This year the TC Cars Solihull Barons chosen charity is Bliss. Bliss is the UK’s leading charity for the 95,000 babies born premature or sick every year. Every day 260 babies are admitted for neonatal care across the UK with 1 in 4 of those babies needing lifesaving intensive care.
Bliss are only too aware of what this can mean for babies and their families, which is why they want to raise awareness of the impact of having a premature or sick baby. The Bliss vision is that every baby born in the UK has the best chance of survival and quality of life, they champion this right by empowering families, supporting healthcare professionals, influencing policy and practice and enabling life changing research. To do this they need vital funding. The current appeal is #PrematurityIs. They need more people to know about the hurdles babies, parents and families face and overcome, every single day.
#PrematurityIs … More common than you think, more then 1 in 10 babies worldwide are born premature, that’s 15million babies worldwide.
#PrematurityIs … Is costing lives. It is the leading cause of death in children under 5 in the UK and worldwide.
#PrematurityIs … Often unpredictable and in most cases unexplained. For babies it can mean the biggest fight of their lives leaving family and friends asking, Why?
#PrematurityIs … Not what parents expect when they are having a baby. The emotional and financial burden of having a baby in neonatal care can be devastating.
All the information for this appeal can be found on their website www.bliss.org.uk
To help increase this awareness and to make a difference to premature babies @blisscharity is a member of the world prematurity network with partners around the world. Every year on November the 17th is World Prematurity Day, a global day to raise awareness of premature birth.
This is where you can help, Bliss and its partners are once again aiming to turn the world purple for a day to raise awareness for these babies who have no voice. The aim again is to light as many famous landmarks purple and by people wearing purple and sharing #PrematurityIs and what it means to you on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and turning your Facebook purple for the day.
This year we have a home games on the 12th and 19th November, at these games the supporters club table will have information on Bliss, Bliss ribbons and donation tins. We would also love to see as many of you in purple as possibles on the 19th.
The donations we receive will help to ensure more vulnerable babies survive and thrive.
£10 will provide vital emotional support for parents when they need it the most.
£15 helps Bliss deliver specialist training to Doctors and Nurses which ensures babies have the best chance of a healthy future
£50 helps support vital research, transforming the future for premature babies everywhere
This is a charity that is very close to me after working as a neonatal nurse for a number of years, I see first hand the work and the difference that this charity makes to the babies and families I care for. I am proud to be a champion for Bliss and I am also very grateful that the Barons have allowed me to give them a spotlight for the season.
Sasha Smith
Barons Supporters Club & Merchandise Table