Earlier this year (Easter) my daughter Alexa was involved in an accident which led to internal bleeding from her liver and kidney. We were taken by ambulance to Addenbrookes hospital where she spent one night in the ICU before being moved to a ward for seven days on complete bed rest.

During this time, Alexa was not able to sit up or move out of bed for any reason. Her bed rest was so strict we weren’t even allowed to wheel her bed outside to the garden to get fresh air because the doctors were concerned that any jolts could increase the internal bleeding. 

The play team were essential to keep her occupied and made the whole hospital experience far more positive. Whether they were coming round with DVDs for us to watch, books to read, or other small handheld toys to play with, they came by every single day to make sure that we had something to do.

Once Alexa was allowed to sit upright, the play team were ready with lots of arts and crafts and painting for her to get involved with. They even set up a TV in their dedicated play room and found a DVD of High School Musical 3 for her to watch, cinema style! Their care and attention meant that they got to know her and discovered her likes and dislikes and found things that they knew she would enjoy doing. 

Thankfully, Alexa has now made a full recovery from her injuries but it was an incredibly stressful time for us all.  

To show our appreciation for the play team, we want to raise money to help them purchase new toys and small items that make a HUGE difference to any child’s hospital stay. 

We will be hosting a charity cake sale on Saturday 30 July 2022 from 2-4pm at 11 The Street, Capel St Mary to help raise funds for the play team. We will be selling a selection of cakes, doughnuts, sweet cones, scones and other tasty treats with all funds going to Addenbrookes Charitable Trust.  

We'll also be hosting a raffle, with prizes kindly donated by local businesses. Raffle tickets will be £2 per strip or 3 for £5

A huge thank you to the following, who have offered the following prizes:

• Jimmys Farm - 1 x family ticket
• Play2Day Ipswich - 1 x family ticket
• Woodbridge Emporium - A selection of books
• Greene King - 2 x brewery tour tickets
• East of England Co-Op - £10 gift voucher
• Suffolk Food Hall - £25 voucher (kindly donated by Ensors)
• Sew Soft Furnishing - £25 gift voucher
• Bouncy Castle hire - JG Events

But we would also welcome any donations to support the cause. It’s hard to put into words exactly how important the play team is for children who are in hospital, but this is our way of making a difference and showing our support for a great cause.