Staff at a nursery in Redditch have gone the extra distance for one of its kids, after taking on a virtual 456 mile cycle as part of their Christmas fundraiser and raising over £900 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

The team of 15 from Ragamuffins Day Nursery took turns to ride their share of the journey, which was the equivalent distance of Redditch to Amsterdam, on an exercise bike in the nursery’s reception. They also held a raffle to raise money as a thank you to the hospital for saving the life of three-year-old Oliver, one of the nursery’s children.

Oliver was born with Down Syndrome and a rare condition called Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV), which meant there was a blockage in his urethra – the tube that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body. This meant that rather than urine exiting Oliver’s body, it was being pushed back into his kidneys, causing them to become damaged.

Within hours of being born, Oliver was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he spent the first eight weeks of his life, receiving specialist treatment. Oliver’s life hung in the balance but thanks to the quick reactions and constant care from the hospital’s amazing urologists and renal team, he pulled through.

To date, Oliver has had seven operations to correct his PUV and remove the blockage in his urethra. Despite now having Chronic Kidney Disease as a result of his condition, Oliver is doing well and his bubbly, loving personality instantly won the hearts of the Ragamuffins Day Nursery staff who felt compelled to give back to the hospital that saved his life.

Laura Stanley, Deputy Manager at Ragamuffins Day Nursery, said: “Working with little ones, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity is a cause that’s naturally close to our hearts. Oliver has been through so much, but thanks to the amazing care there, he always turns up to nursery with a smile and that’s just so inspiring!

 

“Initially we only wanted to cycle the distance to Paris but everyone was so eager to take part, we made the distance in no time, so we just kept going to Amsterdam! We’ve had so much support from parents and local businesses and we’re just so pleased to have raised so much for the charity.”

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “It’s so humbling to hear how our brave patients and their experiences have touched others and inspired them to fundraise for us. The team at Ragamuffins Day Nursery really got behind Oliver and the money they’ve raised will help us do more for other sick kids just like him, whether that’s improving the patient experience or hospital environment, or funding cutting-edge equipment or life-saving research”