I have been doing a work placement at the University of Bradford. My mentor at the university and organiser of the abseiling event have challenged me to take part in the fundraising event that is going to be held at the Margaret McMillan Towers the former central library in Bradford.
The Lord Mayor of Bradford is raising money for two great causes the Bradford Hospital’s Children’s Charity and “Spread a Smile” Appeal.
A new children’s ward is being built in Bradford on the BRI site with state of the art new facilities for acutely poorly children and young people from right across our District. This new build will transform children’s services and really improve the conditions (environment) for young people, children, babies and their parents or carers. The NHS will meet the costs of the new building in terms of the basic essentials but the added extras that will make a hospital stay more bearable and comfortable will not be covered and this is where the Bradford Hospitals Children's Charity comes in.
On their wish list is a sensory room, multi-use gym for those children with cystic fibrosis and innovative distraction toys and games as well as beds for parents who are able to stay with their children and help with their care.
We all hope that our children will never be the ones that need this service but for those who do we must ensure that they have the very best of care in excellent facilities. Some young people including children and babies can be in hospital for as little as a day or in many cases their stay can be lengthy or repeated, particularly for those children with chronic conditions.
The other half will go to the “Spread a Smile” Appeal which would be a small grant for organisations and smaller groups across the Bradford District. There are some fantastic things going on across the District organised by the community and voluntary sector and often it can be difficult for groups and organisations to find funding for their projects
