We are devastated to let you know that Louise Williams, our much-loved Charity Coordinator of 12 years, passed away last week. She died peacefully with her loved ones around her. Louise’s impact on First Touch and on the Neonatal Unit at St George’s has been hugely significant. Through her determination and her creativity, she was instrumental in developing so …
Hurray! Neonatal Care (leave and pay) bill to come into force
There was an announcement today (January 20th) that the Neonatal Care bill will come into effect as of 6th of April this year! Hurray! What does this mean for neonatal parents? Neonatal Care Leave will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of …
Father Christmas and Mrs. Claus are visiting us!
Father Christmas and Mrs Claus are coming to visit the babies, their mums and dads and brothers and sisters on the neonatal unit! They will be here on December 19th. He’ll be handing out small gifts and chocolates, and we’ll take the opportunity to do a lovely Christmassy family photo. Don’t worry if your baby moves rooms before the big …
First Touch Christmas cards
Not only do we have a lovely selection of festive cards for you to send to family and friends, buying our cards will help the charity make Christmas a little bit easier for babies, their families and staff! Have a look at our Just Giving page and choose your favourites! First Touch Christmas Cards 2024 – JustGiving
Christmas on the neonatal unit
We know that spending Christmas on the neonatal unit can be hard for families. We know that you hadn’t imagined that your baby’s first Christmas would be spent with us. First Touch provide a range of treats and experiences to give families facing Christmas in hospital with a sick baby the happiest experience possible and to spread a bit of …
Sarah’s Dorset Update!
Our amazing Sarah Collins, charity director at First Touch for 20 years left us for greener pastures in Dorset 6 months ago. We keenly miss Sarah at the charity, and we know that there will be many families and members of the First Touch community out there who remember her will be keen to hear how she’s getting on. So …
A very generous donation from Friends of Donhead Primary for First Touch!
First Touch was delighted to welcome back Olivia Rodrigues to the unit today. Olivia’s daughter Genevieve was born extremely prematurely and cared for at St George’ s neonatal unit in 2019. Olivia and the Friends of Donhead Primary School raised an amazing £10.000 for First Touch, and £5000 for Ronald Macdonald House charity. Katie Mulroe, from the friends of Donhead, …
World Prematurity Day, November 17th
World Prematurity Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of premature birth, and to celebrate the milestones achieved in the care of the preterm infant and their family. One in ten babies is born prematurely around the world. Here at St George’s Hospital Neonatal Unit, we’re celebrating with a tea party and inviting some extra special guests. We’re happy to …
Local students raise over £5,000 in memory of their school friend
On Sunday 13th October 2024, a group of A-level students from a local school ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon in memory of their much-loved friend, who very sadly passed away last year. Their friend had a connection to the Neonatal Unit at St George’s and so they felt it would be very fitting to raise money for First Touch. …
Team First Touch raises over £12,000 for the Neonatal Unit
On Sunday 13th October 2024, our brilliant team of 9 First Touch runners took to the streets to conquer the Royal Parks Half Marathon. So far, our runners have raised £12,000, with this figure looking set to rise. The team consisted of NNU staff and their relatives, parents of NNU graduates and their friends, and a group of young people …