Children's Charity receives a Little Help donation from Huntingdon Tesco Extra

A charity which supports children and their families at Hinchingbrooke Hospital is to rejuvenate its sensory room, thanks to a £1,000 donation from Tesco Extra in Huntingdon.

Dreamdrops - Huntingdonshire Children’s Charity, makes a real difference to children and families who use hospital or specialist children’s health facilities.

It fundraises for the hospital’s Children’s Unit – Holly Ward – and the Special Care Baby Unit, Huntingdonshire’s only neo-natal unit, which is run by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and cares for premature and sick babies as well as supporting children who are nursed in the community.

The donation is part of Tesco’s commitment to support local community groups and charities and will pay for a rejuvenated sensory room at the hospital, which can be used by child patients and those visiting for assessment and other appointments.

Anne-Marie Hamilton, chairman of the charity, visited the Tesco Extra store in Abbots Ripton Road, Sapley, to receive the cheque from store manager Guy Schwabe and Community Champion Alyce Barber.

Store manager Guy Schwabe said: “The money raised by the charity is used to provide those items that can help make a child’s hospital stay more comfortable, support young patients and their families at home and get the latest equipment to improve a patient’s experience.

“We are delighted to be able to help out with this donation and hope the children enjoy the sensory room when it opens.”

Anne-Marie Hamilton, chairman of the charity, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the donation, which we will use to get the sensory room in the children’s outpatient department back up and running as it is currently closed because it needed refurbishing and updating.

“This is used by children visiting the outpatients department for appointments, children from the wards, who are well enough to walk downstairs, and, during the holidays, children with disabilities or life-limiting illnesses.