Torquay United was delighted to recently present Torbay Hospital’s Louisa Cary Ward with Club donations, as staff and supporters came together to fundraise towards a new parent bed on the Children’s Ward.
With the Louisa Cary Children’s Ward looking to fund a new parent bed, the Club raised funds via our 2023 Christmas Raffle, alongside a Matchworn Shirt Auction, whilst donations from our 2023 Children’s Christmas Tours also went towards this very worthy cause. On Tuesday the Club was delighted to present the funds raised to staff on the ward, with all monies raised from the fundraisers over the Christmas period being put towards a parent bed for the hospital’s children’s ward.
The Louisa Cary ward at Torbay Hospital cares for children aged between 0-18 with medical, surgical or psychological conditions requiring inpatient care. Torquay United’s partnership with the hospital has continued to go from strength-to-strength, as the funds raised for a new patient bed follows on from the Club reaching its target to purchase a new carbon dioxide monitor for the ward last year.
After raising funds for the new monitor, the Club had a new target in mind, fundraising for a new parent bed, with the hospital aiming to have a parent bed aligned to every patient bed on the ward, ensuring parents are as comfortable as possible, whilst remaining by their child’s bedside.
The beds are specially manufactured for use in the hospital environment and can be cleaned and disinfected using the same products used for all other hospital beds and mattresses. They will sleep adults up to 200kg safely and in comfort. While the NHS provides all the essentials on the ward, the Torbay and South Devon NHS Charity helps to fund the items, equipment and services over and above this which helps to improve and enhance patient care.
Paediatric Sister Sarah Pallister explained the importance of the beds ahead of the Club’s fundraising efforts.
“Being in hospital can be a distressing time for a poorly child and these beds provide parents of sick children a vital place of comfort at the bedside of their child. When a parent bed isn’t available, all we can offer to parents is an upright chair by the bedside, this isn’t ideal and doesn’t make for a good nights’ sleep. When a parent has properly rested they can better support their child during this stressful and unsettling time.
“We are so grateful to Torquay United FC and their supporters for raising funds for a new parent bed for the ward, a piece of equipment that we wouldn’t be able to fund otherwise, that will make such a difference to the children and parents we support for many years to come.”
Everyone at Torquay United would like to thank all of the Yellow Army for supporting this fundraising initiative!