Rockinghorse News

Making life better for
sick children in Sussex
Rockinghorse
News
All the latest news and events from
the official fundraising arm of the
Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital
Summer 2016
Taking trauma out of treatment Marathon
megastars!
Over 25,000 children attend the
Children’s Emergency Department
(CED) at the Royal Alexandra
Children’s Hospital (the Alex)
in Brighton every year, with this
figure continuing to rise.
As the official fundraising arm of the
Alex, we raise money for life-saving and
cutting-edge medical equipment, as well
as ensuring that children are treated in
an environment better suited to their
needs.
Thanks to your support, we have been
able to fund a new specialist Trauma
Room for the CED which opened earlier
this year. The unit allows young patients
to receive non-surgical treatment for
traumatic injuries without the need of
anaesthetic, thanks to the installation of
a medical gas scavenger system.
CED staff are now using the new
pain relief system to treat serious
injuries such as setting broken bones
(pictured above), stitching very deep
wounds, treating burns and correcting
dislocations. The experience is far less
distressing to both young patients and
their families, and also means that a
child does not require an overnight stay.
Of course our work simply would not
be possible without your support, and
for that we are very grateful. Our aim is
to make a difference to the lives of sick
children across Sussex, so please do
take a look overleaf to read about our
Summer of Sport 2016 appeal and find
out how you can help.
“The new Trauma Room
and its equipment is an
invaluable tool to help us treat
injured children as painlessly
as possible and improve their
hospital experience.”
Dr Michaela Lazner,
Consultant Emergency
Paediatrician
Thanks to our team of amazing
Rockinghorse runners, over £45,000
has been raised to help us make life
better for sick children in Sussex.
Runners took part in the Brighton
Half Marathon in February as well as
the Brighton Marathon and London
Marathon in April, raising a fantastic
amount of money.
We’re looking for supporters to
take part in next year’s marathon
challenges, to find out more visit
rockinghorse.org.uk/events
Project celebrations at the Alex
Thanks to your support, we’ve
funded some very special projects
in the last six months, making
a difference to the lives of sick
children in Sussex…
We opened a brand new SEA LIFE
themed Sensory Room for young
patients at the Alex (pictured right).
Teaming up with the SEA LIFE centre
in Brighton and children’s charity
Merlin’s Magic Wand, we made the
Sensory Room a reality for thousands of
youngsters who require the services of
the dedicated children’s hospital. The
room is fitted with specialist equipment
which all help to create an under-the-sea
multi-sensory experience. The unique
room is being used as both a learning
and therapeutic space and is the first
of its kind in the UK!
Staff on the Theatre Ward at the
Alex now have access to a Storz
C-Mac Videolaryngoscope, to assist
with the ventilation of children with
difficult airways, thanks to funding
from Rockinghorse. Approximately
5,000 children undergo elective and
emergency anaesthesia at the hospital
every year and the ‘C-Mac’ will improve
an anaesthetist’s ability to see the
patients’ airway and accurately insert
a tube to the correct depth.
We’ve also funded four Continuous
Glucose Monitoring Systems for the
Alex, to support children with diabetes.
The equipment will allow paediatricians
to better understand young patients
sugar profiles and will help in adjusting
the insulin to avoid both low and high
sugar levels, which are detrimental to the
overall health of a child with diabetes.
As well as providing life-saving and
cutting-edge medical equipment, our
funding ensures that children are treated
in an environment better suited to their
needs; we believe that no matter where
they are, children should always be
allowed to be children. Rockinghorse
is currently funding parent counselling
sessions on both the High Dependency
Unit at the Alex, and the neighbouring
Trevor Mann Baby Unit, as well as Pilates
courses for young patients with hypermobility and chronic disease conditions.
For all the latest project news, visit
rockinghorse.org.uk/about-us
Supplying defibs to schools
Rockinghorse has partnered with
The Connor Saunders Foundation
to supply ten schools in Sussex
with a life-saving defibrillator.
For every minute that a person is in
cardiac arrest, their chances of survival
drops by 10%. A defibrillator is the only
definitive treatment for someone who is
suffering a cardiac arrest, which is why
it is so important for schools to not only
have access to this piece of equipment,
but to also learn how to use it.
Defibrillators are simply too expensive
to be installed in schools as standard,
so The Connor Saunders Foundation is
working to raise awareness and make
as many schools in the Sussex area,
heart safe. In support of this campaign,
Rockinghorse has provided funding
for ten machines, as well as training
sessions for pupils and teachers in
specially organised first aid workshops.
We visited year 7 pupils at Portslade
Aldridge Community Academy to see
them take part in their first aid training
session, where they learnt how to use
a defibrillator safely and effectively
(pictured below).
Corporate champions donate thousands
We are very grateful to receive
fantastic support from many
businesses in Brighton, Hove
and across Sussex, who help
us to make a real difference.
In December we welcomed a huge
boost to our fundraising with an £88,000
donation from insurance company
RiverStone, who have an office in
Brighton. Their donation will help us
fund a number of projects at the Alex,
including a dedicated Medicine Clinic
for children’s asthma.
The team from AVS Fencing Supplies
in Horsham made a £5,000 donation
following their annual Christmas Charity
Ball and the Morgan Sindall Group
presented us with a £20,000 donation
from funds raised throughout 2015
(pictured above right).
Our friends at Austin Rees property
management and lettings in Brighton
donated £13,000, enabling us to invest
in the Storz C-Mac Video Laryngoscope
(mentioned on page 2) which is already
being used on the Theatre Ward of the
Alex.
We celebrated five years of friendship
with The Gingerman Restaurant Group
Why not help us make life better for sick children throughout Sussex by
setting up a Direct Debit? Your regular gift will make a huge difference
to the care and support we can provide. For more information visit
rockinghorse.org.uk/donate or call the office on 01273 330044.
who have donated over £60,000 to our
cause. The money they’ve raised has helped
to build a dedicated Children’s Emergency
Department at the Alex and also funded
a specialist pain distraction unit.
If your company would like to support
Rockinghorse, please call us on
01273 330044 or email
[email protected]
Christmas
appeal success
L @rockinghorse67 F facebook.com/rockinghorse.charity
We would like to say a BIG thank you to some
special people and organisations...
Find out how you can support us at rockinghorse.org.uk/get-involved
Alex Harding and the Southwater Big Bash Team
Alice Tucknott and Helen Hastie
Arthur Green
Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival
Brighton and Lewes Vox Community Choirs
Brighton College
Brighton Lions
Brilliant Brighton
Butlers Wines
Christine Lent and Louise Arnold
Chyngton School
Cobb PR
Craig Hinvest
Dawson Hart
Domestic and General
E3 Group and Brighton Premiere
Eastbourne Eagles
Events World
Foresters
Fortis Law
Fun Bags Party Shop (Haywards Heath)
Gareth and Lynn Shepherd from QuizHost UK
Grafton Banks
Greenwatch Firefighters, Hove
Hen Heaven
Hilton Brighton Metropole
Hilton Gatwick
HSBC
ICP Search
La Cave á Fromage
Lingfield Football Club
Maidenbower Junior School
Mayo Wynne Baxter
McMillan Williams Solicitors
Merlin’s Magic Wand
Oban Digital
Overline
Posh Totty Designs
Rivervale
Ruth Rance and friends at Hale Farm
Santander
Sainsbury’s Local (in Hove)
Sealife Centre, Brighton
Southern Water
Story Carousel
Street Runners Ltd
Sussex Community Foundation
Sussex County Cricket Club
Swiss Gardens Primary School
Ted Baker (Brighton store)
Terre á Terre
The Cullum Family Trust
The Golden Lion Group
The Grand Brighton
The Rockinghorse Racers
Trident Professional IT Services
Uplands Community College
White Stuff (Brighton store)
Worthing Lions
Worthing Parish Churches
Thanks to your support, our
Christmas appeal became a reality
and we raised enough money to
purchase a specialist bilirubin
machine for the maternity ward at
the Royal Sussex County Hospital
in Brighton, where over 3,500
babies are born each year.
Pip Andrews, Postnatal Lead Midwife,
says: “A big thank you to everyone
who donated to the Rockinghorse
Christmas appeal. Having the jaundice
meter means there has already been
a reduction in the amount of blood
tests required, and we are able to send
parents’ home with their baby, reassured
by the result of the non-invasive test that
we can perform with the machine.”
EVENTS DIARY
Check out some of our key
events in 2016…
Mud Monsters Run
Sunday 29 May and dates
available in October
East Grinstead
Eastbourne Triathlon
Sunday 12 June 2016
Midsummer Ball
Saturday 18 June 2016
Hilton Brighton Metropole
British 10k
Sunday 10 July 2016
Central London
Ride London-Surrey 100
Sunday 31 July 2016
Brighton and Hove Triathlon
Sunday 11 September 2016
Bright 10
Sunday 16 October
Brighton seafront
To view our full list of events, visit
rockinghorse.org.uk/events
Wedding favours
Share the love on your big
day with our charity wedding
favours from Posh Totty
Designs. Each silver plated
pin badge costs £2.50 and
100% of your donation will
help us make life better for
sick children in Sussex, so
you’ll be extending the love to
those who need it most.
To find out more, call us
on 01273 330044 or email
louise.bartha@
rockinghorse.org.uk
News from community corner
Rockinghorse has received fantastic
support from local schools, community
groups, shops, pubs and individual
supporters over the last six months...
Danny Borrer held a charity football
match in Southwick at Christmas and
raised over £3,000. He joined us at the
Alex for a cheque presentation and tour
of the hospital and we’ve also written
a blog piece about his event – find out
more by visiting rockinghorse.org.uk/
news.
Rockinghorse were selected as a
beneficiary charity for the Waitrose
Community Matters scheme in January.
The 20 participating branches raised
an incredible £6,488 and we met with
Sarah Beacham and Michelle Hale
from the Burgess Hill branch, for an
official cheque presentation at the Alex
(pictured below).
Twenty eight schools took part in our
Dress as an Elf event in December to
raise £7,805. These funds helped provide
presents for young patients who spent
time in the Alex over the festive period.
Staff from The Sussex Cricketer pub in
Hove beat their fundraising target for a
second year to raise over £6,000! We are
very pleased to announce that they have
chosen to support us again this year.
Show your support!
Businesses in Sussex can
support Rockinghorse by
displaying a charity
collection tin.
In 2015 we raised over £7,000
thanks to the local shops,
café’s, newsagents, pubs and
restaurants who displayed our
tins. If your business would like
to help us raise vital funds to
support sick children in Sussex,
we’d love to hear from you.
We’ll drop a tin to your place
of work and then as soon as it’s
full, just give us a call and we’ll
arrange to collect it from you.
To request yours, call us on
01273 330044 or email
[email protected]
We’re looking for a volunteer to help coordinate our collection tin service across
Brighton and Hove. Interested? Please contact Liz via the details above to find
out more.
To make a donation or to find out more about
how you can get involved, please get in touch:
Call 01273 330044
Email [email protected]
Take a look at our brand new website rockinghorse.org.uk
With special thanks to: Design: Pixeldot Creative | Print: Synergy
Rockinghorse’s Summer of Sport appeal 2016…
Making activities possible for children in Sussex
We need YOUR help to provide local young people suffering from mental health
problems with leisure opportunities, to support their recovery and create positive
experiences as part of their treatment.
Following the fantastic success of a pilot scheme
funded by Rockinghorse at Chalkhill Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Unit in Haywards Heath,
we want to roll out a range of therapeutic activities
across several of the hospitals and respite centres we
support.
Chalkhill is the only in-patient hospital for children
and young people in Sussex with complex mental
health issues. The unit looks after patients aged from
8 to 16 years old, who are tackling eating disorders,
depression and early-onset psychosis.
 cut out and keep
When a child is admitted to Chalkhill, they have often
stopped engaging in day to day life, withdrawing from
family and friends. This can be a huge challenge for
the nurses, occupational therapists and doctors who
are responsible for their treatment.
Last summer, Rockinghorse funded a series of trial
sessions for in-patients at Chalkhill, including horse
riding, dance lessons, cookery classes, and art and
circus skills workshops. Staff were thrilled with the
positive response and found the activities greatly
complemented their clinical work, and helped young
people to manage their own emotional behaviour.
With your support, we would like to extend this
scheme to include children cared for at Tudor House
respite centre and Drove Road residential home – both
in Brighton. We also want to provide days out for
oncology patients at the Alex, as well as committing
to further sessions for Chalkhill. We know these new
activities will provide extra benefits and opportunities,
such as giving children the chance to socialise and
spend time away from medical procedures.
Unfortunately, NHS funding is not available for
any extras and the harsh truth is these activity
programmes will simply not take place without
Rockinghorse. Please donate today and help us to
enhance the care and recovery of local vulnerable
children and young people.
Building confidence at Chalkhill
Both Lucy and Rebecca struggle with
depression and self-harm, and are
currently at Chalkhill:
“Although it is not a place where we want to
be, the activities provided make the best of a
bad situation and encourage us to expand our
interests. We can both truly say that we would be
really sad if the dance workshops were no longer
available, as these sessions are really helping us.
The activities give us structure to our day and
help us to mix with people and build our team
work skills. Although it has taken time, we have
slowly overcome our anxieties, and sessions
such as cooking and yoga have distracted us
from our thoughts. The activities have given us
positive experiences that will become positive
memories in testing times.”
Here’s how you can get involved…
Join our mascot Rocky for a Summer of Sport and sign-up to one of our existing
sporting challenges or organise one of your own and help us raise much-needed
funds for our summer appeal – visit rockinghorse.org.uk/events to find out more.
Alternatively, you can make a direct donation to our appeal using the online donate box by
visiting rockinghorse.org.uk, or over the phone by calling us on 01273 330044. Thank you.
 cut out and keep