THE LILY PAD APPEAL

Croydon University Hospital and the Lily Pad Appeal

The Chartwell Cancer Trust proudly supports the new dedicated children’s ward at Croydon University Hospital, which officially opened on 10th May 2022. 

The new £7 million state of the art facility called the ‘Rainbow Children’s Unit’ provides care for up to 40 children, houses a medical ward, surgical ward and a short stay unit, as well as providing facilities for patients and visitors, such as family spaces and relaxation rooms and a number of play spaces and playgrounds.  The unit will provide better care for thousands of children and young people who are admitted to hospital.

Croydon NHS Trust call for help
The Chartwell Cancer Trust has been supporting oncology families in Croydon since 2016. Croydon NHS Trust approached the charity in 2018 to help raise the significant shortfall in budget of £750,000 needed to build the new and modernised Oncology Unit, a crucial part of the planned overhaul to integrate the Acute Paediatric Services.

The Lily Pad Appeal
Recognising how much the young patients in the borough so needed and deserved these facilities, The Chartwell Cancer Trust agreed to take on the challenge to raise the £750,000 required for the new oncology unit and, promptly, the Lily Pad Appeal was formed.

As a result of our efforts, we are delighted to confirm that in February 2022 (with a pandemic in between), we reached our original pledge and raised the £750,000 for the dedicated paediatric oncology unit, not only our greatest achievement, a fantastic milestone and the largest donation in Croydon’s history, making a lasting difference and legacy to the experiences of young people living with cancer. 

The New Oncology Unit
The new unit provides efficiency, productivity and safety – and has transformed the level and quality of care for all the young service users and families – some of whom are treated in the facility for as long as six months or more.  

This dedicated facility includes adequate numbers of single bedrooms and en-suite facilities for oncology patients and provides access to specialist therapy areas, support spaces and operational and administrative facilities for medical teams to enhance and modernise service delivery.

Thank you to our supporters – we did it!
All of this exists thanks to the dedication of our supporters.  Three years of tireless fundraising, to reach the massive target of £750,000 for the new facility. 

Ongoing committment:

Our commitment to the most vulnerable children in our communities has not waned, the money we raise makes a huge and positive impact for young cancer patients and their families in the borough.  

The current climate could not be more adverse and in these most challenging of times, our commitment to the project is unwavering. Due to delays and disruptions caused by the pandemic, fundraising for the Lily Pad Appeal will continue until February 2023. 

Many of our funding partners are already renewing their support and we are reaching out to new prospects all the time. We have a year packed full of fundraising events and challenges offering individuals, families, groups and businesses in the community so many ways to raise funds with us and keep driving forward.

Elaine Clancy, Croydon’s Joint Chief Nurse and Executive Lead for the project said
“Our commitment to the most vulnerable children in our communities has not waned, the money we raise makes a huge and positive impact for young cancer patients and their families in the borough.  

The current climate could not be more adverse and in these most challenging of times, our commitment to the project is unwavering. Due to delays and disruptions caused by the pandemic, fundraising for the Lily Pad Appeal will continue until February 2023.

Many of our funding partners are already renewing their support and we are reaching out to new prospects all the time. We have a year packed full of fundraising events and challenges offering individuals, families, groups and businesses in the community so many ways to raise funds with us and keep driving forward. 

Michael Douglas, Trustee of The Chartwell Cancer Trust said:
“Bringing state of the art oncology facilities to Croydon’s sickest children is an achievement we are so proud to have made happen alongside so many dedicated fundraisers in the borough. It has been a fantastic collaborative effort drawing on the support of individuals and groups from across the community. Our commitment to Croydon is unwavering and we will continue to pour our energies into funding support services, family groups, resources and equipment to ensure that cancer care in Croydon is second to none.” 

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