[A] kind-hearted Askam mum is helping to transform a tedious experience into an exciting page turner for little ones!
Kirsty Satterthwaite, who is married to Mark and mum to their daughters Ava (three) and 18-month-old Rheya, has donated £314 worth of brand new Usborne children’s books to Bay Hospitals Charity’s Bayb’s Maternity Appeal.
The books are for the new maternity unit being built at Furness General Hospital and are to be shared between its antenatal clinic waiting room and its birthing suites so young children accompanying mum to an appointment or visiting a new sibling can lose themselves in picture, sound effect and lift-the-flap stories to stave off the boredom of having to be relatively still and quiet for some time!
Kirsty, who sells Usborne books through her online business The Story Box, hosted an Internet auction among family, friends and customers to raise the money to pay for the donated books. Items that went under her virtual hammer were all donated by local businesses.
Kirsty said: “I had my daughters at Furness General Hospital and both experiences were very positive. The midwives and other staff were so helpful and made Mark a real part of it too. When I learned of the Bayb’s Maternity Appeal, I decided to support it as a way of saying thank you for the care we received as a family.”
Appeal co-ordinator Heidi Bowron said: “It’s lovely of Kirsty to give us these books. I used to buy Usborne books for my two boys when they were little so know how much younger children like them.
“We’re all aware of how boring waiting in a clinic can be and for a small child, having to be quieter if baby is sleeping can be just as dull so I think the books will be very much appreciated not just by their young audience but also, by the adults looking after them too.”
The Bayb’s Maternity Appeal launched in February and now stands at £154,475.94 towards its £250,000 target. Bayb’s is funding “extras” for the new maternity unit being built at Furness General Hospital. These ”extras” fall outside the remit of what the NHS is able to fund but have been added to a shopping list of items, all designed to make the unit second to none in the country while giving it a real home from home feel for local families and for newborns, the best possible start in life.
To find out more about the appeal, again visit Bay Hospitals Charity’s website at www.bayhospitalscharity.org
