NHS choir raises roof and cash - The Evesham Observer

NHS choir raises roof and cash

Evesham Editorial 28th Jul, 2016 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

A WORCESTERSHIRE NHS Choir has raised £650 for maternity services at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and performed to a packed house at St. Peter’s Baptist Church.

The Voices 4 Health Choir, which is made up of NHS workers across the county, were raising money for the Meadow Birth Centre and The Fay Turner Suite at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

The choir sang songs ranging from Bring Him Home from Les Miserables to Elton John’s Circle Of Life, and the funds raised at the concert will be divided between the Meadow Birth Centre and the Fay Turner suite.

The former is a midwifery led unit which is designed to give mums-to-be the choice of a non-medical “home from home” delivery.




Meanwhile the Fay Turner suite is a stand-alone room for parents who have experienced the tragedy of a stillbirth or the loss of their baby post-birth and is a “hotel-style” room which gives parents much needed private space, in hospital, where they can begin to grieve the loss of their baby.

Rev David Southall, Hospital Chaplain at Worcestershire Royal Hospital said: “The concert was the first event which Voices 4 Health organised and performed in its entirety.


“We had such a good time and so much great feedback from the evening. It was so good to be able to give something back to the NHS locally, and these two places are close to my heart.

“My granddaughter Emilia was born in the Meadow Birth Centre, and as Chaplain I am often called to the Bereavement Suite to support parents in the worst of times,” he added.

Trudy Berlett, who is the Bereavement Midwife for the Trust spoke movingly about the Fay Turner Suite and said: “The money raised at this event will help us to continue to provide a good environment where parents can make special memories about the babies they have lost which can help them in the future.”

Louise Turbutt, Team Leader of the Meadow Birth Centre said: “The donations raised will help us provide a range of things which make the centre homely including duvets, aromatherapy oils and diffusers.

“We are also hoping to be able to purchase a breast feeding chair so the money given will be a great help to us,” she added.

Lisa Ventura, whose son Francesco “Frankie” Enrico Ventura was born sleeping, helped out at the concert and said: “I don’t know what I would have done without the Fay Turner Suite.

“It was the perfect environment where myself, my husband and my parents could spend time with Frankie and say goodbye to him in a private setting away from the main delivery suite, and begin the grieving process for our much loved and much wanted son.

“This space is so important for grieving parents and I was so grateful for all the support and care we received by the midwifery team and from Rev David Southall during the worst time of our lives. “These fund-raising events are vital for the upkeep of these much needed facilities,” she added.

• The Voices For Health Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7pm at the Charles Hastings Education Centre at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, and anyone is welcome to join.

E-mail Rev David Southall on [email protected] for more information.

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