Fundraising appeal launched to help young patients

Thursday 15 July 2010

An appeal has been launched to raise money to improve facilities at the children’s ward at Eastbourne District General Hospital.

Rockinghorse aims to raise over £120,000 to help renovate Friston Ward and to make it more comfortable and entertaining for young patients.

The plans include creating a new adolescent room with more entertainment facilities, building a lounge for patients to be able to relax with their families in comfort and a new modernised playroom for the younger patients.

Friston Ward treats over 4,000 children and young people every year for a range of conditions including, common childhood complaints, such as eczema and asthma; emergency surgical cases; and those requiring long-term treatment, such as cystic fibrosis and cancer.

Liz Vaughan, Friston Ward Sister, spoke at the fundraising launch. She said: “We can’t thank Rockinghorse enough for their support and we need as many people as possible to help us raise the money.

“We have great facilities but unfortunately they are a bit old and in need of updating. We have parents, grandparents and siblings staying with us overnight as well as patients and we want up-to-date facilities for them.

“We have wanted to renovate areas of the ward to make them better for the children for a while and we are very excited that it will now be possible with this appeal. We take admissions from all over East Sussex so this will make a big difference to a lot of young patients and their families.”

Ollie Turner, 11, who has had severe cystic fibrosis since birth and is a regular patient in Friston Ward, was also at the launch. He said: “When you are in hospital, you want something that keeps you company. That is my computer console when I am at home, which they have got in the ward but a lot of people want to use it.

“It would be great to have more games consoles and to be able to watch TV with your mum and dad. There are a lot of toys for young children but it would be great to have more things to do for older patients.”

 Gavin Fisher, Rockinghorse Chief Executive, said: “We believe the environment sick children are in is very important for their recuperation and we want to make it as fun, friendly and comfortable as possible. We are delighted to be able to help with this project and look forward to getting as much support as possible for such a worthy cause.”

Liz Walke, Chair of Save the DGH, officially launched the appeal and put her support behind the project.

To donate money to the Friston Ward project or to find out how you can get involved, please call us on 01273 730286.