23/10/2026
Founder Friday
There is so much that we do that few realise. It’s why we are full blast, every day, nights, weekends.
We support the Royal Derby and children’s ward at Burton.
I started this relationship when I worked completely alone 16 years ago. 4 years into me&dee. I met Fran at Derby and Kirsty at Burton, setting up our comfort pack scheme.
16 years on that support remains. I’ve been a chameleon sometimes with that, when funds have been as they are now, very low, through Covid and my own health challenges.
It was heart warming, and uplifting to visit with Charlotte yesterday. What we do isn’t easy. It’s for heartbreaking situations but we know brings comfort and allows memories to be made in end of life care and at the end of life. And we are greeted so warmly by all the nurses we work with.
Our first visit to the ICU End of Life unit, ‘delivering Hope’ with her voice recorder and special tin, our handmade angels from Jan, and what the nurses cherish most, our prints for adding fingerprints to.
From there to the children’s wards. We delivered £400 of your amazing Costa Card contributions. These are given out by nurses to parents spending long days and nights, living on a chair next to their very poorly child. We delivered Hope, baby Hope and Hope comfort blanket along with our monthly toys, crayons and colouring books, fidget toys and cuddlies.
As Charlotte whizzed back to the office, I had a long and emotional but so positive meeting with Kate from neonatal and Rebecca from the mortuary. We have plans 🙂 and seeing how much our memory making items for such precious end of life moments are received is just so wonderful.
My niece Donna Nash design, and those from Cards Jo Wilson are loved.
Please do keep donating for our Costa cards. £20 makes such a difference.
“Sometimes we need someone to simply be there. Not to fix anything or do anything in particular, but just to let us feel we are supported and cared about.”