DOUBLE WISH

Baby hospice seeks top spot
ZOE’S Place is determined to clinch the double by being top of the table again at the end of this year’s Wish campaign.

And with only five days to go to register it won’t be long until the tokens start mounting up.

Last year the baby hospice in Normanby collected a staggering 143,830 tokens to take home £1,403.62.

“It was the cutting and sticking I remember, we went through a lot of Pritt Sticks, it was all hands on deck,” said fundraiser Sue Fox, who is ready to do it all again and hopefully raise even more money.

Chief executive Mark Guidery said the 2008 Wish funding was used to buy a standing frame to assist youngsters who struggle to stand while they have physiotherapy.

“It’s a very expensive, specialised piece of equipment,” he said. “Without the money from Wish we would have had to sacrifice something else to buy it.”

Mrs Fox said: “We have 55 families that regularly access Zoe’s Place so we need every penny we can get.

“We know it’s difficult at the moment because of the current financial climate, a lot of people find it hard to find that extra pound to give to charity, so something like the Wish appeal is brilliant for us.”
Zoe’s Place is a home from home for babies who have life-limiting illnesses and complex needs.

It offers palliative and respite care for babies and infants from birth to five years old and can take up to six youngsters at any one time.

For the parents who need to take advantage of its services it provides a vital lifeline.

Jenny Landess, 24, of Linthorpe whose son Josh McMahon,has cerebral palsy, said she would be getting all her friends and family to collect tokens for the baby hospice which has done so much for her son.

“Zoe’s Place is absolutely excellent. They are lifesavers. It’s so good to get some respite. It costs £850,000 a year to run so every little helps.” Mike Farrell, 41, of Marton, whose daughter Megan has cerebral palsy, said: “Zoe’s Place is absolutely fantastic especially with Megan. She suffered another seizure a couple of weeks ago while she was at Zoe’s Place and the staff handled it perfectly.

“When you go into a place like this you realise how dedicated and professional the staff are - it’s a place that really deserves as much as we can give them. I would urge people to get behind Zoe’s Place, the more money it gets the better.”

This year the Wish campaign has £30,000 to give away - the more tokens the baby hospice collects the more money it will walk away with.

To support Zoe’s Place send your Wish tokens to: Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice, Crossbeck House, High Street, Normanby, Middlesbrough, TS6 9DA