Bereavement charity receives £1,500 donation from South Yorkshire homebuilder
Sheffield Hospitals Charity’s bereavement services has received a £1,500 donation from Barratt and David Wilson Homes to support its vital work caring for families during and after baby loss.
The wider charity helps Sheffield’s hospitals, community teams and health and social care services cover costs not funded by the NHS, enhancing care from birth to end-of-life, and everything in between.
One initiative the charity helped fund was the Jessop Wing Bereavement Suite at Sheffield Teaching Hospital; a quiet, peaceful environment for families. It contains a baby bathing area used for Islamic funeral preparations, a garden, a lounge area large enough for family and friends, a cot, a bookcase, a toy box, and tea and coffee making facilities.
Katherine Ebbs, trust and foundation officer at Sheffield Hospitals Charity, said: “We were so thrilled to have been chosen for this donation from Barratt and David Wilson Homes. Contributions like this one means we can continue our vital work supporting Sheffield’s NHS.
“The £1,500 donation will directly fund projects like memorable items, which are gifted keepsakes and memory boxes that families hold very dear to them. It will also help to fund resources and facilities in the Tulip Room, where parents can stay and spend time with their baby.
“The Jessop Wing also runs an annual baby memorial and thanksgiving service for parents and families who have lost their babies, where bereavement books are supplied to support conversations around normal grief experiences.
“From everyone at Sheffield Hospitals Charity, I would like to offer Barratt and David Wilson Homes our most sincere thank you. Its investment in Sheffield’s NHS bolsters our commitment to provide additional funding to support people at every stage on life’s journey.”
Sheffield Hospital Charity’s Bereavement Services was nominated by a Barratt and Daivd Wilson Homes Yorkshire West employee, Katy Taylor-Cushing, who had to use the charity’s services when her little boy, Xander, sadly passed away.
Katy said: “The staff were exceptional and we were able to stay with our baby for two days and had him blessed by the hospital’s chaplain which was so comforting. We were offered beautiful handmade outfits, hats and a memory box, and the charity also very kindly helped arrange a funeral for our baby.
“We attend the memorial service every year which takes a lot of time, money, and effort to host. The consultants, midwives and hospital staff all attend, and it brings bereaved parents together to share their stories, remember our angel babies and see the staff who went through the journey with us.”
The housebuilder’s donation was made as part of its Community Fund scheme via The Barratt Redrow Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.
Gavin Birch, managing director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Yorkshire West, said:“We’re incredibly proud to support Sheffield Hospital Charity’s Bereavement Services and the brilliant work it does with this donation.
“It’s heartwarming to see our colleague grateful for the charity’s help at a difficult time and nominate the bereavement services for this donation, adding a personal touch to an already worthwhile cause.”
To find out more about the work of the charity, visit the website at Shefield Hospitals Charity.
For more information on developments in the county, visit Barratt Homes South Yorkshire and David Wilson Homes South Yorkshire.