Everyone knows that the work of the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation is vital. It’s a life changing charity that helps families who are in the process of dealing with a whole range of issues.
What people might not know is the sheer willpower and passion the Foundation thrives on.
The locally famous name speaks for itself, but when you meet the team behind the branding, you truly understand just how impactful the charity is, so much so that those who receive its help end up paying it forward tenfold.
For those who need assistance the PPBF is there to support, but once that support has been issued, people don’t just disappear, and instead they seem to have a pattern of returning to the charity, and offering help in any way they can.
Charlie and Miles
Hearing a father talk about his sick son is never easy, but for Charlie Atkinson, now that the worst is behind him, the words flow thanks in a big part to the work of the Foundation, and the services they can provide.
“Everything sort of seemed okay at first. We went home from the hospital, but within 24 hours, it was clear that something was wrong.
“He’d stopped feeding, his tummy was getting distended, and so we had to come back to the PEH and then shortly thereafter, got transferred to special care.
“He was put inside an incubator, hooked up to wires and cables, and all the rest of it, and that night we were told that we had to take the air ambulance with him to Southampton.”
Charlie’s son Miles was born with Hirschsprung’s disease, a condition which results in nerve cells missing from a baby’s large intestine.
This can cause things like bowel blockages, and children who have Hirschsprung disease could end up developing enterocolitis, a serious intestinal infection, which can be life-threatening and must be treated right away.
It was vital that Miles could get that treatment, but being away from home presents its own serious challenges. That’s when the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation stepped in.
“One of the nurses there (Southampton) got on the phone and sent a message to Jo Priaulx saying that they’ve got a new recruit, someone’s coming over for we don’t know how long, and asked if there is a flat available.
“Jo (Priaulx), I think, actually that night was at an award ceremony, but she was still there on her phone, messaging, arranging for the flat, and all the rest of it.”
“When we arrived there was actually a flat there waiting for us. Miles went into hospital, and I had somewhere to rest my head for the night immediately.
“We ended up being there for about a month, and so we had somewhere a stone’s throw from the hospital, we could look out the window and see the hospital in front of us.”
That closeness and availability allows parents to have a moment to switch off, to have a moment of respite. It gives time to rest, reset and be ready for the next day’s challenges.
That’s what resonated with Charlie, Miles, and their entire family.
“The Foundation is there for people like us, in that really scary time, a scary moment in their lives.
“You’ve got this precious little thing you’ve never met before, and all of a sudden they’re there! It’s a moment you’ve been looking forward to for nine months or more, and all of a sudden you’re in a completely foreign environment, far from home, away from your support network, you don’t really know where to turn, what to do, and just having that little home from home so close to the hospital just makes all the difference.”
Miles is now doing much better. He’s received the treatment needed, and he’s on the path to recovery. He’ll have a few things to be “mindful of” when he grows up, but ultimately, the medical intervention was a success.
Looking back at their experience as a family, Charlie doesn’t shy away from explaining just how much of an impact the unexpected illness had.
“It’s the scariest thing you’re ever going to go through, having your child in a box hooked up to wires and cables, and all the rest of it.
“Taking your baby into the operating theater, feeling them go limp in your arms as the anesthetic sort of kicks in…it is the hardest thing you’ll ever have to go through.”
“We’re out the other side and we’re happily working with the Priaulx Foundation to support them, because when we needed them, they supported us.”
The family isn’t alone in that process, swapping places from service user, to dedicated volunteer.
Pictured: The flats outside Southampton Hospital have been designed to provide a home away from home, and a space where families can rest their heads just minutes away from their children. 
Pictured: The Foundation’s “Matthews Hideaway in Frankies Den”, one of the twin bedrooms open to families with children needing urgent medical intervention.
Charity Ambassadors
Many will hear the name ‘Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation’ and think that their aim and direction is solely focussed on babies born too early. Much like with Miles, that simply isn’t the case.
The charity is there for families, whether it’s a baby born prematurely, or with a disease or condition that needs urgent intervention.
Nikki Trebert is now an ambassador for the charity, but prior to her years helping the Foundation manage their UK properties, she was a former service user.
“My baby was very large, and we knew in advance of that, so I was booked in for cesarean. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite go to plan, and I ended up very poorly.
“I was in intensive care while my daughter was in the SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit). She was an 11 pound baby – a couple of weeks early. So she was filling the incubator end-to-end, rather than little, tiny babies.”
Nikki Trebert has volunteered with the foundation for years, and that’s purely down to the work they do, the team behind the initiatives, and the results that combination brings.
“I wanted to really get involved with the charity because I could see what amazing things they were doing.
“It’s really wonderful how the team works and how supportive they are, and it’s not just for premature babies, it’s for critically ill children as well. When the families are going through a really difficult time, it’s really nice to know where we can try and help where possible and support everybody.”
Much like Charlie, Nikki urged anyone to get behind fundraising initiatives and charity volunteering.
From rattling change cans to helping out at events, she told Express that there’s a whole variety of jobs that need doing to help maintain the foundation’s current work.
“There’s so many ways people can get involved, whether it’s volunteering at an event, for example, the Sure Marathon! We have people at every station, you know?
“There’s lots of little different ways you can give your time, as well as donating money. People’s time is really valuable, and there’s many skills that we could make use of to help with the charity.
“I think it’s something like £65,000 that’s needed to maintain the charities, and that’s not including all the equipment and everything else that’s needed. It’s easy for anybody to come and join the volunteer group.”
You can find out more about the charity online through their website, or their social media presence.