Member Article

Housebuilder supports local families with £1,000 donation to Sunderland Royal Hospital’s Neonatal Unit

Five star housebuilder, Barratt Developments North East, is continuing to support charities and organisations in the areas in which it builds, which is needed now more than ever. The Community Fund initiative sees the housebuilder donate £1,000 to a different community group or charity from the North East region every month. This month, Barratt Developments is supporting Sunderland Royal Hospital Neonatal Unit, which works with and supports families who have babies needing specialist and intensive care.

The donation to the Sunderland Royal Hospital Neonatal Unit comes after Glen Hyland, Commercial Manager at Barratt Developments North East, nominated the organisation for the Community Fund due to the incredible support that he and his wife received with the birth of their premature twins earlier this year.

Approximately 1 in 101 newborn babies need specialist support, with around 2% of those babies needing intensive care. The Neonatal Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital works hard to help babies recover from many needs, including premature birth, low weight, infections and more, whilst also offering support to family members throughout the entire process.

Vicky Mitchell, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Divisional Director, Family Care, said: “We are very grateful to Barratt Developments for their generous donation. Our Neonatal Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital cares for pre-term and sick babies from Sunderland and South Tyneside, as well as babies needing the highest levels of care who are transferred from as far away as Carlisle and Whitehaven. Our dedicated specialist doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners provide the highest standard of neonatal care in a family-orientated environment and it is wonderful when they receive positive feedback. This donation is a great morale boost for the staff and we will put the money to good use for the benefit of families.”

Glyn Hyland, Commercial Manager at nearby Barratt and David Wilson Homes Cherry Tree Park development, commented: “I’m over the moon that Barratt is donating a Community Fund to the Neonatal Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital. With the premature birth of my twins, I witnessed first hand the incredible work and commitment of the staff, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their support and dedication meant the world to myself and my wife. We hope that the donation will help the unit to assist more families who shared a similar experience to my own across the Sunderland area.”

In addition to this, to say thank you to all NHS employees working hard to look after people during the COVID-19 crisis, Barratt Developments North East has launched a new NHS Deposit Contribution Scheme giving a 5% deposit to help them buy a new home, which will be available at all nearby developments including Cherry Tree Park in Sunderland.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .