Children’s Hospital Pyjamas Charity
Black Country-based training group BCTG has been hailed for its generosity supporting a charity providing pyjamas for children in hospital this Christmas.
Oldbury-based BCTG, which supports almost 10,000 young people and adults with training each year, had originally offered to donate £500 to buy multiple pairs of pyjamas for the appeal.
But some of BCTG’s staff also dug deep themselves to buy extra warm nightclothes, taking the total donation to 97 pairs of pyjamas.
Mags Goode - Area Co-Ordinator
Mags Goode, area co-ordinator for the Children’s Hospital Pyjamas charity, said:
“We were blown away! I was expecting to pick up around 50 sets of pyjamas from BCTG’s offices but instead it was nearly twice as many. I barely had enough room in my car’s boot for them.
“This is by far the most generous donation we have seen this Christmas and means, instead of providing pyjamas children at three of the region’s hospitals, we will be able to provide them for five hospitals.
“We all know it has been a tough year for businesses, with so many people placed on furlough, so it means even more that BCTG has dug so deep for our charity. We are enormously grateful to both the company and its staff.”
Jemma Sutton - Customer Relations & Systems Team Manager at BCTG
The company-wide effort was organised by Jemma Sutton, manager of the customer relations and systems team at BCTG’s Further Training operation.
She explained that the pyjamas will be going to Russell’s Hall hospital, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the Birmingham Children’s Oncology unit, Heartlands and Ronald McDonald house in Birmingham, where they will be given to poorly children this Christmas and into the new year.
Ms Sutton said:
“Hospitals can be scary places for children, and no child wants to be wearing a hospital gown so this year we have pledged to help this charity.
“With many staff members having children themselves, it is a worthy charity reaching the right people at this time of year.
“Four members of staff brought in 34 pairs of pyjamas between them to add to the ones paid for by BCTG, so we were able to hand over 97 sets in the end.”
Chris Luty - Chief Executive of BCTG
Chris Luty, chief executive of BCTG , added:
“In a year when so many charities have struggled with the impact of Covid-19 we felt it was important to play our part as a business.
“I am enormously proud of the efforts of Jemma and other staff in supporting this worthy cause, adding to the pile."
“You couldn’t help noticing the masses of pyjamas on display at our offices during the collection effort and it was wonderful to see our people prepared to spend their own money to add to our contribution to make life a little more comfortable for children in hospital over the festive season.”
Mags Goode and her fellow area co-ordinator Viki Wareham have organised collections of pyjamas throughout the year for hospitals across the region. The appeal was launched 11 years ago and became an official charity this year.