A man from Bolton generously donated four Panasonic Audio units for the birthing rooms at Blackburn Birth Centre, after raising funds through a charity boxing match. Rhys Cook, whose wife Zoe Cook is a midwife at the Centre, delivered the new sound systems as a charitable donation to East Lancashire Hospital Trust’s charity, ELHT&Me, to the delight of the staff and expectant mums.
The event, which took place in May this year, saw Rhys beat Simon Fleming as part of the ‘Battle of the Bolton Legends’ tournament, which was held in support of a number of local charities. Two Bolton Wanderers legends, John McGinlay and Tony Kelly, took part in the event too. The former players led a team each, going head-to-head to raise much needed funds.
Rhys, who had never boxed before the event, said: “The experience was good fun and I was pleased to be part of it as we raised money for some good causes.”
Rhys and Zoe made the donation as Zoe knew first-hand the impact it would make. “Whilst working at Blackburn Birth Centre and helping women to deliver their babies every day, I have seen the impact music can have – calming the mother and baby and making the process a little more comfortable”, said Zoe.
“It was important to Rhys and I to purchase and donate the sound systems, because the birthing centre can now offer women the choice of what music they’d like to listen to, and we have the means to play music they have brought from home, which encourages a positive birthing experience.”
Denise Gee, Fundraising Manager at ELHT&Me, said: “There are so many unusual ways to gather donations for East Lancashire Hospital Trust’s charity – a charity boxing match is one of them! We’re so grateful to Rhys and Zoe for their kind donation, and pleased that Rhys wasn’t injured whilst raising funds!”
“Staff like Zoe and her colleagues at the Trust are the best people to advise what charitable gifts would be most appreciated within our services across East Lancashire, so I would encourage anyone who would like to make a donation to contact the Fundraising Team first, so we can identify the needs of a specific area of care. You can contact us by emailing fundraising@elht.nhs.uk or visiting www.elht.nh.uk/charity.”
