SSCB Newsletter 3/2003
CONGRATULATIONS !
to our runners who represented us in the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday 15 June 2003 – Ann, Ken, Graeme, Mark and Colin. Amongst the other runners was our own Dr Ian Laing whose time of just over 4 hours was just a little over what he had achieved for a marathon over 10 years ago. Planning a wedding is a joy and sometimes a challenge. From the very beginning, Rich and Inge decided to incorporate Simpsons Special Care Babies into the celebration because a baby of their combined family had been cared for in the Neonatal Unit. They asked for, and were most generously given, donations to our charity in lieu of wedding gifts. Inge came to the Hospital to share a coffee, wedding photos and a chat to gift the cheque from family, friends and themselves. Generously Emma’s family have kept in touch with both the charity and staff of the Neonatal Unit over the years since she was in the Neonatal Unit . Recently the Unit received knitted clothing in different colours just right for premature babies. They also gifted £100 to the charity. They say “My husband and I do admire all the good work done in the Baby Unit and hope you will get all the support you deserve”. We received a recent donation of £100 from the estate of a lady described as “a very proud Granny”. We thank her family for this kindness. Two gifts for £50 and £25 in memorium were generously donated to us to help the babies. What do you do when your colleague is having a baby? Have a sweepstake of course! Staff of Margaret Hodge Recruitment did just this and found that once the baby was born, no one had chosen this date. A solution was found by donating the “pot” of £20 to our charity.
Donations:
£179.25 from the Lattice Group via CAF following fundraising by one of the Lattice Group’s employees. The Lattice Group matched the amount raised. Super. A lovely lady called Siobhan contacted us to say she wanted to do a sponsored cycle in June for SSCB. We were glad to hear of this kindness and offered her our support and fair weather. This she got and she then came back recently to present an incredible £600, saying that she had thoroughly enjoyed it. What a recommendation. A dress down day held in the Royal Bank of Scotland by the Personal Tax Service staff raised a wonderful £126. we are very grateful to be nominated for such fundraising and have sent our thanks to everyone involved. Edinburgh Airport Ltd held a raffle with prizes donated by the retailers – ooooh I hear you say (me too - as Thorntons chocolates have an outlet there). The staff bought tickets and raised a super £462 and sent it to our charity. £346 was the incredible amount that staff of Scottish Widows raised from a dress down day. They generously supported us when Mathew’s Aunty Edna told them of Mathew’s birth and his twin brother’s death. Staff at the Corstorphine branch of the Clydesdale Bank also took Mathew and his brother to their hearts and raised £75 from a candle sale. We are so grateful for their support and thoughts. Janet Dickson sent us the following on behalf of Girlguiding Penicuik. ”On December 10, 2002 the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Guiders of Penicuik held a special Celebration Christmas service in the North Kirk, Penicuik. It was decided that the collection should go to Simpsons Special Care Babies. I hope our contribution to your fund will help you to achieve the targets you have set.” They sent a magnificent cheque for £162 and this support from Girlguiding and the people of Penicuik is so much appreciated.
The Avenel Trust - donation:
A very generous donation with a history was recently received. The Avenel Trust contacted us regarding a possible donation. Annually the Trustees consider making a donation to an organisation which supports young people under 18 years of age. The Trust was formed following the closure of The Edinburgh Home for Babies and School of Mothercraft – previously in Colinton, Edinburgh. On 5 October 2002 the last Matron of the “Avenel” Miss Dorothy E C Kyles, later, Mrs Dorothy Waugh, died. Miss Kyles was Matron from 1945 and was with the “Avenel” for 30 years. So in 2003 the Trustees wished to recognise her by gifting a sum from the Trust in memory of her. Ms Fiona Kelly and Mrs Elizabeth Duncan from the Trust have both been in contact and The Avenel Trust sent a very generous donation of £2,000 which will be put towards the purchase of an EEG machine for the Unit. Penicuik Flower Club are organising a Flower Show in Penicuik in Spring 2004 (originally September 2003 but due to work on the church they have delayed this). They will donate all the proceeds to two charities – ourselves and the Sick Kids Foundation. They will hold a raffle, tombola and sell merchandise for the charities at the event and want to make as big an IMPACT as they can to raise as much as they can. Sheila Haig got in touch with this great news. She said that to do this the raffle prizes are being gifted by members of the club, all flowers will be donated and the food will be provided by the ladies of the Church where the event will be held. We are very grateful that SSCB is in the forefront of the minds of the members of Penicuik Flower Club and they are putting all their energies towards fundraising for the two charities they have chosen. We are grateful to them for their time and energy
A wee glitch with the computer has meant this is a late newsletter and not laid out as was meant to be. Apologies.
Maya Angelou Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now “The sweetness of charity
The New Testament informs the reader that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver. The size and substance of the gift should be important to the recipient, but not to the donor save that the best thing one can give is that which is appreciated. The giver is as enriched as is the recipient, and more important, that intangible but very real psychic force of good in the world is increased. When we cast our bread upon the waters, we can presume that someone downstream whose face we will never know will benefit from our action, as we who are downstream from another will profit from that grantor’s gift.”
OPPORTUNITY FOR FUNDRAISING …As you have read in our previous newsletter, Julia Stout had a variety of items attracting the public to our pavilion at the Meadows Festival. One such attraction was a make-over by Lindsay Macdonald one of our SSCB members. Lindsay is an independent consultant for Virgin cosmetics and is combining this on-going fund raising for SSCB. She will donate 15% of her total sales for anyone who books a make-up class to us. AND Lindsay is looking for ladies in Edinburgh to join her team to become Virgin Vie Consultants – as she says, “it is a great part-time job which fits around family commitments”. Her telephone number for bookings and a chat with her is 0131 555 4272.
Come and join us at our next meeting – see below. We assure you of a warm welcome.
Support for nursing staff in NNU from SSCB: Cindy Sykes is a newly qualified and appointed Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner – one of three in the Unit. She requested assistance to attend an important Conference for ANNPs recently. The charity agreed. Here Cindy writes: To Simpsons Special Care Babies: Recently I returned from America where I attended a conference for Neonatal Nurses in Advanced Practice. My place was sponsorerd by Simpsons Special Care Babies, and I am writing to say a great big huge THANK YOU !!! It was wonderful! The conference was extremely informative and thought provoking. Being in such an environment among so many motivated professional people has been very inspiring indeed; I hope I can share some of that enthusiasm with my colleagues here at the Simpson. It is my plan to create a display board of some of what I learned, as well as prepare a presentation for the students on the Neonatal Course. Also I came across a journal new to me, “Neonatal and Infant Nursing Reviews”, which I have subscribed to on behalf of the Neonatal Unit as a gift to my colleagues. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that your generosity made possible. Thank you. Cindy Sykes The Pentland Valley Players recently performed their summer concert. Their secretary Sandra Cranford wrote to us: “Our group performed “The Good Old Days” over three evenings “11, 12 and 13 June) in the Gibson Craig Hall, Currie Edinburgh. All concerned enjoyed participating in the show (in fact, we had a ball) and that pleasure is certainly enhanced by the knowledge that we are contributing to such a worthy cause.” The Players sent a magnificent cheque for £1,200.00 to the charity
Maya Angelou Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now Taken from Chapter 3 entitled: The Sweetness of Charity of Maya Angelou’s book “Wouldn’t take nothing or my journey now” with permission from the publishers
Fairmilehead Womens Forum were kind enough to invite a speaker from the charity to their group. Colin Burt represented the charity and Mrs Isobel Cameron wrote to the charity to say how much they had enjoyed his talk and included a cheque for £350 towards the charity’s fund raising. Staff at Romanes and Paterson dressed up at Christmas to benefit Simpsons Special Care Babies and raised £157.70. At the Annual General Meeting recently the committee for the charity was elected and these are: Members of the committee for 2003/04 are: Chairman: Deputy Chairperson: Treasurer: Secretary: Meetings secretary: position vacant Julia Stout Caroline Lismore-Kerr Gill Mitchell Rachel Kelsey
CHRISTMAS cards are already selling well – please place your order as soon as you can. This applies particularly to numbers: 1,3,4, 6 as we cannot get more. Rudolf (no: 11) is charming everyone also.
Next SSCB meeting: 12 November 2003 at 7pm in the Seminar Room NNU, RIE, Little France, EDIN.