Sovereign Health Care takes the ‘Home from Home’ to £2 million milestone
Bradford Hospitals Charity and The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Home from Home’ Appeal has reached a major milestone, thanks to a generous £250,000 donation from Sovereign Health Care.
The appeal is raising funds to create free, on-site accommodation for families whose babies need treatment on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) – one of four specialist units in Yorkshire and Humber.
The new building will include five additional en-suite bedrooms – complementing the five currently available at the hospital – as well as a fully equipped kitchen and dining room, peaceful garden for all families on the neonatal unit, and play areas for siblings.
Sovereign Health Care’s donation provides a significant boost, accelerating plans to build the much‑needed family accommodation. Founded as the Hospital Fund of Bradford more than 150 years ago to raise funds for local hospitals, the organisation has a long‑standing commitment to supporting health and wellbeing in Bradford and beyond.
Laura Riach, Bradford Hospitals Charity Director, said the milestone reflects the “remarkable generosity” of local supporters. “Sovereign Health Care is a valued partner and has been hugely supportive of our hospital for many years, committing hundreds of thousands of pounds to improving patient care and staff wellbeing”, Laura explains.
“This donation brings us a huge step closer to creating much-needed additional bedrooms and comforting spaces for families when they’re most vulnerable. We are incredibly grateful for their continued support.”
Families like Annie and Matthew Wise know how vital this support is. Their son Bodhi is now 5 years old but was born at 26 weeks, weighing 920 grams, and spent five weeks on Bradford’s NICU before being transferred to York to be nearer to home when Bodhi was well enough. “Having a room at Bradford was invaluable – we are forever grateful,” said Annie.
Sovereign Health Care Chief Executive, Neil McCallum, said: “As soon as we heard about the Home from Home project, there was no doubt we wanted to give our support. Families going through the worry of having a baby in intensive care deserve to be close to their little ones in a comforting space.
“We’re all about improving health, and we know that having parents more involved in babies care means they have shorter hospital stays and are less likely to be readmitted. This project will make a lasting difference to families across Bradford and beyond for generations to come, and we’re honoured to play a part in it.”
Support for the appeal has also come from other charitable partners, local businesses, former NICU families, hundreds of individual donors and, notably, a record £1 million gift from The Harry and Mary Foundation.
Jane Featherstone, The Sick Children’s Trust CEO, said: “We are extremely grateful to Sovereign Health Care for this incredible contribution. It will enable us to help more families from Bradford and across Yorkshire by providing them with a vital place to stay, somewhere to rest, cook and give some sense of normal life at what is a traumatic time.”
With £2 million now secured the planning, design and construction costs largely covered, the appeal moves into its next phase as the charities work towards their £3 million target to reconfigure the current unit, landscape the garden, install the play area and fully furnish and decorate all rooms.
Anyone can help build the ‘Home from Home’ by taking on a fundraising challenge, donating, or buying a personalised brick (from £25 for a virtual brick or £500 for a vinyl brick on a wall in the hospital).
Visit bradfordhospitalscharity.org/neonatal-appeal to find out more.
Image caption (above): Neil McCallum, Sovereign Health Care Chief Executive giving Bradford Hospitals Charity a £250,000 cheque