Express & Star

Staffordshire's Newlife charity donates 250 pyjamas to Compton Care

A charity based in Staffordshire has donated around 250 pyjamas to a hospice in Wolverhampton amid coronavirus.

Published
Newlife's commercial director Colin Brown (right) donates items to Compton Care's director of nursing Rachel Overfield

Staff from Cannock-based Newlife, which helps families with disabled and terminally ill children, made the donation to Compton Care.

A total of 10 crates full of ladies and men's pyjamas – in a mix of sizes – have now been delivered to the Compton Road West charity.

Colin Brown, commercial director at Newlife, delivered the items with staff from the charity's Cannock superstore.

He said: "As a charity that relies on income from our stores, we are certainly not immune to the effects of the pandemic and have had to launch an appeal ourselves to try and help ensure our vital services can continue offering support to families with disabled and terminally ill children who are in crisis.

"But we are all going through this pandemic together and the strain on charities is huge so it is vital we all support each other."

Both charities are currently struggling at the moment due to a fall in donations – with fundraising events and shops closed due to coronavirus.

Rachel Overfield, director of nursing at Compton Care, said: "We are so grateful to Newlife for their incredibly generous and kind donation of pyjamas for our patients.

"Everyone loves a good pair of PJs and so they will bring much needed comfort to those who are staying on our inpatient unit for 24-hour specialist care.

"Compton, like so many other charities, is struggling with donations falling due to shop closures and fundraising events being cancelled.

"But, we have an incredible community around us and this gesture from Newlife is testament to how we are all pulling together at this difficult time to support one another."

Newlife, which also has a store in Market Drayton, has already launched a £72,000 fundraising drive to ensure its helpline – and emergency equipment services – can cope with the demand.

It comes after it was revealed the charity doesn't qualify for a slice of Government funds, with bosses writing to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to call on him to extend the criteria.

The charity has 56 children on its waiting list needing equipment totalling £31,430 and, to date, the charity has spent £4,097,858 on providing equipment for 4,306 children in the region.

To donate to the appeal, visit https://newlifecharity.co.uk/

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.