Charity council staff have donated toys and equipment to help young people receiving care at a Durham City hospital.
Caring members of the DurhamWorks team at Durham County Council collected essential gifts and equipment for the Tree Tops service and the Children’s A&E department at University North Durham Hospital.
The DurhamWorks team works with unemployed young people between the ages of 16 and 24, helping them succeed in obtaining education, training and employment opportunities.
As Christmas approached, it donated pajamas to children in area hospitals as part of a festive charity appeal and staff chose to continue their acts of goodwill with further donations to worthy causes throughout year round.
Over a two-week period, the team raised £115. The money was used to buy four children’s potties to ensure young children feel happy using the toilet while in hospital care. They also purchased a range of gifts, toys and arts and crafts sets to improve the patient experience and make services less intimidating for their young visitors.
Hannah Fenwick, Head of Employer Engagement at DurhamWorks, said: “We are delighted to be able to support the children and young people’s services at North Durham University Hospital. It’s a great feeling to know that our donations can make a child’s visit or stay more comfortable and welcoming.
Pat Chambers, Charity Development Manager at Your NHS Charity, said: ‘We are delighted to have received this wonderful donation and much-needed support from the DurhamWorks team for our children’s services and clinics at North University Hospital. Durham.
“We invite businesses, organizations or individuals to contact us if they can help us, because with more than 500 children a week passing through our pediatric emergency unit alone, we use a lot of toys. People can donate throughout the year and our services and visitors are always extremely grateful for their support.
DurhamWorks, which is funded by the European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative, is a partnership program between Durham County Council, Groundwork North East & Yorkshire, Springboard North East and Cornforth Partnership.
The project offers individualized and personalized support to young people to help them stay or pursue studies, employment or training, and to shape their own future.
Young people living in County Durham can access a range of flexible support including information, advice and guidance; helping to access qualifications, work experience and training opportunities; peer mentoring; and support with job searches, applications and interviews.
The team also offers support to help young people develop the skills needed to become self-employed, including matching young people with mentor employers, and can also help identify volunteer opportunities.
Employers and young people can receive support to access grants and funding, where available.
The program, which has already supported 8,700 young people, aims to support 4,500 additional young people before its conclusion at the end of December 2023.
Young people aged 16 to 24 and their family members can learn more about DurhamWorks by visiting https://durhamworks.info/where they can also participate in an online chat with an advisor.
Donations to the Your NHS Charity fund can be made via www.justgiving.com/cddft or by texting YOURNHS to 70480 which provides the charity with a £5 donation.
