This year, Stechford Mobility is proud to announce our charity of the year as Heartlands Hospital Charity. To mark our commitment, we’re launching a campaign to raise a target of £30,000 to help their neonatal units, where premature newborns are cared for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Why are we taking on the challenge?

Firstly, the Heartlands Hospital Charity does an incredible job providing practical care for critically ill babies and emotional support for parents.

Secondly, our very own director, Martyn Thomas, witnessed their remarkable work first-hand when his daughter, Lyla, was born in 2015. Lyla arrived 9 weeks premature and weighed just 3lbs 7oz. With the help of staff at the Heartlands Hospital, Lyla was provided with expert medical care, in a specialist neonatal intensive care unit.

‘We will always be in debt to this amazing unit for the care and support they provided for both Lyla and ourselves… We are so passionate about this unit, it deserves every penny it can get to cover the costs and equipment of the fantastic care they provide.’ – Martyn Thomas

After 4 weeks and a difficult time for all the family (many of whom are Stechford employees), Lyla was allowed home and Martyn and the team wanted to give something back to the ward.

In 2017, Stechford Mobility donated seven specialist height-adjustable, comfortable armchairs to the unit, to allow worried parents a comfortable seat from which to tend to their child. This year, we want to go one step further!

How will we raise £30,000?

The Stechford team are taking part in events throughout the year, from long distance endurance races to a 300 mile sponsored scooter ride. You can donate to all the events via the JustGiving page, and don’t forget to leave a message of support!

Event Dates

7th April – Spring Wolf Run

20th May – Tough Mudder Run

2nd June – Summer Wolf Run

14th July – Sponsored Scooter ride from Birmingham to Edinburgh Castle

1st September – Autumn Wolf Run

3rd November – Winter Wolf Run

More events to be announced.

Martyn is taking on all four Wolf Runs; he’ll be joined by Alex Cook (Stechford engineer and Lyla’s uncle) for the Tough Mudder in May, and David Thomas (Stechford Director and Lyla’s grandfather) will lead the sponsored, non-stop scooter ride from Birmingham to Edinburgh.

Joining David are Martin Baker (Stechford engineer) and Stephen Jones, employee of Kent’s UK Barbers. Stechford Mobility is proudly supported by Kent’s UK Barbers, who are hosting donation buckets in a number of their shops.

Whether you’re a customer, friend, family member or a citizen who is proud of charities like Heartlands Hospital, we look forward to seeing you at one of our events soon. Please give generously and come to the events to cheer on Martyn and the team!

Neonatal Care in Britain: a Fact File

The same year that Lyla was born, Britain’s neonatal units were surveyed by the neonatal charity Bliss. They returned the following statistics.

64% of neonatal units do not have enough nurses to meet national standards on safe staffing levels, and two thirds of units do not have enough specialist nurses.
Two thirds of units do not have the medical staff they need to meet national standards.
Insufficient funding accounts for three quarters of nursing shortfalls at neonatal units, demonstrating an urgent need for investment in neonatal services.
At 41% of units, parents have no access to a trained mental health worker.
At 30% of units, parents have no access to any psychological support at all.
One third of neonatal units are unable to offer accommodation to parents of critically ill babies or those who live many miles from the hospital.
70% of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are consistently caring for many more babies than is considered safe.
1 in 9 babies is born needing neonatal care in England. That’s more than 77,000 babies each year – and this number is rising.

Stechford Mobility is Birmingham’s leading specialists in mobility equipment. We’re a family run business who play an active part in the local community and we’re proud to serve those with mobility needs in and around the west midlands. Our charity work is just another way in which we take pride in our community and support the good work of all health care professionals in it. Please give whatever you can or raise awareness to help us raise £30,000 for the Heartlands Hospital Charity.

For any more information, please contact us and we’ll be happy to talk to you about your individual needs or our fundraising work.