Friends of the Baby Unit celebrate 45 years as a charity
Last week, the Friends of the Baby Unit (FOBU) celebrated their 45th birthday as a charity, raising awareness of baby’s receiving care.
Situated at the Royal Derby Hospital’s Neonatal unit, the Friends of the Baby Unit aim to raise funds for life-saving equipment to use for the intensive care of babies.
The event was held at the Great Northern Pub in Mickleover last Sunday, where UHDB staff, parents and ex-NICU children, as well as councillor Ged Potter, MPs Mike Carr and Amanda Solloway, also gathered in celebration and reflection of the charity’s achievements.
Simon Keeling, the eldest ex-NICU baby attended the event to support the charity’s longstanding efforts.
He said: “As a former premature baby I was proud to be invited to the FOBU 45th Birthday. It was great to meet many of the families that have been impacted by their work and hear their stories.
“The charity's founder, volunteers and fundraisers work so hard to raise funds to enhance the work of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”
Since its launch, the charity has raised over £2m to support the unit with new equipment and resources from donations.
Kate Repton, founder of the FOBU, has spent over 45 years fundraising to supply critical equipment for the unit.
She said: “I formed the FOBU in 1976 after the death of our 28 week premature daughter, Lucy. I wanted to fundraise to buy equipment for the unit but we didn’t have much money to donate as a family, so fundraising was the only answer.
“[The charity] has helped turn a tragedy into a positive. I am very proud that Lucy's legacy will go on forever.”
Read more about the upcoming events and how you can donate to the FOBU (opens in new window) >