Call to help name The Royal Oldham’s new charity appeal

Local people, including children and young people across Oldham and Rochdale, are being invited to play an important part in launching a major new fundraising appeal at The Royal Oldham Hospital.

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, is asking local residents to come up with a name and a logo for a fundraising appeal for the new £44m women and children’s unit which is currently being built at the hospital.

Jan Bolton, fundraising manager at The Pennine Acute Trust’s Charity, said: “The charity appeal is looking to raise £200,000 for the new £44M unit which is due to be completed in December 2012. Providing services to women and children from the Oldham and Rochdale areas, funds raised from the appeal will buy a variety of medical equipment and help furnish the new facility for parents.

“It is therefore important that we have an eye-catching logo and name for the appeal so that the public can instantly recognise where their donated money is going. This will be a fantastic appeal and one we hope will be supported by local individuals and groups over the next two years.”

The new development at the hospital will involve a major new four storey building, the refurbishment of existing wards in the main hospital and will include new delivery rooms, obstetric theatres, a paediatric theatre, more maternity beds and a brand new neonatal intensive care unit.

Once complete, The Royal Oldham Hospital will be one of three regional centres providing the highest level of intensive care to the smallest and most vulnerable babies. It is expected that the new children’s and maternity service will treat approximately 8,000 children a year from the Oldham, Rochdale and adjacent districts, in a new state-of-the-art children’s unit.

The development will represent the largest capital investment made to date by the Trust and is an integral part of the Making it Better programme to improve children’s, maternity and neonatal services across Greater Manchester.

If you would like to submit either a name for the charity appeal, a logo, or both, entries must be in by Monday 17 January 2011. Artwork should be original and emailed or posted to Jan Bolton, fundraising manager at The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Road, Oldham, OL1 2HJ or email charity@pat.nhs.uk 

Alternatively, designs can be handed to the main reception at the hospital.

The new appeal is due to be launched at the end of January 2011 and the winners’ name for the appeal and logo will appear on all literature and publicity material.

For more information or to donate to the charity contact Jan Bolton on 0161 9084497, email charity@pat.nhs.uk