Trust staff are jumping for joy

Mary Sunderland in the tandem sky dive

Nine daring members of staff at Pennine Acute Trust are jumping for joy after successfully raising a staggering £6,000 in sponsorship for a recent charity sky dive.

The tandem sky dive saw them hurtling towards the ground at 120mph in the skies above Lancaster in November for the Trust’s In Your Hands Appeal.

The Trust’s volunteer co-ordinator, Mary Sunderland, who organised the dive said: “It was one of the best experiences of my life! The freefall was MEGA. I wasn’t scared as I was so hyped up and I loved every second. All of us who jumped had a great time.”

Money from the In Your hands Appeal, which the Trust launched back in February 2011, will go towards additional equipment to enhance the new women and children’s unit currently under construction at The Royal Oldham Hospital.

The Appeal aims to raise £200,000 in total by December 2012 for when the building opens.

The facility will involve a major new four storey building, the refurbishment of existing wards, new delivery rooms, obstetric theatres, a paediatric theatre, maternity beds and most significantly – a brand new level 3 neonatal intensive care unit.

Once the new development is complete, The Royal Oldham Hospital will be one of three regional centres providing the highest level of intensive care to the smallest and most vulnerable babies. The new unit will house 37 neonatal cots and 110 expert staff will treat around 550 babies each year from Oldham, Rochdale and the surrounding areas. There will also be five en-suite bedrooms for parents to stay.

Lynn Bowe, neonatal unit manager at The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: “All the staff work incredibly hard to ensure that they provide the highest level of care to every single child but we also need the right equipment to do this. The money from the Appeal will go towards equipment to treat and care for some of the tiniest and most vulnerable babies. So whatever you can spare will make such a massive difference to the lives of these children and their parents and families.”

To find out more about how you can help raise money for the In Your Hands Appeal, or to make a donation, go online to www.pat.nhs.uk/inyourhands or call 0161 918 4497, or you can text: hand12 to 70071.