Invested Community Business
Team Update
Hello and welcome to the second issue of Invested, our Community Business newsletter from Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
Since our last issue, it has been an incredibly busy time for the team, particularly over the festive season. Christmas is always a magical time at Alder Hey, and we are continually inspired by the generosity, creativity and dedication of our supporters who help make the season so special for the children and young people in our care.
At the end of November, we held our first-ever Santa Paddle, as more than 50 fantastic fundraisers took to the water for a festivethemed canoe parade along the iconic Liverpool waterfront and into the Royal Albert Dock. It was a truly unique event and a wonderful way to kick off
the festive season. Seeing our supporters and commercial partners embrace the idea with such enthusiasm makes us incredibly excited about the potential for Santa Paddle to grow in the years to come.
We also kicked the year off with a bang, as March brought us not only our biggest ever Liverpool Half Marathon, with an incredible … raised, but also our biggest ever virtual challenge event, raising … These successes are thanks to our incredible community of committed supporters, who keep going above and beyond for what we are building at Alder Hey Children’s Charity
Looking ahead, we’re excited to see the continued growth of some of our most popular and longstanding events, including Oli’s
Safari Walk, while also developing brand new opportunities such as our very first Mascot Grand National.
We hope you enjoy reading about the latest updates, stories and opportunities from Team Alder Hey. If you would like to learn
more about any of the events, projects or features in this newsletter, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team by email or phone.
Best wishes,
The Community Fundraising Team
Creative moments help lift spirits and bring joy during what can often be challenging times.
This year marks a very special milestone for Arts for Health at Alder Hey, as the programme celebrates 20 years of bringing creativity into healthcare.
To make the year even more special, the programme has also been nominated for the Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity People’s Choice Award.
Today, Arts for Health provides more than 11,000 patients each year with access to high-quality creative opportunities, delivering over 2,000 sessions annually across the hospital. From music, visual arts and storytelling to performance, digital media and interactive workshops, every session is carefully designed to
support recovery, reduce anxiety, build confidence and develop new skills.
Most importantly, these creative moments help lift spirits and bring joy during what can often be challenging times for children and their families.
Arts for Health is proudly funded through the generous donations and grants received by Alder Hey Children’s Charity. The continued support of fundraisers, partners and donors ensures that creativity remains a vital part of the hospital experience, allowing young people
to benefit from the powerful positive impact of the arts.
Being shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award is a meaningful recognition of the dedication of the co-ordinators, artists, healthcare professionals, fundraisers and supporters who have helped shape Arts for Health over the past two decades. It is also a celebration of the thousands of children and young people who have taken part in the programme and experienced first-hand the difference creativity can make.
The winners will be announced at the Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards ceremony in June.
Business Spotlight
Silverlining Furniture
In every edition of Invested, we like to shine the light on a business who have gone above and beyond in their support of Alder Hey Children’s Charity, from incredible fundraising to extraordinary generosity. This issue’s Business Spotlight is the incredible team at Silverlining Furniture!
Based in Wrexham, Silverlining Furniture have gone above and beyond in the past 12 months, having chosen Alder Hey Children’s Charity as their ‘Charity of the Year’. Every year they choose a charity to support, and the team say that supporting Alder Hey has been “so rewarding”.
The company got stuck into their fundraising and made an effort to make it as fun and varied as possible, taking part in a range of activities from charity cycles and bake offs, to re-giftmas and quizzes.
Adele Thrussell, Project Coordinator at Silverling, said:
“The work they do at Alder Hey is incredible and we are proud that we have been able to support
them. To see the difference we have been able to make and where the money is going to support Alder Hey only pushes us to do more!”
Thank you to everyone at Silverlining for their incredible support of
our charity!
Story
Theo was just eight days old when his parents noticed something was seriously wrong. He had turned blue at home and was rushed to hospital, where he quickly became unresponsive and needed life-saving support.
Scans revealed several complex heart defects, including an enlarged heart and a hole between the upper chambers. Just days later, at only 12 days old, Theo underwent a 10-hour operation led by cardiac surgeon Mr Ram Dhannapuneni to rebuild his tiny heart.
The weeks and months that followed were incredibly challenging. Theo faced cardiac arrests, infections and long periods on life support, spending much of his early life in intensive care.
At one point, his family were even told to prepare for the worst.
But Theo refused to give in. After further surgery and months of
specialist care, he grew stronger and was finally able to go home. Today, he’s full of energy, personality and mischief, a little boy who brings joy to everyone around him.
Theo has gone on to have a further surgery at Alder Hey, and his family say they will always be grateful to the team who never gave up on him, and who gave Theo the chance to thrive.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with Alder Hey Children’s Charity over the coming months as our events season begins and we enter one of the busiest times of the year.
Participate in an Event
We still have spaces available for some exciting events, including our first-ever Yr Wyddfa Challenge and the return of Santa Paddle!
Powered by Alder Hey Children’s Charity, The Yr Wyddfa Challenge will bring Liverpool children’s charities together for a triathlonwith-a-twist, set in the picturesque surroundings on Eyri National Park in North Wales. Teams of four will
both hike and cycle 15km, before a 3km canoe beside the backdrop of Snowdon’s beautiful mountains, valleys and lakes. Teams representing #TeamAlderHey will be taking on this unforgettable challenge to raise money to directly the support the 450,000 children and young people who use Alder Hey’s services each and every year.
Santa Paddle gives fundraisers the opportunity to take to Liverpool’s iconic waters in a Christmas cracker of a challenge that will certainly put you in the festive spirit. Paddle solo or gather a team of two or four to decorate your canoe and take part in a festive parade in front of some of Liverpool’s most iconic landmarks including the Royal Albert Dock and the Liver Building.
Gifts in Kind
Throughout the summer months, many of our fantastic supporters organise raffles as part of their fundraising efforts for Alder Hey Children’s Charity. To help them raise as much as possible, we are incredibly grateful to our Community Business partners who donate Gifts in Kind that can be used as raffle prizes.
These generous donations play a vital role in helping fundraisers maximise their impact and raise even more funds to support the children and young people cared for at Alder Hey.
Sponsorships
Businesses can support our Christmas Sponsorship, helping us bring festive magic to the hospital through seasonal events and activities that create special moments for children and their families, and ensuring that every child has a magical Christmas, regardless of their situation.
If your organisation would like to explore sponsorship opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.
Another way businesses can make a difference at Alder Hey is by choosing us as your Charity of the Year. This is a great way to bond your team around a shared cause, take part in group fundraising activities and make a positive impact for a worthy cause! If you are interested in making a difference get in touch at community@alderheycharity.org
Thank you for your support of Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
If any of the stories or opportunities in this newsletter have interested you, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team who will be happy to help!