Each year around 150 babies will be admitted to North Devon District Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit to be cared for by the amazing team of specially trained doctors and nurses. This is a hugely traumatic time for any new parent and having known friends who have felt this distress, I could only offer my hope, sympathy and support toward them.
Now, my friends and I are embarking on an amazing trek, and in doing so to get there, we are raising funds for this superb charity, to give them the acknowledgment, finance for equipment, recognition and support they rightly deserve.
We are a group of ‘Devon Maids’ getting ready to trek the Great Wall of China! My name is Nicki Bellew, I am 25, and this is possibly going to be one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever achieved!
Along side myself is Felicity Reid, she is a 25 year old nursery nurse and mum to 19 month old Jack. Flic has lost a grandmother to cancer and has a friend currently undergoing treatment. Her two cousins have benefited from the care given from staff at SCBU and being a mother, feels the need to support the Special Care Baby Unit.
Heather Smoldon is 21 years old, from South Molton. Working as a student radiographer and a healthcare assistant for the Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, she is brought into contact with patients affected by cancer and babies of SCBU which is why supporting this worthy charity is important to her.
Georgina Smoldon is twin sister to Heather. She works as a home carer, and often sees people from all different walks of life including people who have suffered from cancer.
We have found this fantastic opportunity to raise money for our chosen charities, by hiking for 9days over one of the incredible wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China. Pushing our boundaries, we will be trekking from Badaling through various terrain and up strenuous steep steps, until we meet our goal of Mutianyu.
As a group of farmer’s daughters, our first success at fund raising has been by advertising manure! With some invaluable help, we were able to dig, bag and sell the horse dung. “Where there’s muck, there’s money!”
We have many more innovative ideas tucked up our sleeve for fundraising ideas, as alongside the Special Care Baby Unit, we will be raising for the new Chemotherapy Unit also.
With 1 in 3 people being diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime, it is a disease which affects so many families and friends, myself included. The North Devon District Hospital Chemotherapy Service treats nearly 5000 Northern Devon residents a year and on average sees up to 22 diagnosed patients every day. Their appeal is to create a new building to bring a positive and brighter environment to the already supportive and wonderful staff.
This is an intrepid journey we are undertaking by way of the walking but also the exciting prospect of the events organising, learning new and interesting things about ourselves and these causes and meeting members of the public willing to support our chosen charities.
If you wish to sponsor us, you can find us as ‘Devon Girls take on China’ at our webpage http://www.justgiving.com/Heather-Smoldon and click ‘Donate Now’
A big thank you from all of us
(NHS Charitable fund registered charity number: 1051463)
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