A Derby digital marketing agency has stepped in to help poorly children who are having to spend Christmas in hospital to sleep comfortably by donating dozens of cuddly, heatable toy elves.
Alphageek handed over the elves to the team at Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, which will share them with ward staff to ensure young patients can use them at the Children’s Hospital in Derby and at the Queen’s Hospital in Burton.
The toys, which can be safely heated in the microwave to provide a warm hug for hours, were donated to Alphageek by its clients, Warmies, which sells the toys across the UK from its headquarters in Northamptonshire.
Alphageek had initially gone to Warmies asking to buy the elves, but when Warmies’ managing director David Tweedaleagreed to hand them over for free, Alphageek donated the money it was intending to pay for the toys to the company’s chosen charity Cancer Support UK instead.
Tim Brogan, managing director of Alphageek, based in Friar Gate, said: “As a father, and with close family working in healthcare, I know how much care and kindness goes into caring for others, especially children in hospital and even more especially at Christmas.
“This idea came from our director of operations, Kieran Flynn, and it’s a great example of the kind of thinking we encourage at Alphageek – positive, thoughtful, and focused on making a real difference. We all hope the toys will give the children a warm and comforting cuddle over the Christmas period.
“We’re incredibly grateful to David and the team at Warmies for their generosity in donating the toys to us, so we hope that the money we’ve handed over can be put to good use as well.”
Jill Matthews, chief officer at Derby & Burton Hospitals charity, said: We are incredibly grateful for the donation that has been made by the team at Alphageek and Warmies.
“Having support for our hospitals from local companies, really shows how grateful those in our community are for the excellent care our staff give to patients every day.
“It can be a challenging time being in hospital at Christmas, especially for those families who have children being cared for on our wards. Our teams work very hard to make Christmas as normal as possible for children in hospital, so having a Warmie to hold will make a world of difference in their recovery journey.
“We would like to thank the team at Alphageek and look forward to continuing our relationship with the team. “
David Tweedale said: “Because everyone deserves something special at Christmas, Warmies is honoured to donate these comforting soft toys to the hospital, helping to spread warmth and kindness this festive season.”
