Amazing £11,000 lockdown fundraising for Twinkling Stars Appeal
A bereaved Kettering family have raised £11,000 for KGH's Twinkling Stars appeal by selling masks and holding raffles with the support of hundreds of local people.
Georgia and Sam Holland's daughter, Libby, was born 18 weeks prematurely at KGH on March 13, 2020 and sadly passed away shortly after.
One of the main reasons the KGH appeal was launched was to improve bereavement care facilities for families like the Hollands so that they don’t have to share facilities with families who are experiencing the joy of childbirth.
When the Hollands found out about the appeal – which aims to raise £1 million to fund a new bereavement room, family room, quiet room and office separated from the Labour Suite – they wanted to help.
Georgia said: "Whilst in hospital at KGH we were treated so well, however no one could change the fact that we could hear crying babies knowing we would never hear our little girl's cry.
"You have to go through the same entrance and you know you’re losing your baby, yet there’s nothing you can do about it.
"You hear babies crying and I looked over to my husband and there were tears rolling down his face. We were determined to help improve facilities for families like ourselves who face these tragedies.”
Georgia’s mum Dawn Horne, a seamstress, also from Kettering, made more than 200 masks and sold them for the appeal.
The family also appealed for raffle prizes through social media and got an amazing response from hundreds of individuals and companies and prizes rained down on them between August and December 2020.
In the end the raffles raised thousands of pounds and on Friday, March 26, the couple handed over the money raised to KGH’s maternity and fundraising team.
KGH Delivery Suite Manager Heather Silver said: “Our plans to improve bereavement care facilities will make a major difference to those families, like the Hollands, who face this very difficult situation.
“They have done an amazing job in raising so much to support the appeal and we very much appreciate the efforts of everyone who has helped them to achieve this.”
KGH’s Head of Strategic and Corporate Fundraising, Jayne Chambers, said: “Sam and Georgia and Dawn have done an amazing job and we are blown away by what they have achieved during lockdown.
“They have done such a positive thing following their personal tragedy – I am just beyond words.”