Calling all Waitrose shoppers…

During the month of August the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) would like to encourage people to shop at Waitrose in Eaton and drop their green charity tokens into the appeal box for the Norwich Cots for Tots. The more tokens we get the greater share of the money we will receive.

How it works….spend just £10 and once you’ve paid for your shopping, the cashier will hand you a green plastic token (at no extra cost). On your way out, you’ll notice three large, transparent, plastic containers filled – to varying degrees – with the green tokens for you to add your token too. The at the end of the month, Waitrose will divide and donate £1000, accordingly, between the three chosen causes.

Amanda Williamson, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Nurse Manager at the NNUH said “We are ecstatic to be chosen as one of three charities that Waitrose in Eaton have chosen to support during August 2011. Every donation, no matter its size, will make a real difference to us and the babies we look after.”

“We are keenly aware how difficult it can be for families who sometimes have to travel long distances to enable their baby to receive care because all our high dependency and intensive care cots are in use. The expansion of cots will mean that more families are able to stay locally while their baby receives the care they need. We are very excited about allowing this improvement to care that families receive.”

The Norwich Cots for Tots appeal is raising money to pay for an additional 4 cots in our NICU at the NNUH, which will increase the number of cots from 28 to 32. This means more babies can be cared for locally. The NICU is one of only three specialist neonatal units in the East of England. When we are at capacity babies have to be sent to the nearest unit in either Cambridge or Luton. The demand for specialist care is rising; NICU currently cares for over 850 premature and critically ill babies in a year. Supporting our appeal means local babies can be cared for locally.