Latest News and Events
Simple Indian Home Cooking from Lasan, supports our Children's Heart Appeal
One of the country’s top restaurants Lasan, based in Birmingham, has put together an exclusive cookery book devised by the F-Word winner Akhtar Islam. The book is aimed at helping us all cook, in the comfort of own kitchen, some of the exquisite dishes served in the Lasan restaurant and eatery.
In the true spirit of giving to others, Lasan have generously decided to give all proceeds from the book to our Children’s Heart Appeal.
We were invited by Lasan to the Taste of Birmingham as the only exclusive charity selling these amazing books. We have already sold hundreds of books to date and need your support to sell some more!
To show how easy it is to follow the recipes, Akhtar invited sisters Ilona and Freya Bailey (who have a 3 year old brother being treated at the hospital for a heart condition), as well as two members from the hospital Shahaji Begum and Gladys Ogwudire to a special cookery session.
Shahaji said, ‘we all had so much fun with Akhtar, with Ilona and Freya taking a lead in preparing the dishes. Akhta showed us that with a bit of patience and concentration, we could produce some stunning meals!’
The recipes include light bites, such as fish pakora and tandoori-style chicken drumsticks, and three simple curries.
So please support our Children's Heart Appeal and send a suggested minimum donation of at least £5 and a self-addressed A5 envelope to the address below and we will send you the cook book. Cheques should be paid payable to BCH Charities. Please do not send cash in the post.
Fundraising Team
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Steelhouse Lane
Birmingham B4 6NH
You can also purchase the books from the Lasan restaurant and their eatery: for further information visit their website
Happy cooking!
Brindleyplace Dragonboat Festival a roaring success for the Children's Heart Appeal
A fun- filled day full of fantastic activities was the highlight of the Brindleyplace Dragonboat Festival. From traditional Chinese Lion dancing to art activities to Bollywood Dancing- there was something for everyone to enjoy.
We had 19 teams from businesses across the city in fancy dress from Oompa Loompas, Red Indians to Gladiators.
Companies that entered were: a Birmingham Children's Hospital team, Aluzo, Argent & Glen Howells, BAM Construction, CBSO, Davis Langdon, No. 5 Chambers, Deutsche Bank, GVA Grimley, HBJ Gateley Wareing, Irwin Mitchell, Mitchells & Butlers, Pertemps, Shoosmiths, Weightmans, two teams from the West Midlands Fire Service- the Water Rescue Team based at Perry Barr and the Training Centre, as well as two groups of friends- the Red Indians and the Blazing Paddles.
The race started at 9.30am at the Pitcher and Piano in Brindleyplace and the winning post was at the NIA. The winning team Mitchell & Butlers stole the crown from last year’s winners, who were the West Midlands Fire Service Training Centre. This year’s fancy dress winners were No. 5 Chambers as Oompa Loompa’s with their lime green hair and orange skin.
Team leader for Mitchells & Butlers Carl Wassell said, 'What a fantastic day! After 2 years of being runners up, at last we are champions - and truly speaking, everyone who took part in this great event, in aid of Birmingham Children's Hospital are all champions. A great event, for a very worthwhile charity'.
Overall, it was an amazing day and although all donations are not in, we are confident that we have smashed the previous highest target of £30,000!
Justin King, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, speaks in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Working in partnership with Aston University, the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Children’s Hospital held an inspiring breakfast with the Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, Justin King.
A rousing speech was delivered by Justin about ‘Making Sainsbury’s Great Again’ to over 70 business professionals from across the Midlands. He outlined an effective ten-point journey which helped him to make Sainsbury’s great again and how it can help other businesses to become more successful.
A key point made by Justin in his speech was to admit your mistakes as this is where successful management will learn from their failures. ‘The only error I have a problem with is one made twice’, he warned. Another point was to always think like a number 2; Justin urged the audience not to get complacent when you are number 1, but keep yourself sharp by always thinking like the underdog.
Feedback from the event was a hugely positive, as Alex Linley from the Centre of Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) clearly outlines: ‘Justin was a highly engaging and informative speaking. His ten lessons of what he has done to make Sainsbury’s great again were an inspirational lesson in getting some of the basics right and then building on the organisation’s core strengths. Too many organisations lose sight of this fundamental philosophy, and then wonder what went wrong, but Justin has it all down to a T – it’s doing it, not just knowing it, that makes the difference’.
If you would like to attend further events that we organise, please add your name to our mailing list here.
Student Jewellers Sparkle for the Children’s Heart Appeal
We are delighted to be working with students at the prestigious Birmingham School of Jewellery on an exciting initiative to raise funds for the Children’s Heart Appeal.
At the beginning of the Spring term, first year BA students were tasked with creating a range of exclusive jewellery that reflected the ethos and objectives of the Appeal, as part of the “live” project element of their course. To make things more interesting the task was run as a competition.
Judges included Juno Houghton, Sales Manager at Harvey Nichols Birmingham, Wendy Booth, Head Goldsmith for London based jeweller Dinny Hall, and our very own Louise McCathie, Head of Business Development.
The judges were all impressed with the incredibly high standard of work submitted and the extremely imaginative interpretations of the brief. They had a tough job short listing 4 finalists, who were then each required to provide a full budget and marketing plan for their designs.
The eventual winner was 21 year old Sophie Court from Oxford. Her range was praised by the judges for its commercial potential and simple, elegant lines that would appeal to a range of audiences.
We’ll be keeping Sophie’s design under wraps for a while yet, but production will begin shortly and will be available as a limited edition piece later in the year from our new on-line shop.
Meet Dexter Bear!
Dexter Bear, our cuddly Appeal mascot, has been seen in all the right places since the launch of the Children’s Heart Appeal.
Sporting his very own Children's Heart Appeal T-Shirt, Dexter has featured in the local and national press and has been introduced to numerous important visitors to Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Dexter costs just £9.99 and will shortly be available to buy on-line, along with a host of other Birmingham Children’s Hospital merchandise. In the meantime you can purchase him from our hospital shop, by calling 0121 333 8530 (credit cards only). For further information please contact info@bch.nhs.uk
Birmingham Children’s Hospital launches appeal to create most advanced heart unit in the UK
£2 million fund raiser begins at the Bullring with week-long Family Art Festival starting April 12
Birmingham Children’s Hospital is launching a £2 million appeal to create the most advanced cardiac unit for children in the UK.
The new ‘hybrid’ theatre will allow different procedures to be carried out on the same patient, in the same room, at the same time. This will mean more patients can be treated.
Demand for cardiac services at Birmingham Children’s Hospital has increased dramatically over the past five years. This is due to rising birth rates, more treatment options and a national reputation for clinical excellence stretching resources
“The existing, ageing cardiac facility needs to be replaced. The centrepiece of what we plan is the ‘hybrid’ cardiac theatre, the first of its kind to be purpose built at a children’s hospital in the United Kingdom,” said Sarah-Jane Marsh, Chief Executive Officer. “This will not only serve our immediate community in the West Midlands but recognises that 35 per cent of all the operations we carry out now are on children from outside the region.”
In addition to increasing the number of patients that can be cared for, the new hybrid theatre will cut down the number of operations children often face. This means less stress on them and their families and less time in hospital, freeing up capacity for others.
Some of the money raised will also be used to increase the number of intensive care unit beds available in the hospital from the current 20 to 31. This will reduce the need to send children to other hospitals.
The total investment being made by the Hospital will be £12 million, of which £2 million is being sought from fundraising via the Appeal. It is expected that it will take the Hospital about a year to reach this fundraising target.
To celebrate the appeal launch, the hospital will be holding a free Family Art Festival from Monday 12th April to Sunday 18th April at the Bullring in central Birmingham.
The Bullring Family Art Festival will feature numerous art events for everyone to join in.
These will include the creation of a number of giant, heart-themed canvases, curated by a different , renowned cartoonist each day. The artists will create outline drawings, then visitors to the Festival will be asked to colour them ‘by numbers’ to create artworks that will subsequently brighten up the corridors of Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Featured artists include the celebrated cartoonists and illustrators Jon Burgerman, Serge Seidlitz and Celyn.
Young people will also be invited to enter a competition to design a T-shirt to be sold by the hospital in aid of the Appeal. In addition, families will have the opportunity to create and take home their own, heart-shaped artworks such as ‘hand shadow portraits’ (a shadow of two hands clutched in the shape of a heart created on photosensitive paper) and beaded wire hearts.
The Appeal will be launched at 11am on Monday 12th April by dozens of families whose children have been treated at the Hospital for life-threatening heart conditions. These families will also create their own artwork for the Hospital with Jon Burgerman.
Sandra Ramsey, Chair of Young at Heart, a charity which represents families whose children have been treated at the Hospital for life-threatening heart conditions said,
"We are encouraged by the news that the Children’s Hospital is taking this step to further help children with heart conditions. So many lives are saved every year by the dedicated cardiac team and this positive move is vitally important to safeguard even more lives. The Young at Heart charity has worked closely with the Hospital for 28 years, and gives its complete support to this Appeal’.
Britain's Most Advanced Children's Kidney Unit
The most advanced kidney unit for children in Britain opens here at Birmingham Children's Hospital today, and it will benefit over 1,500 children a year from all over the region who visits us each year.
The state-of-the-art "healing environment" (designed in close consultation with children and their families) is unrivalled in the UK for its treatment of young people, featuring equipment unique to any British hospital.
At its heart is an entertainment system including a large, computerised "Imagination Light Canvas" for children to enjoy – the first in the world – and flat screen televisions with multi-channel viewing options. Additional features include play areas for younger children, an adolescent room and facilities for families to relax and even shower away from the unit.
The refurbishment cost £2.7 million and replaces the previously cramped, unmodernised ward which had few family-friendly facilities and little natural light.
Children travel from all over the region, including Stoke, Northampton, Coventry, Cheltenham, Shrewsbury and mid-Wales. Five hour round trips to spend four hours a day, three or four days a week on a haemodialysis machine are common. This treatment cycle can last for many years until a suitable kidney donor is found.
David Milford, Lead Renal Consultant at BCH, said: "The huge amount of time, often over years, that children spend on dialysis means that their hospital environment is particularly important.
"Although we have always given a first class medical service, the patient environment on the old unit was poor. Studies show that providing a relaxing, interesting hospital environment is a vital component of treatment."
Rosemary Macri, Chief Executive of the British Kidney Patients Association, which donated £1 million towards the £2.7 million cost of refurbishment, described the result as "inspired and lovely".
She said it set a benchmark for other hospitals. It would help transform a time-consuming and difficult experience for young people into something tolerable and even fun.
Sarah-Jane Marsh, Chief Executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital, said: "We are very proud to have this fantastic facility for our patients, and very proud of the support we've had from our community to make it possible.
"This is not the end of a process for us, but part of a continuing one. Our goal is for every unit in the hospital to be as modern.
"The generosity of charities, companies and our local community makes such a big difference as it allows us to go the extra mile, providing cutting edge healing environments and enabling us to stretch our NHS funds across more areas. But part of our end of the bargain is to listen to what patients want, which we did with the kidney unit, and then provide it."
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Kidney Kids Appeal Reaches Target
The BBC WM Kidney Kids Appeal has reached its target. The Appeal was launched in July 2008 with the aim of raising £1.5 million for a brand new Renal Unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Thanks to the overwhelming support and generosity of BBC WM listeners and the general public, the Kidney Kids Appeal total now stands at an incredible £1,507,106.46.
Work on the new Unit - which boast modern open spaces, designed, in part by children – is already well underway, and is set to open its doors to patients early in the New Year.
Announcing the new total, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Chief Executive, Sarah Jane Marsh said:
“We are thrilled that the Kidney Kids Appeal has reached its target. I would like to thank everyone at BBC WM and all the listeners who have worked so hard to help us reach this fantastic figure. It is an incredible achievement particularly during challenging economic times. The new Renal Unit will make a real difference to the lives of both our young patients and the staff who care for them. We have been looking forward to moving in for such a long time and we are grateful to everyone that has made it a reality”.
The Kidney Kids Appeal recently won Gold in the Community Category at the prestigious Frank Gillard Local Radio Awards. The award recognised BBC WM’s engagement with its audience in inspiring people to make a difference to everyday life in their area.
The new Renal Unit has also been supported by a generous grant of £1 million from the British Kidney Patients Association.
The Lost Rabbit Children's story
The proceeds of an exclusive children’s book is hoping to bring more than just smiles to our patients; 100% of the proceeds from the sales of ‘The Lost Rabbit’ will be donated to the BBC WM Kidney Kids Appeal.
The Lost Rabbit is a beautiful children’s story, designed and written by local artist Sue Verity was launched at the hospital by BBC WM’s Joanne Malin on Tuesday 28th July.
Following a live interview in the renal unit with Sue by Catye Walker from BBC WM live on Jo's show, Jo then raced over to the hospital to be the guest of honour at a rabbit-themed party, held in the playcentre. Patients and their families came from all across the hospital to listen to Jo read the story and enjoy rabbit-shaped biscuits!
To purchase a book,
- visit the shop at the BBC in the Mailbox or the BCH shop at the main entrance at our Steelhouse Lane site
- over the phone, please call 0121 333 8525 and have your credit/debit card details ready
- Send in cheque made payable to BCH Charities and mark it to Lost Rabbit, BCH Charities, Steelhouse Lane, Bham, b4 6NH
A donation of at least £3 per book will be required and please note, postage and packing costs 40p.
Christmas at Birmingham Children's Hospital
We would like to take this opportunity say a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make Christmas special for Birmingham Children's Hospital. Our many supporters braved both the credit crunch and freezing weather to help make life a bit better for the children in our care, as well as to help with vital Christmas fundraising activities. Here are a few highlights...
- Over 1,300 people donated a candle for our Light Up a Child's Life Christmas tree, raising over £20,000.
- We've already received an encouraging amount from our corporate Christmas Poster Campaign – please keep it coming in!
- The Forestry Commission at Cannock Chase, who donated a beautiful 35ft Christmas Tree.
- Benbow Brothers Haulage in Tewksbury who delivered and erected the tree.
- Bournbrook Fire Station White Watch who put up then took down our Christmas tree lights.
- Woods Farm, Shirley who donated one 25ft and two 12 ft Christmas trees for wards and departments.
- Eleanor Warren at the Birmingham Rep and The Snowman who attended our Light Up a Child's Life ceremony and donated some free tickets to the show.
- Brian Broughton who was Santa for us on several occasions.
- Jo at BBC WM for switching on the lights
- Patients Callum Reid, Matthew Garrett and Lois McAlister-Willie whose designs were used for our Christmas cards and who switched on the lights.
- Mike Sharp, ex Lord Mayor for organising a Christmas party for BCH patients.
- Jo Blythin at Pallasades Shopping Centre Christmas Grotto for donating presents.
