Work starts on Guardian Angels building

7:51am Tuesday 29th April 2008

IT is the moment we have all been waiting for - the day when building work got under way on York Hospital's new high-dependency unit for children.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, readers of The Press have pulled out all the stops to support our Guardian Angels Appeal.

In just four months' time, the life-saving unit could finally be up and running after builders arrived on the children's ward to start work.

But the fundraising must not end here, because we are still £50,000 short of the £300,000 we need to transform the way our city cares for its sickest, most vulnerable children.

Guardian Angels' project nurse Maureen Augey said: "You can feel a real buzz on the ward today - staff have been looking forward to this moment for so long and it's very exciting.

"I think it's fantastic that the whole of York has got behind us to help us get this unit and we can't thank everybody enough.

"In just a few months' time, we will be able to give the sickest children in York the best possible care and that will be wonderful."

The £250,000 already raised is enough money to get building work under way, but we still need another £50,000 for equipment and on-going staff training.

Your money will benefit youngsters like eight-year-old Rhys Beattie, who was today recovering on the children's ward after surviving a severe asthma attack on Sunday.

His mum, Trish Atkinson, of Acomb, in York, said: "He was near critical when he came in and they took him straight to high dependency. "Now we know that if this ever happens again, York Hospital will have one of the best high dependency units in the country on our doorstep. It will give us huge peace of mind."

Kevin Booth, editor of The Press, said: "We realise that £300,000 is a lot of money and it's thanks to the generosity of our readers that we have so nearly reached that target.

"This new unit will make an enormous difference to desperately-ill children and we still need your help to get down the finishing straight. Money can be raised in so many ways, from straight donations to imaginative fundraising, and we hope our readers will continue to support us to the end."

• If you are holding a charity event, let us know about it and we can publicise it in The Press, to make sure as many people as possible support your efforts.

Phone Nicola Fifield on 01904 653051 or email nicola.fifield@thepress.co.uk

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