Little Ted's Room appeal fund-raising is gathering pace

Back in 2015, Spencer Davis and Rachael Marsden, of Euxton, launched Little Ted’s Room with the help of the hospital’s Baby Beat Appeal.After Rachael, 32, suffered a stillbirth and had to hear other new-born babies’ cries in the delivery suite, she wanted to prevent other parents going through the same trauma.The mammoth fund-raising mission, in honour of their son Thomas Edward, saw them collect £27,000 needed for the first two rooms which were refurbished in the Sharoe Green delivery suite by Christmas 2015.Two years on, the campaign has amassed more than £50,000, which will fund eight more rooms to be soundproofed.

Spencer, 40, said: “Rachael and I have been totally blown away by the support we’ve received since losing Thomas. The general public really empathised with our plight and supported us with organising their own fund-raising events to help us raise the money. It never ceases to amaze me how many kind hearted people are out there and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help.” Baby Beat Appeal charity manager Karen Entwistle said: “The Little Ted’s Appeal is an important project within Baby Beat.“It was set up in memory of a baby called Thomas Edward Davis who was sadly born sleeping in March 2015. “At such a tragic time, parents Spencer Davis and Rachael Marsden were heart-broken to hear the cries of other new born babies being born on the Unit and desperately wanted to help prevent other parents going through this additional stress. “The most joyous sound in the world is a new born baby’s first cries but to parents who have just lost or about to lose their baby, it is the most heart-breaking and distressing. “Spencer and Rachael, who have a six-year-old son Samuel, approached Baby Beat to pledge their support to soundproof two of the 12 delivery rooms on the Unit and went on to raise over £27,000 which was enough money for two rooms, through a series of fund-raising events. “In the meantime, kind hearted building contractors who were scheduled to carry out the work offered their services and materials completely free of charge after hearing about Spencer and Rachael’s tragedy. Baby Beat has since driven the campaign forward and continues to fund-raise to enable the work on the remaining 10 rooms to be carried out. Whilst they have reached more than half way of their target, they still need an additional £40,000 to complete the project. Housing firm Taylor Wimpey recently added to the pot, donating £1,000.The work has to be carried out in stages as the unit is very much a working delivery unit, with over 4,600 births annually. Karen added: “We have had some strong community support up to now for the Little Ted’s Appeal but do need to continue to raise the profile until we reach our goal. “We have to be mindful that priority is given for funding required for life saving equipment and Baby Beat have granted more than £150,000 this year for it.“We are appealing to anyone who can help by organising a fund-raiser, however large or small to help us. “It can be something as simple as a sponsored silence or a cake bake sale.”For more details and ideas, contact the appeal office on 01772 524414 or email [email protected] donate to Spencer and Rachael’s page http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LittleTedsRoom.

For a story on the soundproofing room's opening click here http://www.lep.co.uk/news/parents-open-sound-proofed-delivery-rooms-in-son-s-memory-1-7639230