MELKSHAM men, Richard Siekiera and Alan Pardoe, have donated furniture to the RUH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to help parents feel more at home when in the unit.
Thanks to local businesses, parents are benefitting from new interior design changes in the RUH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to help them feel more at home whilst their babies are being cared for in the unit.
Alan Pardoe and Richard Siekiera, directors of bespoke furniture company Fitting Tribute said, “We’ve worked with many clients making bespoke kitchens and furniture for them.
“One of our clients, Tiffany Brunskill, works as a breast feeding support worker at the RUH and asked if we could help out the NICU ward with some bespoke-sized lockers for parents to be able to stay overnight with their babies.
“We happily offered to help and donated to what we feel is a very worthy cause. Nearly all our workforce team have children and feel it was only right to help those in a way possible in their time of need.”
Tiffany said, “As part of the volunteer training, we had to imagine what it is like being a parent whose baby was in the unit and what it’s like to spend a lot of time there. This resonated with me as I spend my time trying to make people’s homes not only look better, but feel better and whilst the clinical areas in NICU are second-to-none, I wanted to make it feel more homely for parents.
“I approached companies who I have worked with and asked if they could donate a few interior items to make parents as comfortable as possible during such a difficult time for them. The suppliers who donated items were all marvellous and they were so keen to help enhance the unit with some homely touches, making it a welcoming and warm space. I would like to thank bespoke furniture makers Fitting Tribute from Edington who built specially-adapted lockers where parents can keep their bedding when they wish to stay overnight. They also made a bespoke chalkboard for the play area in the unit.”
Jo Hodson, consultant neonatal nurse at RUH said, “It’s the little things that make a difference. We have already noticed that the revamped spaces have changed the way parents are interacting with each other. They now seem more comfortable chatting to one another. And the children absolutely love the chalkboard.
“Thank you to Tiffany and all the companies who helped make this transformation. There is no doubt the makeover contributed towards NICU being awarded its Unicef Baby Friendly status.”
