Charity golf day raises over £10,000 for Neonatal Unit

Birmingham couple Katie and Jack Sears have raised a staggering £10,112.50 for the Neonatal Unit at Heartlands Hospital by holding a charity golf day at Castle Bromwich Golf Club.

Katie and Jack were inspired to raise money for the Neonatal Unit following the treatment that their daughter Elsie received at Heartlands Hospital. Born in February 2017, Elsie arrived ten weeks early, weighing only 3lb 8oz.
Little Elsie spent nine days in Critical Care and then a further four weeks in Special Care before going home on 12 March.

Katie said: “We wanted to raise money for the unit to give a little something back for everything that they did for us. The care that Elsie received was second to none and we couldn’t imagine where we’d be without them.
“The nurses and doctors on the unit are absolutely amazing and work very hard to ensure that all babies receive the best care and they were always there for Jack and me.”

The fundraising couple decided to hold a charity golf day, where eight teams of four golfers took part and all helped to raise sponsorship money. Katie’s employer, River Island, generously match funded the donations, as did her dad’s company Silmid.

The day was a great success, with a raffle and an auction held alongside the golf. It was such a success that the couple are planning to turn it into an annual event.

Fundraising Manager at Heartlands Hospital Charity, Sian Averill, said: “A huge well done goes to Jack, Katie and their friends for raising such an incredible amount of money for the Neonatal Unit at Heartlands Hospital.

“The Charity works to provide added extras over and above that which the NHS is able to fund, and this donation will help the Charity to continue doing this. It is wonderful that Katie and Jack were inspired by the treatment that Elsie received at Heartlands Hospital and I look forward to hearing about their fundraising in the future.”

To find out more about how Heartlands Hospital Charity helps to provide added extras for newborns in need, visit heft.org.uk/newbornsinneed