[L]ocal charity Team Evie has completely transformed the Family Room on the Children’s Ward at the Cumberland Infirmary.
Last week, on Friday 17th November, Team Evie officially opened the newly revamped Family Room on the Children’s Ward at the Cumberland Infirmary. After a year of planning, Team Evie has worked to provide families staying at the hospital with somewhere lovely to relax and take time out from their hospital experience. Team Evie has decorated the room, provided sofas, a place for parents to eat, a TV and radio, all new kitchen appliances, added soft furnishings and much more to create a calming area for parents and families.
Greg and Jill Johnston, founders of Team Evie, along with charity trustee, Evie’s gran Hazel, and Debbie, a parent who spends a lot of time on the Children’s Ward with her son Ryan, held an opening ceremony last Friday (17th November) to officially declare the Family Room open for use.
Greg and Jill Johnston set up Team Evie in 2015, in memory of their daughter Evie, to help poorly children and to support families who face associated challenges. The charity coordinates the only Bereavement Support group for parents in West Cumbria and fundraises for specialist equipment and child friendly resources to be available in children’s wards across the county and the North East.
Greg Johnston, Evie’s dad and co-founder of Team Evie, said: “It’s been a long time in the planning, but we’re so pleased to finally offer families somewhere nice to rest when they just need five minutes peace or somewhere to take their mind off the situation while their child is having an operation. We know firsthand how important it is to have the little things that might make someone’s day easier and to be able to do it in Evie’s name is an honour.”
Julie Fragouli, Children’s Ward manager at the Cumberland Infirmary, said: “The Family Room is fantastic and will make such a huge difference to the thousands of parents we have on the ward each year. This would never have happened without Team Evie!”
Sian Whitaker, nurse on the Children’s Ward at the Cumberland Infirmary, said: “What Team Evie has done and given our ward is truly incredible and we are so thankful for the amazing work that they do.”
For more information on Team Evie and its work, please visit: www.teamevie.org.
