Rossborough staff supporting nurses working with parents of premature and sick babies

Dress-down days at Rossborough will pay for training for two nurses working with parents of sick and premature babies in Guernsey.

Over a series of dress down days throughout 2014 Rossborough staff raised £724.50; the company matched this amount, bringing the donation to £1,449.

Rossborough’s chosen charity for last year was the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation. The foundation said it was thrilled to be able to use the money for the training.

"These nurses will work with parents to help strengthen their emotional attachments to their baby. It’s so important because often that link, through no fault of the parents, can be lost in the early days when their baby is away from them or too poorly to held," said Jo Priaulx, co-founder of the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation.

"We are really grateful when we hear that the PPBF has been selected to benefit from fundraising efforts. We never under-estimate the time and effort that goes into raising money to ensure we can continue to support the Bailiwick's premature babies and their families at what is a very difficult time."

Ian Stewart, managing director at Rossborough, said his staff were delighted that their dress down days were benefitting such a worthwhile cause.

"These nurses will provide an invaluable service for parents of babies who are sick or premature, helping them to bond with their child after a difficult start in life," said Mr Stewart.

"Dress down days are a great way of allowing staff to relax and feel more comfortable in their work, while at the same time raising much needed funds. We are continuing the initiative this year and our chosen charity for 2015 is GROW."

GROW manager Eddie Higgins said: "GROW is enormously grateful to Rossborough for its generosity and efforts in supporting us with funds that will help us continue to provide a work and training opportunity that enables people with learning and other disabilities to flourish."

Last year Rossborough also pledged to give £10 from every pet policy to the GSPCA. They sold 45 pet policies in total, which will see £450 going to the local animal charity.