Stay warm and raise money next month.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity is asking local businesses to do their bit in a festive knit on Friday 16th December in support of its poorly patients.
This year the hospital’s annual Christmas Jumper Day, known as Star Jumper Day, will raise money for the charity’s £3.65 million Star Appeal which will build the UK’s first Rare Diseases Centre for children.
Fundraising for this pioneering project stands at just under £2 million, but by putting on a sweater businesses can help make things better for over 9,000 children treated at the hospital living with over 500 rare or undiagnosed conditions.
Treatment for the hospital’s patients with rare diseases is world-class, but many families have to spend a lot of time seeing different specialists on different days in different departments. To change this, the £3.65 million appeal will build a brand new centre that will provide a single place within the hospital for all assessment, diagnosis, treatment and research.
Elinor Eustace, Deputy Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “This new centre will be the first of its kind in the UK, built right here in Birmingham.
“With your help we can reduce isolation, improve diagnosis, ensure our patients are at the forefront of research and medical advances and, for the first time, bring a team of experts from all the specialities at our hospital all under one roof.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve nearly reached the £2 million mark but we still have a long way to go to make our patients and families dreams a reality. By supporting our Star Jumper Day you will help us build a much-needed centre for our brave children – which for them, and us, might just be the best Christmas present of all.”
The Rare Diseases Centre will be housed inside the hospital’s new £37.5 million clinical block, on Whittall Street, along with a brand new combined inpatient and outpatient cancer centre and three new theatres.
To take part in Star Jumper Day, simply don your best festive knit on Friday 16 December and donate £2 to the appeal. If you’re struggling to find the perfect pullover, you can purchase one of Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s own Christmas jumpers, available from £19.99 at www.bch.org.uk/shop.
For more information visit www.bch.org.uk/StarJumper or text STAR to 70800 to donate £5 (standard network rates apply).
