The Polly Parrot Appealis raising funds for the children’s wards atBasildon Hospital including the neonatal intensivecare unit (NICU) and children’s oncology.

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Charitable Trust has raised £284,674.57 over the past few years, towards a fundraising target of £250,000. We are increasing our target to cover the on going maintenance of Polly's Pad on site parents accommodation , and to fund more projects within our hospitals where children attend as patients or visitors.

We see more than 28,500 younger people each year at BasildonHospital, from a wide-reaching area which includes Basildon, Thurrock and Brentwood. We have over 6,500 admissions into the children’s wards each year, afurther 2,000 emergency admissions as well as more than 20,000 outpatientappointments.

We are also a receiving hospital for Great Ormond Street, which means that younger people continue their treatment at Basildon Hospital.

This is why it is so important for us to get the environment right for the thousands of patients and visitors we see each year.

Money raised from the appeal will be spent on decoration, distraction equipment, sensory equipment,toys, child-friendly furniture, TVs and other electronic gadgets.A big hit in the children’s emergency department is the interactive floor system, where aprojector in the ceiling projects interactive images onto the floor below. We hope to get one installed in the children’s department too – they cost £10,000!