Treble boost for Guardian Angels appeal

9:05am Saturday 29th July 2006

QUESTION: What is the connection between Brownies, Methodists and Flying Ducks?

Answer: They have all given an important boost to The Press' Guardian Angels appeal.

The 3rd Copmanthorpe Brownies raised £156 through a weekly collection at meetings, a barbecue at the home of Brown Owl, aka Jeni Dealtry, a teddy bear's picnic at Askham Bryan College and providing teas for Copmanthorpe Horticultural Show.

Jeni's daughter, Kate, whose Brownie name is Little Owl, said: "We decided to raise money for Guardian Angels because one of our Brownies had to have intensive care at the hospital when she was younger."

Another £103 has been raised through a coffee morning organised by the Methodist Sisterhood Ladies, at the home of Lillian Gomersall, in Wigginton, York.

Meanwhile, Flying Ducks Youth Theatre, a Haxby-based organisation for youngsters aged between ten and 18, has raised £432 through a production of Copacabana, at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Haxby Road, York.

A collection was held during the show in April, and several members of the cast dressed in costumes from the show to hand over a cheque to Jill Crampton, matron of children's services at York Hospital.

The Guardian Angels appeal is aiming to raise £300,000 to transform high-dependency paediatric care on the hospital's children's ward.

It wants to fund two life-saving high-dependency rooms with new, specialised equipment, helping to ensure that children can be treated in York rather than having to be transferred to hospitals elsewhere.