Lions festive fundraising leads to £1,000 Tiny Toes donation
The Maltby and Rother Valley Lions are definitely on Santa’s nice list after donating £1,000 to Rotherham Hospital and Community Charity’s Tiny Toes appeal.
The generous donation is possible thanks to the Lions' popular Santa's sleigh tour - an annual event which brings festive cheer to the streets of Maltby while raising money for charity – and other events throughout the year.
Lynn Reaney, President of the Maltby and Rother Valley Lions, said: “Many people will recognise the Lions because we take our Santa sleigh on tour around the neighbourhood at Christmas, but they won’t necessarily know what we spend the money we raise on.
“We are so proud to share news about our support for the Tiny Toes appeal because Rotherham Hospital is our local hospital, which cares for all of us at every stage of our lives. This is our way of giving something back to the NHS and in particular to the next generation of youngsters we hope to bring joy to with our Christmas sleigh.
“This is money generously raised by the Maltby and Rother Valley communities for the tiniest and most vulnerable patients at Rotherham Hospital’s neonatal unit and we hope our donation inspires people to give generously again this December.”
The charity’s Tiny Toes appeal was launched in August 2023 and has raised £122,000 of its £150,000 target.
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s neonatal unit and its caring and compassionate staff are highly praised by families, but the facilities required upgrading to ensure their excellent standard of care can continue for generations to come. The unit had not been upgraded in 40 years.
The Trust has now refurbished the unit to future-proof it, with the charity continuing to fundraise to make it an extra special home from home for families.
Rachael Dawes, Head of Fundraising, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive a £1,000 grant from the Lions. The money was raised in such a festive and fabulous way and it will continue to bring joy and comfort to families when they really need it the most. If your community group would like to help us reach our fundraising target by supporting us too, we’d love to hear from you.”
For more information, contact the charity team on 01709 426821 or trft.rhcc@nhs.net.