Padua Ward fundraising visit and a thank you to Ashford Borough Council staff

Staff at the Padua Ward at the William Harvey Hospital have said a huge thank you to Ashford Borough Council employees who raised £1,972.53 over the last year, during a recent visit to the ward after being invited to see how the fundraising has helped.

Council staff voted the Padua Children’s Ward to be the nominated staff charity for 2018-2019, following on from previous fundraising campaigns for Pilgrims Hospice, Retreat Animal Rescue and the Tiny Toes Neo Natal Baby Unit at the William Harvey.

Thanks to the donations, Padua Ward has now been redecorated and transformed. Upon entry, you’ll instantly notice the aquatic-themed wall murals and stickers which are now featured around the entire ward.

These murals include all different kinds of underwater fish and mammals, all of which will help to not only excite children, but educate too as they enter the ward for treatment.

The VIP in attendance during the visit was nine year old Archie, who was diagnosed with leukemia aged two. Archie is now in remission but still has regular visits to Padua Ward and also The Royal Marsden in Sutton for treatment.

In fact Archie has been admitted on two separate occasions since our visit, due to his low immune system and raised temperatures. Archie’s current treatment plan will run until August 2020.

Archie, who is the grandson of council employees Jennifer Cottrell and Kim Ford, happily posed for pictures alongside the new murals with William Harvey nurses Hannah Johnson and Diane Sear.

The money has also been used to redecorate the play room in Padua Ward, which now has stunning palm tree wall murals with exotic birds.

Danielle Neligan, Fundraising and Development Officer for East Kent Hospitals Charity was also present at the visit and informed council employees that a total of £3757.84 has been raised since 2017.

Regarding the latest donation to Padua Ward, Danielle said: “The redecoration that you have enabled us to provide will create a more homely environment for our patients, which we hope will make their stay on the ward as enjoyable as possible. The impact that this will have is huge and will make a significant difference to the children on the ward.”

This was reiterated by Jen and Kim, who stated that the new fresh environment will have a huge impact on Archie’s stays and that they are overwhelmed at the generosity shown by ABC employees.

They added that the environment cannot be underestimated when families are working through such emotionally challenging and life-changing times.

Staff fundraising continues into 2019-20 with Ashford Vineyard becoming the new charity nominated by staff. Lots of money has already been raised with plenty more fundraising events to come.

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