13 April 2009

A couple have raised more than GBP300 for York Hospital Guardian Angels children’s unit to thank the staff who cared for their son.

Nine-year-old Daniel Betteridge spent three weeks at York Hospital last year after contracting a rare infection that left him unable to walk.

His parents, Kevin and Kirsty Betteridge, were so grateful to the staff who nursed him back to health, they decided to hold a raffle in aid of the hospital’s high- dependency unit for children.

Kevin, a recycling operative for City of York Council, said: “For myself and my wife it was such a worrying time. We were really frightened.

“It was one of the worst times of my life, having Daniel in hospital. But he has made a full recovery now so we’re just really grateful to the nurses who looked after him.

“They did a brilliant job.They were rushed off their feet, but they were absolutely fantastic.”

Kevin, 42, and Kirsty, 36, who live in Selby with Daniel and their other son, Callum, sold hundreds of raffle tickets, raising GBP320.

Every penny will go towards buying new equipment for the children’s high-dependency unit at York Hospital, which was built last year following The Press’s three-year GBP300,000 Guardian Angels Appeal.

Thanks to the new unit, many more seriously-ill babies and children no longer have to be transferred to hospitals in other cities, such as Leeds, for their treatment, easing the strain for their families at a traumatic time.

“It would have been so much more stressful if Daniel wasn’t able to stay in York,” said Kevin.

“It made such a difference with him being able to stay in our local hospital.”

More than 100 people gathered at Selby Railway Club to see the charity’s trustee, Peter Bebb, and the Guardian Angels project nurse, Maureen Augey, draw winning raffle numbers.

The top prize was a magnum of champagne, donated by Kevin and Kirsty.

If you would like to donate money to the new Guardian Angels unit, send cheques made out to Guardian Angels York, Foss House, 271 Huntington Road, York, YO31 9BR.

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Photo and story by kind permission of The Press.