Say hello to Lottie King…
A CHARITY which helps families of sick and premature babies at the University Hospital of North Tees appoints a new chair and gains support from two national retailers.
Neoangels offers a holistic approach to supporting parents on the Neonatal Unit at the University Hospital of North Tees and provides families with meal vouchers, petrol vouchers and parking passes along with providing medical supplies and equipment to the unit.
Lottie King, 28 from Yarm, a former PR Account Executive and now, carer to her son Oska has been appointed the Chair of the Charity.
Lottie has been brought in to support current ward-based trustees and Neonatal nurses, Zoe Musgrave, Zoe Joyce and Jodie Jenkins – who joined the charity earlier this year. The move comes after founders of the charity Kirsty and Shaun Lowther resigned to focus on their family.
Lottie’s twin boys Leo and Oska were cared for on the Neonatal ward. Oska spent more than four months on the unit after being born at 25 weeks while heartbreakingly her son Leo, who was born four days before his twin brother Oska, lost his fight after several hours.
Lottie said “It has been a true honour to be asked to come and join the Neoangels team. The work the Charity does is amazing and I am fully dedicated to supporting the families the unit cares for along with staff on the unit whom myself and my family are eternally grateful to.
“After spending so long on the ward I understand and can wholly relate to families who will be affected during their time here. Helping those families in what can only be described as one of the hardest things a parent has to face has my 100% commitment along with expanding the charity.”
The charity was set up in 2015 by Kirsty and Shaun Lowther after their twins Noah and Ava were cared for on the unit. Since being set up, Neoangels has been able to help more than 200 families.
Zoe Musgrave, Trustee, said: “Since setting up Neoangels our sole aim has been to support parents on the ward and our Neonatal Unit. Kirsty and Shaun have done a remarkable job and reached so many families in a time of unimaginable stress and worry.
“The charity and the unit will be forever grateful to them, their dedication and unwavering support and we wish them all the best.”
Zoe Joyce, Trustee, added: “We are looking forward to working with Lottie and building on the charity’s success by helping our families in more ways going forward.
“We have been working closely as a new team to develop ideas and will have added focuses for the next year.”
The charity has also been recently selected as the charity of the year for the Stockton branch of Marks and Spencer, and has secured another round of fundraising help by the Trimdon and Fishburn Co Op stores after more than £2,000 was raised via its Community Fund last year.
Jodie Jenkins, Trustee, said: “We are thrilled to have been supported by both Marks & Spencer and once again by the Co Op.
“We were nominated by parents of babies who have been cared for by the unit and have been so generous in wanting to raise money to give back to other families in the future to make a difference.”