WHAT IS CHARITEA?
We choose a new ChariTEA (Charity - see what we did there!) every quarter which is close to our hearts. The ChariTEA is nominated by one of our Teabirds, they then choose a tea blend that reflects them or what they support and we donate the profits of the blend to their wonderful cause!
Supporting Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal
Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal known as ‘The Grand Appeal’ by its supporters and friends – is the dedicated charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital. Its sister charity, Cots for Tots, is the dedicated charity for St Michael’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Bristol.
The charity funds services, refurbishments, artwork and equipment that not only help wonderful staff provide incredible care and treatment, but also make Bristol Children’s Hospital as child-friendly and welcoming as can be. Hospitals can be a very scary place for young children – The Grand Appeal does everything in its power to make life a little easier for patients and families.
In 1995, Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park and the team at Aardman, Bristol’s award-winning animation studio, generously allowed the charity to use the duo as the face of its fundraising.
The Grand Appeal’s first campaign – raising money to build a new, better, more accessible Bristol Children’s Hospital proved a huge success, raising £12 million.
We are happy to announce that we raised £4,445.36 for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal during the quarter.
Over the years, Aardman has been an invaluable partner of the charity. The Gromit Unleashed trails, in which large, decorated Wallace, Gromit and Shaun the Sheep sculptures were placed around Bristol and London for people to find, became international news. People from all over the world came to visit the sculptures and when they were auctioned off, raised millions for Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s NICU.
Today in 2023, over 100,000 children are treated at Bristol Children’s Hospital every year.
Babies, children and young adults with highly complex medical conditions – from rare genetic disorders, neurological conditions and congenital heart disease to traumatic injuries, cancer and kidney disease – are cared for around the clock by leaders in their respective fields. In fact, the hospital covers the largest geographical area for any children’s hospital in England and is one of only 11 specialist children’s hospitals in the country.
Jess, mum of patient Thomas in Bristol Children’s Hospital’s cancer ward said, “As a family, we can’t thank Bristol Children’s Hospital enough. It’s an absolutely incredible place. No parent ever expects to take their child to hospital for regular treatment, which was very daunting initially. Everyone that we have ever met in the hospital has always been fantastic.”
As the South West’s only children’s emergency department, the incredible emergency care team treated over 47,000 patients in 2022.
What does the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity fund?
The Grand Appeal has one aim – to ensure every single child that enters Bristol Children’s Hospital receives the best treatment possible.
That’s why the charity funds high-tech, lifesaving research and equipment – many that are firsts of their kind in the UK and help revolutionise treatment. In 2022 alone, The Grand Appeal funded 75 projects. One of these was six ‘hot cots’ for St Michael’s NICU, which use specially heated mattresses to reduce complications after birth in underweight and premature babies.
But, it also means caring for these patients in other ways. The Grand Appeal funds three family accommodation houses for parents who live outside of Bristol, just a stone’s throw from the hospital and NICU where their baby or child is being treated. Each room has an en-suite bathroom, and each house has a fully accessible kitchen and laundry room. Parents and siblings can stay here for as long as they need, completely free. Often, the hours families spend travelling back and forth between home and hospital are very stressful. The Grand Appeal’s quiet, calm, relaxing ‘home from home’ helps take this away.
Sarah, mum of NICU baby Emmy, said “One of the greatest parts of our hospital experience was Cots for Tots House. Having a place across the road to call ‘home’ was a lifesaver. Being with both of my children every day meant the world. Cots for Tots House was the only thing keeping our little family together.”
The Grand Appeal Offers a Huge Range of Support for its Children’s Hospital and NICU
The Grand Appeal supports Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s NICU in ways you may never even consider. As well as free family accommodation and ground-breaking equipment, The Grand Appeal also funds:
- Music therapy and play therapy: vital services that allow children to work through the difficult feelings that come with long hospital stays and difficult treatments
- Wellness days for the incredible NHS staff that dedicate their lives to saving and treating children
- Tickets to attractions and days out for long-term families to spend some much-needed time together outside of hospital
- Gifts and cards for children to give to their parents every Mother’s Day and Father’s Day so families don’t have to miss out
- Christmas presents for every child who is in hospital on Christmas Day, to ensure no child thinks Father Christmas has forgotten about them, and resources for other religious holidays
- Resources for NICU to improve bonding between parent and baby, which include: cards and funding for Kangaroo Care Awareness Day, a day dedicated to the importance of skin-to-skin contact with baby and parent; the ‘Tell Me a Story’ initiative which encourages parents to read stories to their babies; Cuski Miniboos, a blanket that parents can use to share their scent with babies who are too sick to be held.
...and so much more.
Helen Haskell, Head of Corporate Fundraising at The Grand Appeal said, "At the core of The Grand Appeal is our supporters, who are like family to us. Partnerships like Bird and Blend’s ‘ChariTEA of the Quarter’ transform and save little lives. The generosity and dedication we see from our community blow us away every day.”
The Grand Appeal is eternally grateful to supporters like Bird and Blend, who are the reason children and babies can have a brighter future.
How Are We Supporting Them?
- Donating all profits from our tea Vicky's Sponge Cake online during the time period.
- In-store fundraising, including taking part in the charity’s annual dress-down event Wallace & Gromit’s Wrong Trousers Day
- Donate A Cuppa at checkout - just add the cost of a cuppa and make a change, 50% goes to our chariTEA of the quarter, and 50% goes to current issues!
- Donating over 13,000 tea bags for family accommodation houses and hospital staff
- Donation opportunities in-store for customers
- Raffle prizes provided for Grand Appeal events
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
The easiest way to support is to buy Vicky’s Sponge Cake or donate some of your cuppa at the checkout but there are lots of other things you can do to help them out. You can help spread the word by sharing posts on social media, go to the shows or volunteer yourself. If you want to find out more information about this charity and how you can get involved click here.
