at a Colchester pub to raise money for the town’s neonatal unit.

The event, at the Friar, in St Christopher Road, is being organised by pub regulars Clare Long and Teri Martin to help the hospital buy a £28,000 state-of-the-art ventilator, which will be used to help sick and premature babies.

The pair have already raised £300, to get the ball rolling.

“The Friar is a great local pub which always tries to support the community and local charities,” said Mrs Long, a ward clerk in the critical care unit at Colchester General Hospital.

“Many of the people who go there have had children of their own or other family members in the neonatal unit, so it seemed a good idea to Teri and myself to organise an event to raise funds for it.”

The event, on Saturday, August 18, will be held in two parts. Between 12pm and 6pm there will be a bouncy castle, face painting, children’s games as well as a fancy dress competition and a wet sponge throwing competition.

From 8pm there will also be a disco and a yard of ale of competition.

Volunteers will also have various parts of their body shaved and waxed, including heads, backs and eyebrows.

The unit helps between 420 and 550 babies every year.