Leeds Hospitals Charity are excited to announce the return of their Halloween Children’s Toddle.
Since the Toddle launched in 2021 it has been a huge fundraising success, with over £60,000 raised for Leeds Children’s Hospital. The third annual Toddle will take place on Saturday 28th October at Roundhay Park in Leeds. This year, the charity hopes to see hundreds of under- 4s dressed in spooky costumes take part in the 1- kilometre walk, including those who have received treatment at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Leeds Hospitals Charity hopes to raise £40,000 for Leeds Children’s Hospital this year, to help make a real difference to some of the hospital’s smallest patients and their families.
The Lewis family, from Ilkley, were one of hundreds of families who participated in the Toddle last year. They decided to fundraise, after their three -year-old twins, Millie and Lyla, were born prematurely at 33 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic and spent a lot of time on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Millie suffered from intrauterine growth restriction, where the baby does not grow as expected in the womb and the family spent three weeks in hospital. The twins had to be kept in an incubator for temperature regulation and receive light therapy for jaundice. Both twins were fed via a feeding tube and Lyla required continuous positive airway pressure therapy to help her breathe.
Ella, the twins’ mum, tells us why she is grateful to the staff who cared for her girls and why her little ones are taking part in the Toddle again this year:
“I would like to say a massive thank you to the staff at Leeds Children’s Hospital who supported me and my family. We can’t wait to do the Toddle again this year, I would encourage everyone to get involved as it’s a really fun family day out raising much-needed funds for a good cause. Fundraising means that Leeds Hospitals Charity can help Leeds Children’s Hospital constantly invest and improve care for poorly children like my daughters, and support their parents too. They are an important part of our community and we all need them at some time in our lives.”
If you’re interested in taking part in the Toddle this year, entry costs £5 per toddler and all funds raised will support young patients and families at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Families are encouraged to set up their own Just Giving fundraising page for their toddler, which will allow the charity to help make the hospital experience a little brighter for poorly children.
Esther Wakeman, Chief Executive of Leeds Hospitals Charity said:
“I have seen first-hand the impact every donation makes to the lives of our littlest patients at Leeds Children’s Hospital. The toddlers and families who have taken part in our Toddle each year have made it possible to support young patients when they need it the most.
“Money raised has helped us support so many projects, from state-of-the-art equipment for children’s physiotherapy to help make physio sessions more engaging for children, to the Youth Service who support the health and wellbeing of young people in hospital and help reduce isolation and anxiety. We hope to raise even more this year so we can fund more projects that help improve the hospital experience for future generations of children.”
Leeds Hospitals Charity is the charity partner of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the biggest healthcare trusts in Europe. We raise funds for projects, above and beyond what the NHS can provide, to support the latest in healthcare innovation and technology, the treatment of rare conditions and to help reduce health inequalities. Working with local communities, schools and businesses across the city and beyond, we provide £6 million in additional funding for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust every year, supporting one million patients and their families and 22,000 NHS staff.
Leeds Children’s Hospital is one of the UK’s largest specialist children’s hospitals offering a wide range of treatment and care for children from birth to young adulthood and beyond. Our ambition is to be a globally recognised, leading provider of healthcare for children and young people; engaging with our patients and their families to make our services and their experience the best they can be. Our holistic approach focuses on ensuring that children receive the best possible clinical care whilst supporting them to live their best life and to achieve their key milestones.
Leeds Children’s Hospital operates 27 highly specialist services, which constitutes around 67% of the hospital’s total activity. More than 62,000 outpatient appointments are held each year and there are approximately 22,600 inpatient episodes. As a specialist centre, the Children’s Hospital also runs outreach clinics at 22 hospitals across the North of England.
After the Toddle, young participants and their families can get involved in a tombola and lots of fun games alongside Ernie, Leeds Hospitals Charity’s loveable owl mascot. If you’d like to join in Leeds Hospitals Charity’s Halloween Toddle, you can sign up here www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk
