A £1,500 donation from Bingley Airedale Rotarians will help buy a specialist chair to enable young people sit comfortably when they stay at Martin House Children’s Hospice

New chair puts young people at Martin House at ease

A £1,500 donation from Bingley Airedale Rotarians will help buy a specialist chair to enable young people sit comfortably when they stay at Martin House Children’s Hospice.

The Lento care chair – which is fully adjustable to support the complex needs of children and young people with disabilities – has been bought with the money donated by Bingley Airedale Rotary Club.

The donation was made in memory of Tom Bairstow, an active Rotarian in Bingley and a community ambassador for Martin House.

Chris Verney, regional fundraiser for Martin House, said: “We’re very grateful to Bingley Airedale Rotary club for this generous donation, as a fitting way to pay tribute to Mr Bairstow, who was a great supporter of Martin House.

“Being able to provide this kind of specialist equipment helps us ensure that we meet the individual needs of children and young people staying at Martin House.”

The club also donated the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Care for Children, to be used by doctors at the hospice, which hosts one of three specialist training places for consultants in paediatric palliative medicine.

Martin House cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions from across West, North and East Yorkshire, including planned respite, emergency and symptom control care, end of life care, care after death and bereavement support.

It costs nearly £9 million a year to run, and relies on fundraising and donations for nearly 90 per cent of its income, which has been hit by the pandemic. In the last 12 months it lost around £2.2 million in fundraising income, and expects to lose more money in the coming 12 months.

Michael C.Heaton, of Bingley Airedale Rotary Club, said:

“We are extremely happy to make this donation in memory of our Rotary colleague Tom Bairstow.”

To find out more about Martin House and how to support it, visit www.martinhouse.org.uk