Local construction industry backs Norwich Cots for Tots Appeal

The Norwich Forum for the Construction Industry is donating £1,000 to an appeal to expand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The Norwich Cots for Tots appeal is raising £500,000 to help fund the expansion of the neonatal unit. The Norwich construction forum raised £1,000 for the appeal at its annual Norfolk Property Dinner.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital’s Cots for Tots appeal aims to raise £500,000 to help fund the building work and equip four new cots for babies needing high dependency or intensive care. A total of £50,000 has been raised so far.

TheNeonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is a highly specialist unit looking after the needs of premature and critically ill babies.

Consultant neonatologist Dr Mark Dyke said: “We’re very grateful for this donation. Every donation, no matter its size, will make a real difference to us and the babies we look after.”

The Norwich Forum for the Construction Industry (NFCI) raised £3,000 at their annual property dinner in February for three local children-related charities.

A cheque presentation will take place at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on Friday April 8 at 11am.

The charities are

• East Anglia's Children's Hospices  – Children’s Hospice
• The Wiggly Trust – which supports families with children being treated for cancer at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital
• Norwich Cots for Tots  – appeal to raise funds to equip four new cots for babies needing high dependency or intensive care at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The NFCI Norwich property dinner is held annually in February and has raised over £8,000 for local charities in the last four years.

Norwich Forum for the Construction Industry was established in 1991 to provide a platform for meetings of professionals and contractors in the region to promote a wider understanding and appreciation of the construction industry and a forum for those involved in the construction industry in Norfolk.

The NICU is one of only three specialist neonatal units in the East of England. The other specialist neonatal units are in Luton and Cambridge.

The Norwich unit is one of the busiest in the region and its staff look after more than 850 babies a year. The NICU currently has a total of 28 cots. Demand for specialist care for premature or critically ill babies is rising and the numbers of babies from Norfolk and neighbouring counties using the Norwich NICU is going up.

To support the Norwich Cots for Tots appeal you can donate:

1. Online at www.justgiving.com/norwichnicu
2. Send a cheque payable to the NNUH NHS Foundation Trust with “NICU Cot Expansion Fund F300” written on the back of the cheque and send to Communications, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Colney Lane, Norwich, NR4 7UY.