Member Article

Giant move forward for Tiny Lives Trust

Newcastle-based charity the Tiny Lives Trust has taken a giant leap forward by expanding into new, larger, fit-for-purpose premises.

Tiny Lives supports premature and sick newborn babies and their families on the Neonatal Unit on Ward 35 at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. The charity has now moved into its new home at Amethyst Road on Newcastle Business Park, which is twice the size of its previous premises on Mosely Street, Newcastle.

With around 750 premature or ill new born babies born on the RVI’s Neonatal Unit every year, Tiny Lives offers a lifeline for families across the North East. At 1,000sqft over two floors, the charity’s new base doubles its operational space, enabling it to offer superior facilities and support services for families of premature and sick babies.

Tiny Lives has taken a 10-year lease on its new premises and has spent several weeks developing the building’s new layout, with baby changing facilities, family-friendly areas, meeting space and areas for groups to get together and support each other. Free car parking will also enable more families to visit and attend Tiny Lives groups.

Over the last three months, Muckle LLP – a leading North East independent law firm for businesses, has provided all of the legal advice and work surrounding the lease free of charge for the charity on a pro bono basis.

Kelly Blakeney, Head of Tiny Lives, said: “Our move to new, larger and fit-for-purpose premises will act as a springboard for Tiny Lives and will make a tremendous difference to the families we support.

“We will be able to offer much needed facilities and expand our support services from our new office. With baby changing facilities and car parking - so important to many of the parents we support - we will also be able to offer meeting space, and new groups.

“We’re so delighted with our new home and would like to thank everyone who has helped us to make this important move. It’s an exciting time for the charity and having such a fantastic space really will help us to make a difference to even more families of premature and newborn sick children.”

Libbie Henderson, Partner in the Real Estate team at Muckle LLP, said: “We’re delighted to have helped and advised this very special charity on their move to new premises, enabling them to expand the range of support they offer.

“We support North East charities with free legal advice as often as we can and it has been a privilege to help Tiny Lives with these leasing agreements, which we trust will serve the charity well in delivering its inspirational and invaluable services for years to come.”

Established in 1983, ‘Tiny Lives’ was the brain child of Dr Hans Steiner, a paediatrician who with Dr Edmund Hey took care of babies at the neonatal unit in the Princess Mary Maternity Hospital. In 1993, the Neonatal Units at the Princess Mary Maternity Hospital and Newcastle General Hospital merged into a new unit, based at the RVI.

Tiny Lives was also helped by agent Mario Jaconelli and Simpson Property Consultants, Commercial Property agents Lofthouse and Partners, SP Consultants and PF Burridge & Sons.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah Banks .