Dozens of little graduates were treated to a very grand tea party this weekend.
The children and teenagers, who as babies were all cared for by Jersey’s Special Care Baby Unit, were invited to the AA Five Star Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa on Sunday afternoon.
Every year, around 130 babies need a helping hand from the team in the Island’s General Hospital and this was the first event held especially for them all to meet up.
The party was organised by Friends of SCBU, a charity dedicated to raising funds for Jersey’s Special Care Baby Unit. They put on a whole host of entertainment including bouncy castles, face painting as well as providing a photo booth and inviting along Royston South to work his magic with balloons!
Friends of SCBU Chairperson Joanne Currie, said, “This was a great opportunity for SCBU families and nurses to get together and enjoy an afternoon of lovely food and some great entertainment.”
Discussing her own experience with SCBU she went on to say, “Personally it was a really special afternoon for my family - my son Zak, who is turning 10 this year, is a SCBU graduate and it was lovely for him to meet some of the team who did such a fantastic job caring for him when he was born and who help so many other babies in the Island.”
Grand Jersey hosted the special tea party as part of its ongoing support for Friends of SCBU.
Grand Jersey’s General Manager Martin Kelly said, “We were delighted to host such a special event for our charity of choice. Friends of SCBU raise funds to buy specialist equipment and support specialist training for SCBU for the neo-natal care provided and for maternity to assist in providing safer pregnancies for Jersey families. In addition Friends of SCBU provide support to families in the community and those who need to travel to the UK for treatment. The volunteers work so hard and we really wanted to give something back to them. The children had a great time and seemed to love the photo booth so I hope they’ve taken home some very happy memories of this special tea party!”
Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa, with the help of its generous guests, has raised over £20,000 for the charity over the last three years.