Young patients join Heart radio DJ’s to launch Bristol’s Big Give

1st December 2009

Young patients at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, part of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, will be meeting with Heart radio DJs to launch a ground-breaking fundraising initiative to raise thousands of pounds for Wallace & Gromits Grand Appeal.

Bristols Big Give is a three day radio broadcast being held at the Childrens Hospital on the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th December and follows the success of the first Bristols Big Give last year which raised over £80,000 for Wallace & Gromits Grand Appeal to improve the lives of sick children at the Bristol Childrens Hospital.

A joint fundraising initiative being held by Heart radios charity Have a Heart and Wallace & Gromits Grand Appeal, Bristols Big Give will provide a unique insight into life at the hospital as young patients and their families tell their personal stories.

Childrens Hospital patients Tom Stabbins (13) from Weston-super-Mare and Nick Sargent (15) from Dorset will be meeting Bush, Troy and Paulina from Heart on Monday. Nick recently spent two weeks in the Childrens Hospital after having a kidney transplant. In his time on the renal unit he was able to make use of the teenage room which was funded by last years appeal. Tom makes regular visits to the Childrens Hospital to receive chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Led by Heart Breakfast with Bush, Troy and Paulina, the Heart team will set up a temporary studio in the Hospital for their broadcast marathon and invite people to tune in on the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th December and make a donation.

Bristols Big Give will be on air from 6am to 10am and 1pm to 7pm on Thursday 3^rd and Friday 4^th December and from 8am to 4pm on Saturday 5^th December.

Heart Fm DJ's Troy, Paulina and Bush

Anna Shepherd, deputy director at the Grand Appeal, said: We are delighted to be holding Bristols Big Give for the second year running. We hope that hearing the inspiring stories from patients will help to raise lots of money to provide new and exciting facilities for the Childrens Hospital and for patients and their families.

Bristols Big Give 2008 provided a wide range of facilities including a high-tech camera system which can look inside a childs heart and record images and a patient-operated pain relief system. Funds also went towards TVs and portable DVDs to be used on wards and in isolated areas and the enhancement of parent accommodation, which provides patients families with a place where they can be close to their child in hospital.

Dr Jackie Cornish, Head of Division, Womens and Childrens Services, said: We are delighted to be working with Heart FM on this years Bristols Big Give. Last years three-day event was a huge success thanks to the generosity of the people of Bristol.

Everyone is looking forward to welcoming the Heart presenters to the Childrens Hospital for the event and we hope people tune in and support us.

Bristols Big Give 2009 is raising money for additional medical equipment , a new interactive area in the Hospitals Emergency Department with arts, games, PCs and other features designed to entertain and engage children, as well as facilities for a new family accommodation suite.

Have a Heart and The Grand Appeal are running an integrated marketing campaign to support the radio appeal, including posters, leaflets and online PR, including viral campaigns and seeding social networking sites. Official media partner the Bristol Evening Post will also be running a series of articles about life at the hospital ahead of the radio broadcast.