NEOANGELS, the charity which supports families of sick and premature babies on the Neonatal Unit at the University Hospital of North Tees, will have vital funds raised for them thanks to North East Ladies Day.
NELD, or North East Ladies Day brings together ladies across the North East region to raise substantial funds for well deserving charities.
Since it began in 1983, NELD has raised almost £300,000 for local charities, including Zoe’s Place, Project Linus and Remembering Rebecca. The charity also receives a letter from Her Majesty, The Queen to commend the team for their efforts.
This year, one of the chosen charities is Neoangels, also chosen are JPC Community Farm and We Can Dance.
Neoangels offers financial support, emotional support and bereavement support to families of sick and premature babies on the North Tees Neonatal Unit as well as purchasing medical equipment.
Each year, North East Ladies Day hosts a lavish luncheon to raise as much money as possible in one day, this year it will be returning to Hardwick Hall on September 26th. On the day, lucky attendees are entertained by celebrity speakers, past events have seen the likes of Toyah Wilcox, Pam Ayres and Nicki Chapman inspire crowds. Guests are also able to bid on fantastic prizes and experiences kindly donated from businesses in the region.
The luncheons are supported by Barclaycard, Luxe Magazine and Diane Kaye Florist to name a few.
The funds raised from NELD will allow Neoangels to purchase breastfeeding chairs, new state-of-the-art breast pumps and breastfeeding shawls for mums.
Breast milk is essential for new born babies, especially those born prematurely. It helps baby develop and protects against fatal bowel infections such as NEC (Necrotising Enterocolitis).
Julie Colarossi, Team Lead, said: “Breast milk is ideal for any preterm baby as they are particularly prone to infections due to their immature gut. Breast milk helps protect from infections and has tailor made nutrients, hormones and growth factors that help baby grow and develop. It is easier to digest and even those babies born before 34 weeks who may not be ready to feed from the breast can still take mother’s milk.
Alison Cassford, Sister, added: “The best thing about being able to support any mum with breast feeding or expressing on our Unit, is that it’s something that she can do for her baby at a time when there is very little else she can do. It certainly helps form that bond.”
Neoangels already supplies electric breast pumps to mums who need to express milk at home while their baby is on the Neonatal Unit.
Susan Andrews, Chair, North East Ladies Day, said: “After carefully considering over 30 applications from a range of worthy charities across the North East region, we are very proud to announce Neoangels as one of our three chosen charities for 2018.
“Neoangels stood out to all of us on the NELD Committee for many reasons, mainly because of the support they offer to such a wide range of families across Teesside. Most of us on the NELD Committee are parents and we can only begin to imagine the amount of support that is needed for parents with premature babies, and how valuable the work that Lottie and her team do to support these families at such a critical and difficult time in their lives.
“We were all struck by the way that Neoangels have strived so hard for their cause and are inspired by their fundraising efforts. We can’t wait to work with Neoangels and look forward to helping grow their charity and family support services even further.”
The Charity was recently invited to a presentation evening where they were able to meet the other successful 2018 charities as well as Butterfly Giving and Family Help Darlington CIO who were the 2017 charities.
Lottie King, Neoangels Chief Executive Officer, said: “It is such an incredible privilege to have been chosen by NELD this year. The difference they make to Teesside charities is really inspiring, and to be able to be a part of that, share the stories of our families, and the fantastic work our Unit does is something which means a lot to our entire team.
“The money raised for the breast feeding equipment will have a substantially positive effect on our mums and babies – we will be eternally grateful to NELD for working with us on this project.”
Emma Hedley, Business Development Manager and Trustee, added: “I’m thrilled that NELD have chosen Neoangels, they are a phenomenal team who contribute so much to the local community. It will be an honour for us to work with them and extend our support to our families of sick and premature babies on our Neonatal Unit.”
To find our more information on Neoangels head to www.neoangels.org.uk
To find out more information on North East Ladies Day head to www.northeastladiesday.co.uk
Tickets for the event will be on sale on March 1st via the NELD website.
