Somerset crematorium donates £10,000 to help critically ill babies and children

Funds raised by a metal recycling scheme at a Weston-super-Mare crematorium have been donated to support the lifesaving work of the Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA).

The Children’s Air Ambulance is a national service, changing the face of paediatric and neonatal care through the high-speed transfer of critically ill babies and children – flying them from one hospital to another for specialist care via the clinically designed helicopters which provide a flying intensive care unit for babies and children.

The charity works with 11 NHS Clinical Partner Teams across the UK including Bristol’s Newborn Emergency Stabilisation and Transfer (NEST), and the Wales and West Acute Transport for Children Service (WATCh).

The crematorium on Ebdon Road, Worle, is managed by the Crematorium and Memorial Group and is part of Dignity plc. The team there handed over a staggering £10,000 to the vital children’s charity from the proceeds of recycling metals – given with consent by bereaved families.

The recycling process was put in place not only to protect the environment but to provide potential benefits for the living, including charities.

“The team and I at Weston-super-Mare Crematorium were in no doubt regarding the essential and critical service provided by the Children’s Air Ambulance. It was, therefore, a great pleasure to be able to donate funds from the metal recycling scheme that Dignity Crematoria participate in such a worthwhile cause,” said Russell Gadsby, Business Leader at The Crematorium and Memorial Group.

The crematorium participates in an initiative operated by the Association of Private Crematorium & Cemeteries (APCC) where the profit from the metal recycling operation is donated to a worthy charity.

“The support of our local communities is so important to our charity as we receive no government funding and rely solely on generous donations like these to remain operational,” explained TCAA Community Fundraising Executive, Fiona Franklin.

“Each potentially lifesaving mission costs £3,500 so, on behalf of the charity, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the wonderful team at Weston-super-Mare Crematorium and The Crematorium and Memorial Group for their generous donation which will help save young lives,” she added.

The charity often transfers patients from all over the Southwest, including Weston-super-Mare, so support from the local community is vital.

“We are glad to have helped such a worthy cause, and it was wonderful to meet Fiona and some of the Children’s Air Ambulances’ staff and volunteers,” added Russell.

The children’s charity will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary in due course, so to find out more about its vital support to the NHS over the years, and how to support the charity, please click here.