We have announced that we are supporting the Tiny Lives Trust for the third year, running with a £15,000 donation to pay for the transport of families to and from the hospital to visit their poor babies.
This brings the total donation from TT2 up to £40,000, which has so far helped 798 families either by paying for parking permits or for travel costs so they can spend invaluable time with their babies.
One family who has received provision said: “Tiny Lives supported me when we were on the unit and provided me with a parking pass so I was able to see my little girl every day.”
Rachel Hardwick, fundraising & engagement manager at Tiny Lives, said, “We understand from speaking with families just how much of an impact your incredible generosity means during such difficult times.
The ability to cover parking and travel costs could just be the saving grace that allows parents to stay incubator-side, right where they need to be. For our poorly babies, knowing mum and dad are close by is vital, not just for the baby’s development, but for the emotional wellbeing of the whole family.”
It is estimated that neonatal families in England spend on average an extra £405 a week when their baby is in hospital, which includes travel, parking, food and drink, childcare for siblings and loss of earnings. For many families, these unexpected expenses cannot be absorbed, and without financial assistance, visiting their baby as much as they want to would not be possible.
TT2’s chief operating officer, Shaun Simmons, said: “TT2 and the Tyne Tunnels strive to add value to our region, and this partnership is a great example of that in action. We are helping provide transport connections that are vital to our communities. We also encourage and promote safe travel through partnerships with charities and organisations.
Having a premature or poorly newborn baby can be one of the most difficult and life-changing challenges a family can experience, so when we heard we could play a part in supporting parents in this terrible position, we were delighted to do so.”
We work closely with many North East charities that support vital transport. We have previously fuelled the fleet of Northumbria Blood Bikes and Daft as a Brush charity for a year to help get cancer patients to and from treatment appointments for free. TT2 also has a partnership with St John Ambulance to fund a new community support vehicle, 30 community support bikes and a campaign for safety and first aid.