Reusable Nappy Brand Donates Proceeds from Face Masks to Children’s Hospital Charity & NHS Charities Together
At the start of the Covid outbreak in 2020, leading British reusable nappy brand TotsBots sprang into action by making colourful face masks for adults and children from their factory in Glasgow, which sold instantly from their website and other retailers.
In a generous gesture of giving back to the many dedicated care staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, TotsBots is donating a total of £30,316 to two charities. Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, which fundraises to ensure that every baby, child, and young person treated in Scotland’s largest children’s hospital receive the extra special care they deserve, will receive £20,138. Additionally, the NHS Charities Together, a national independent charity with a network of over 240 NHS charities across the UK that provides extra support to care for NHS staff, patients, and communities, will receive £10,178.
Co-Founder of TotsBots Fiona Smyth is especially grateful to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and the NHS. In the summer of 2019, her son Darach, who was born with a rare congenital heart defect, developed endocarditis, a potentially fatal infection of the inner lining of the heart. Darach spent seven weeks in hospital and eventually endured open-heart surgery. Undoubtedly an extremely stressful time for any parent, this experience was made less traumatic with the unwavering support and care from various health care professionals and staff. “The kids’ cardiac team at Glasgow Children’s Hospital, some of whom have been there from the beginning of Darach’s journey, feel a bit like an extended family to us. When we walk on the ward, we are met with well-known faces that have cared for Darach since the day he was born and have supported us through some of our darkest moments” she says. “It is such a cliché, but we always say this after a surgery; we don’t know how they do it, day in and day out. Words really cannot communicate the deep sense of gratitude you feel when you say your goodbyes to them as you head home after another successful surgery. We feel so indebted to everyone and so it’s nice to be in the position to do something to give back, especially to the charity where we have experienced first-hand the work that it does. Raising funds for something that makes such a difference to kids and families during difficult times is our immense privilege.”
