Update November 2025: WE DID IT! The first year's worth of mugs have arrived and are now being included in the comfort and care packs given to families by CHSF when they arrive at hospital. Now we are raising funds for year 2!

Update: I've been working with the Children's Heart Surgery Fund and the cost of providing thermos mugs to parents for 1 year is £2,100. This will help 250 families. Thats 250 parents in a year who will receive a tiny gift, a bit of comfort through one of their hardest struggles. A gift that says "you're not alone". We are so close to reaching this goal!

My 6 year old daughter Olive had open heart surgery at Leeds Hospital in January 2025 and my mum and I stayed in hospital with her for 9 days.

We were looked after by the absolutely incredible team on Ward L51 and the care they gave not only to Olive but to my mum and I during our stay was exemplary.

Our stay was also made better by the amazing support from the Children's Heart Surgery Fund who provided us with accommodation on site and access to utilities in the parents lounge where we could go to take a breather away from the ward. Not to mention other support such as food vouchers and explaining the funding I could access while we were in hospital.

We want to raise money to help provide small comforts for parents whose children are also heart warriors. When your child is going through something so big, it is scary and stressful for parents especially when you are in hospital and away from your home comforts. We were only there for a week but some parents I spoke to during our time had been in for weeks or months.

Something as simple as having a refillable water bottle or a mug with a lid so you're not using disposable items or even having cutlery to use can make a big difference.

We want to help CHSF bring even more comfort to parents while they are supporting their children and making a stay in hospital feel more like home.

Thank you in advance for your donation, it really does make a difference.

More information about Children's Heart Surgery Fund: Children's Heart Surgery Fund is an award winning charity, supporting the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit at the Leeds General Infirmary. We are funded by generous donations from the general public and our corporate supporters, and by the amazing efforts of our fundraisers. We're only able to help because of your support