Teenagers at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital were treated to a special day at the Blues courtesy of the data cabling company, Project Associates.
Project Associates Ltd donated 25 tickets to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Young Persons Unit in Birmingham for a group of their Teenage Cancer Trust patients and a friend or family member to enjoy a memorable day out at the Blues. The day included a stadium tour of the St Andrews ground and photo’s on the pitch before cheering the team on to victory during the last game of the season against Reading Football Club. The final score was 2–0.
Clive Dowling, Chief Executive at Project Associates Ltd said: “After working with the hospital for several years we decided that we wanted to recognise and support the heart of the hospital, the patients. I’ve been a life-long Birmingham City fan and wanted to share this experience with some of the patients, it was a joy to see the smiles on their faces and I hope the experience will help them.”
The Teenage Cancer Trust Young Persons Unit, which is supported by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, opened in May 2011. It caters for young people aged 16 to 24 years old who have been diagnosed with cancer. Their aim is to provide an environment where young people feel comfortable and can continue to carry on with their lives, take trips out and have fun whilst on their cancer journey.
At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Young Persons Unit in Birmingham, each bed comes with a flat screen TV and an X-box. They also have a fantastic cinema room complete with Wii, PlayStation 3 and a great selection of games. There is an Education room where a qualified teacher provides lessons for GCSE’s, A Levels as well as various college courses. There is a Relatives Room for friends or family to be able to come and stay over. As well as a kitchen/ dayroom with a breakfast bar and lounge area so it feels a little more like home.
Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Co-ordinator, Sarah Turley, arranges Tai Chi mornings and Pizza evenings as well as other activities, days out and residential trips for the young people in her ward in conjunction with the hospital’s official charity. She is very passionate about her charity-funded role, and explained that they rely on charity donations and fundraising to be able to afford special events and days out for their patients.
It was with this in mind that Pete Twist and Clive Dowling from Project Associates decided to get involved and donate this day out to the Trust.
Sarah Turley from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said: “It was a fantastic day out for the patients and they thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere during the dramatic season finale. It can be a very difficult time for many of our patients but these days out can help to keep them positive. I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who made this possible.”
Project Associates Ltd would like to thank everyone at Birmingham City Football Club as well as the staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Young Persons Unit for making this day possible.