An appeal to support grieving parents has received a £2,000 boost thanks to the region’s famous Richardson family business.
Birmingham Women’s Hospital is raising £3.5m money to bring Woodland House a brand-new, purpose-built centre away from the hustle and bustle of the main hospital. Families who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death will be able to spend time together in safe and comfortable surroundings before they feel ready to face the world again.
The Richardson Brothers Foundation – the charitable arm of the family business – committed the money to support the hospital through the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce fundraising appeal. Steve Allen, President of the Chamber, has chosen Woodland House as his charity of the year and was aiming to raise additional funds at this year’s annual business awards night.
Despite the award ceremony moving online the Richardson family, who sponsored the overall business of the year category, kickstarted the evening’s fundraising by donating £2,000 to the appeal.
Martyn Richardson and Joe Robinson, from the Richardson Brothers Foundation met with Steve Allen and Chamber Chief Executive Paul Faulkner to hand over the cheque to the hospital’s fundraising team and to learn a bit more about their plans for Woodland House.
Martyn Richardson, explained:
“As a business created here in the West Midlands with deep and enduring family values we are pleased to offer our support to the Women’s Hospital, which is one of only two in the UK and cares for around 2,000 grieving mums and dads from all over the country.
“It was very moving to find out more about the plans for Woodland House and how the hospital’s expert bereavement midwives will be able to support parents at this specially designed facility.”
Steve Allen, president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said:
“I would like to thank the Richardson family for not only supporting the Chamber awards but for making this very generous donation to my chosen charity, the Woodland House Appeal.
“We were all disappointed that the Woodland House Appeal wasn’t able to reap the benefits of a full-scale Chamber annual dinner this year, where 1,400 people would have been in attendance.
“However, it has made myself and the Chamber team even more determined to support this vitally-important project. We’re extremely grateful to the Richardson family for their significant donation and to all those who donated during our virtual awards ceremony.
“The Woodland House Appeal is ongoing and I would encourage others not only to donate but to speak with the charity team to find out more about the cause and how their business can become involved.”
Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, said:
“We are so thankful to Steve Allen and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce for giving our appeal a wonderful platform at the recent business awards and to the Richardson Brothers Foundation for its generous donation. As a pioneering centre of excellence in women’s health, we want to lead the way in setting a new standard of care for bereaved families locally and nationally.
“The Richardson Brothers Foundation has a long legacy of supporting causes in the West Midlands and beyond, with the aim of making a real difference to communities, so to have its support is fantastic and we hope to work together moving forward to help make Woodland House a reality.”
For further information on the Woodland House Appeal or to donate, please visit bwh.org.uk/woodland-house.
For more information:
Jan Jennings - call 07074 073731. email: jan.jennings@rclpartners.co.uk