Tuesday 27 April 2010

Shirt auction latest!

The shirt worn by Shola Ameobi that I've put up for auction in aid of the 2 charities is currently up to £485.

That is a great current bid but I'm sure, that given it's for 2 great local charities and was donated by Shola himself, it can go for even more. 

The 2 charities in question are, of course, St Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) and The Children's Foundation (Charity No. 1000013).

St Benedict's Hospice recently launched an appeal to raise £400,000 to fund their "Hospice at home" service. At present the service is from 9pm – 8am when the palliative care team are on call and can visit patients at home. With extra funding it can be extended to 5pm – 8am avoiding an influx of calls at 9pm and will spread the visits over a longer time. This means that the patient has a choice of where they want to be cared for - in the hospice or at home and it means that they are covered 24 hours per day.

Speaking from personal experience, this service would have been of great use to me and my Mam during the days when I cared for her at home. I can see how the additional help and the right expertise out of hours will be of great benefit to many people in the region.

I've recently been learning about how The Children's Foundation are helping to make The Great North Children's Hospital a centre for excellence in children's healthcare for this region, similar to Great Ormond Street in London.

The new children's hospital will be a fantastic resource, where children with life threatening and life limiting conditions from the North East and beyond, can receive the very best treatment.

The Children's Foundation wants to make that time in hospital as comfortable and stress free as possible. They are aiming to provide world-class, high-tech facilities, activities and equipment to help aid a child's recovery.

If you've never seen the hospital then I'd recommend that you walk past the RVI in Newcastle one day. It's a striking building that really stands out and catches the eye. I'm sure it will become quite iconic in our region once it fully opens.

So I'm sure you'll agree that the money raised from the sale of this shirt will be put to great use by the 2 charities. Howay lads and lasses! Let's get bidding!

Please click here to be taken to the shirt listing on eBay.