Nursing students organise ‘Charity Family Fun Day’
Children’s nursing students from Staffordshire University are raising money to buy unique teddy bears to support children at local hospitals.
The specialist bears feature imitation medical devices – such as feeding tubes, colostomy bags and hearing aids – to help children come to terms with their own device and create a sense of normality.
BSc (Hons) Nursing Pratice (Child) student Kirsty Taylor and course mates Vicky Brooks, Chloe Dutton, Gemma Gough and Sam Nsiah were inspired to start fundraising after working with children with complex disabilities and long-term health conditions during their placements.
They will be organising a series of fundraising activities with an initial target of £2,000 which would buy eighty of the teddy bears. This Sunday, 20 August 2023, they are hosting Charity Family Fun Day at John Marston's Pub in Longton from midday.
Kirsty, 34, from Crewe, explained: "We have come across an amazing company called 3D Toy Shop, who are a non-profit company that make special teddies to be just like the children, with their own imitation medical devices, such as pacemakers, hearing aids, long lines etc the list goes on.
"There is no other company around who make these teddies and we would like to fundraise as much as possible so we can buy some teddies to donate to the children’s oncology wards at Stoke-on-Trent and Telford and also to the community team."
The family event on Sunday includes face painting, games, raffles, a bouncy castle and special guest appearance from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
"Our passion is to help as many children as possible and we feel we can put a huge smile on a child’s face by giving them their own teddy that matches them whilst going through such a tough and long journey ahead.”
Kirsty added: “Ultimately, we want these bears to be available in every healthcare trust to help normalise children’s medical conditions and make them feel special.”
Find out more about the ‘Share a Bear’ fundraiser or make a donation at www.gofundme.com/f/children-with-disabilities-get-a-unique-teddy.
The Charity Family Fun Day takes place on Sunday 20 August 2023 at John Marston's Pub, Longton Hall, ST3 2NQ, from 12pm to late.
Amy Platts
Media Communications Officer
t: 01782 292702
m: 07799 341911
e: amy.platts@staffs.ac.uk
Staffordshire University’s ambition is to become the UK’s best modern university. An institution with a strong civic mission, it has committed to being a ‘catalyst for change’ for students and businesses, positively impacting wider society and the regional economy.
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