Free Parent First Aid
Free Parent First Aid
In Aid of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at The Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital Charitable Trust charity number 1049424
Austin Holmes at 1 day old, 2 weeks old in clothes for the first time and celebrating his 5th Birthday in August 2018 as a healthy little boy.
Our Story
We launched our Free Parent First Aid sessions following our own personal experience of a premature birth. In August 2013 co director Melanie Holmes went into labour at 33 weeks, and delivered our son Austin weighing 4.6lbs. Straight after the birth he was whisked off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Basildon Hospital where he was cared for around the clock by the NICU doctors and nurses.
We were warned he could be in hospital until his due date, however were lucky that there were no complications or adverse affects of the early birth and Austin was discharged at 2 weeks old and has gone on to be a healthy little boy.
A couple of years on, and we saw a facebook post asking local businesses to donate money to the unit as they were looking to fund an infa-red piece of equipment which would highlight a babies veins and allow staff to canulate the infant at the first attempt. Rather than simply make a one of donation, we came up with the idea of offering Free parent First Aid sessions, as an ongoing project asking for voluntary donations which 100% go to the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Charitable Trust where they are then allocated to the NICU department.
We were delighted to be accepted by the hospital as an approved fund raiser for them, and our first 6 sessions raised over £1,000.
Donations are completely voluntary, and whilst the sessions are in aid of the NICU unit, they are also about informing new and existing parents, grand parents, aunts and uncles on how to treat their loved ones in the event of a medical emergency.
To gain information of our next upcoming sessions, please visit our facebook page
and subscribe to our events where you will see as and when we launch dates.