Saturday 4th August, 2.00pm-6.00pm (daytime sports)/ 7pm (evening party)
Shelford Rugby Club, Westfield Place, 139 Cambridge Road, Great Shelford CB22 5JJ
For event organiser Charlotte McLaughlin it is a cause very dear to her heart to celebrate the second birthday of her twin boys who were born nine weeks early at the Rosie – along with three other sets of twins born there in the same week.
The daytime programme includes running, jumping and throwing events for children and adults alike plus volleyball, tug o’war and a relay race. There will be podium presentations to medal winners in all age groups and prizes for all entrants. Other daytime attractions will include a beer festival, bouncy castle, baby and toddler play area, cake stall, BBQ and ice cream van.
The evening programme kicks off at 7pm with live music from five-piece band Swagger, a hog roast, raffle and charity auction, plus the beer festival will continue throughout the evening. And, with big screen highlights of the Games broadcast at the event, no-one need miss out on the sporting action from London.
Entry for the daytime events is a donation to the Rosie Campaign and tickets for the evening are £15.00 available in advance or on the door.
Charlotte McLaughlin’s twin boys Finlay and Lewis will be two on 7th August. Three other sets of twins also born prematurely at the Rosie in the same week will be celebrating their birthdays at the event.
Charlotte said: “To see our beautiful twin boys running around you wouldn't think they were born so early weighing only 3lb 12oz and 4lb 2oz. It is because of the care and support at the Rosie Hospital that the boys are happy and healthy today. We want to raise money so that more people can experience the fantastic care that we did. It is also a really big thank you for keeping our little boys safe. Spending time in the Rosie makes you realise how lucky we are here to have such amazing facilities.”
Trudy Harper, ACT Community Fundraising Manager for the Rosie Hospital Campaign, said: “With the London 2012 Games on everyone’s mind, this is a fantastic way for the community to get involved while supporting the Big Push for the Rosie. We greatly appreciate everyone’s support and wish everybody taking part the very best of luck!"
The Big Push for the Rosie Hospital Campaign to raise an additional £150,000 from the local community is being managed by ACT, the dedicated charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals. To find out more about the Rosie Campaign please go to: www.therosiecampaign.org.uk or call Trudy Harper on 01223 217757.
For tickets or more information about the event please call Charlotte McLaughlin on 07764 336911 or email charlie@thislittlepiggyhogroast.co.uk.
Charlotte McLaughlin’s story
Two years ago the Rosie Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was inundated with four sets of twins... now those families are giving back to the place that helped give their little ones the best start to life, as event organiser Charlotte McLaughlin explained:
“Our twin boys Finlay and Lewis were born at the Rosie on 7th August 2010. I went into labour unexpectedly and the boys were born nine weeks premature. At first they were on a ventilator and then assisted breathing. We didn’t get the chance to hold or cuddle them until they were a few days old and even then Lewis had to be under the UV lights with sunglasses on so we couldn’t see his face.
“My husband Gary and I went home the day after the twins were born, leaving our boys in the capable hands of the NICU staff. The nurses and doctors were brilliant. Looking back, leaving them seems awful. Our boys just needed time to grow. The nurses made everything seem so normal and I remember feeling so lucky. There were many other parents with children who had serious conditions, but ours were going to be fine over time.
“During this period at least four sets of twins who were born within a week of each other were treated in the Rosie’s NICU or Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). Despite the pressure on the staff, they were always an incredible support. So, along with the other families, we want to raise money to support the Big Push for the Rosie so that more people can experience the fantastic care that we did. It is also a really big thank you for keeping our little boys safe. Spending time at the Rosie makes you realise how lucky we are here to have such amazing facilities. It is unthinkable to imagine if we lived in another time and place that our boys would not be here today.
“We have continued to meet up with the other twins’ families on a regular basis. In the early days it was comforting to talk to other parents who had gone through a similar experience and compare notes. Now we can let our little twins run wild while we have a coffee and a chat. All eight children will be at the Shelford mini-Olympics on 4th August, so we thought it was fitting to also make it a joint second birthday in aid of The Rosie.”
About the Rosie Hospital Campaign
The Rosie Hospital is recognised as one of the finest maternity hospitals in the country. Supported by charitable funding, the Rosie opened in 1983, since when much has changed. It was designed for approximately 4,000 births a year. In 2010-11 almost 5,800 babies were born at the Rosie and by 2020 that number is expected to increase to 7,500.
When it opens in September 2012, the new three-storey extension and modernisation programme will almost double the size of the existing maternity unit and mean the Rosie can continue to offer pregnant women, their families and new babies the very best standard of care. Facilities will include:
· A brand new midwife-led birth centre with ten en-suite rooms for women with a low risk pregnancy
· An expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with 58 cots for babies born early or in need of specialist attention
· A new residential centre with eight en-suite bedrooms, a rest area and kitchen. This will be available for parents that have babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
· A new Fetal Medicine and Day Assessment Unit for monitoring pregnant women and fetal development
· A dedicated counselling suite offering professional support when outcomes are not as planned.
For patients and staff these new world-class resources will make an enormous day-to-day difference. With extra space available, staff will be able to help more women give birth in the comfort of their local hospital. The transformed Rosie will be a regional centre of clinical excellence for training and will aim to set new standards of care by advancing antenatal and neonatal development through research.
__________________________________________