Preston community group The Marstonians, a group of friends and neighbours from Fulwood’s Marston Moor and Close, have raised over £1,600 in support of their local maternity charity, Baby Beat.

Each year, the neighbours choose a charity name out of a hat to raise funds for, from a selection of good causes nominated by individual group members.

Baby Beat was the lucky recipient for 2021, and spurred on by group members Penny Whitticker & Sue Whiteford, the friends organised a number of events throughout the year including book sales and table-top sales, a “guess the puppy’s” name game, and an Easter raffle for a chocolate hamper.

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Sue – the street seamstress – crafted masks, bags, and phone and tablet stands, succeeding in raising a fantastic £600 alone, and the friends finished their year of fundraising in December with a festive charity raffle, complete with prizes donated by local businesses.

They didn’t let the ongoing pandemic hinder them, even managing to continue their fundraising in a socially distanced manner amid last year’s lockdown – and together, they have raised a wonderful total of £1626.80, to help support the babies, mums, and mums-to-be cared for across the maternity, neonatal, and gynaecology units at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

This fantastic total will help Baby Beat fund the purchase of specialist equipment, patient services and comforts, local research, and training, so that the Trust’s clinical teams can offer the best possible outcomes for babies and mums in the Central Lancashire and Chorley area, and help support premature and poorly babies from across the region in the specialist neonatal unit at Royal Preston Hospital.

Marstonian Shirley Murray is a volunteer for Baby Beat, and regularly donates her time to help out with charity bucket collections in the area.

She said; “It was so lovely how all of the Marstonians came together to help support Baby Beat, and we’re absolutely delighted with the amount we’ve raised throughout the year.

“We love that we’re helping to make a real difference for local babies and mums, and our fundraising provided a great way to keep active and in touch throughout the last year too, amid all of the worries caused by the pandemic.

“Thank you so much to everyone who’s supported our fundraising, including the local businesses who so kindly provided raffle prizes.”

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