Our longstanding partnership with Tesco went from strength to strength in 2023 when we were given the go ahead to expand the number of Noah’s Ark clothing banks in Tesco car parks to every Tesco Superstore and Extra store in Wales! Next time you have unwanted clothes, shoes and handbags, please consider going to your local Tesco store and putting the items into the Noah’s Ark Charity clothing bank. Every donation really does makes a huge difference!
Since the rollout of our clothing banks, which are now managed by the Salvation Army Trading Company, in December 2023, your generous donations of unwanted items have generated an incredible 387,216kg of textile! This textile is taken to the Salvation Army Trading Company processing centre, where they are leading the way with textile reuse and recycling.
As the largest charity owned textile collector in the UK, Salvation Army Trading Company divert over 65,000 tonnes of textiles away from disposal each year.
The funds raised through every textile donation that you make, impacts the lives of the 73,000 children treated at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital each year. One of those children is baby Robyn, who was born at just 23 weeks and two days into her mum, Chantelle’s, pregnancy weighing just 328g. She spent seven-and-a-half months on a neonatal intensive care unit before being transferred to the paediatric critical care unit at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales.
During her birth, Robyn’s brain was deprived of oxygen, which caused a condition called Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Robyn was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy, dystonia and infantile spasms.
Because of her incredibly early birth, Robyn also has chronic lung disease and has needed some kind of breathing support for the majority of her life. The levels go up and down depending on how well she is. Because ventilation equipment is usually not mobile, it means that Robyn has only ever known the inside of a hospital.
Recently, the charity was able to fund a new type of non-invasive ventilation device on PCCU called a Vapotherm. The new machine, used largely on younger patients, has lots of additional benefits. It has added humidity to help keep small airways clear from secretions and is far quieter than older models, a factor that’s considered very beneficial within an intensive care environment. But it also has another added benefit that is much treasured by Robyn’s parents.
Robyn’s mum, Chantelle, said: “At 11-months-old, Robyn had never been in a pram or even outside. The new Vapotherm is portable so we were able to take Robyn for a walk to the hospital garden where she could enjoy fresh air for the first time.
“Being able to do this was a huge achievement, something we could never have done on the older Vapotherm machine. It was great for us to be able to leave the ward without being restricted by medical equipment.”
It’s thanks to supporters like you who donate your unwanted textiles at your local Tesco, that the Noah’s Ark Charity is able to fund state-of-the art equipment that ensures that children being cared for at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital have access to the most effective treatment available. For Robyn one of these pieces of equipment has not only been vital to her care, it also allowed her parents to experience a small piece of normality during a long and difficult year.
Although Robyn has never been home, the support of this partnership also made it possible for us to help her parents celebrate their daughter’s first birthday just like any parent would want to, with a celebration, cake and gifts. Robyn even had her own special photoshoot and a visit from some Disney princesses. During her many months at the children’s hospital for Wales, Robyn also benefitted from weekly music therapy sessions funded by the charity.
Thanks to this amazing partnership with Tesco and the Salvation Army Trading Company, the Noah’s Ark Charity can help ensure world class care and better hospital experiences for children and families in a range of different ways. From cutting edge equipment and emotional support to a sprinkling of joy into the everyday lives of hospital families, none of it would be possible without you. Thank you.
