UK charity launches video to raise awareness of neonatal care on World Prematurity Day 9/11/2024 (Video release embargoed until 17/11/24)

With over 90,000 babies born premature or sick in the UK every year, the Ickle Pickles Children's Charity, one of the UK’s leading neonatal equipment charities, has launched a video on World Prematurity Day.

The powerful and moving video entitled ‘10 Ickle Moments to Melt Your Heart’ shows clips of 10 babies, the last of which shows a premature baby in an incubator, highlighting that 1 in 10 babies worldwide is born prematurely. Seven of the babies in the video were born prematurely but have all since thrived thanks to specialised neonatal care.

In the UK, eight out of 100 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 60,000 babies are born early (before 37 full weeks of pregnancy) each year.

Ickle Pickles is the only charity that raises funds to donate intensive and special-care equipment to neonatal units across England and Wales to give every newborn a chance. Since 2009, the charity has raised over £3 million for intensive and special care equipment. They provide new equipment for neonatal units and upgrade facilities to support parents and neonatal staff to make a big difference to the treatment of small babies.

Rachael Marsh, co-founder of Ickle Pickles, commented: “We hope this video underscores the scale of prematurity and why vital neonatal equipment is essential to save lives and support families. With NHS budgets under extreme scrutiny and pressure, the unfortunate reality is that all neonatal units in the UK have a list of kit they urgently need. We work closely with local communities and neonatal units to find tailored solutions and donate funds for the equipment that they most urgently need.”

Andy Marsh, co-founder of Ickle Pickles added: “Raising awareness of neonatal care is a subject close to our hearts at the Ickle Pickles. Our mission is to give every newborn a chance by working nationally whilst delivering tangible localised benefits for parents, neonatal units and communities.”

The video officially launches on World Prematurity Day on November 17 2023, on Ickle Pickles’ social media channels.

For more information, to find out more about Ickle Pickles’ work, individual stories of premature babies and to discuss issues related to neonatal care, please contact us.

Kat Khalife, Communications and Marketing manager
Ickle Pickles Children’s Charity
Email: press@icklepickles.org

Notes to editors:

1. Ickle Pickles is the only charity that raises funds to donate intensive and special-care equipment to neonatal units across England and Wales.

2. There are over 90,000 babies born sick or prematurely in the UK every year. Ickle Pickles strives to give every newborn a chance by working nationally whilst delivering tangible localised benefits for parents, neonatal units and communities. Globally, prematurity is one of the leading causes of death among newborns and children under five years of age.

3. Since 2009, Ickle Pickles has raised over £3 million for intensive and special care equipment. We have purchased over 700 pieces of equipment to support over 40 hospitals and three neonatal transport services. Read more about the children and families we have supported: Stories about your Ickle Pickle

4. Ickle Pickles is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from organisations and individuals.

5. Ickle Pickles co-founder Rachael Marsh set up the charity after her son Charlie was born at 28 weeks gestation and was in a neonatal unit for three months. Her own Ickle Pickle inspired her and her husband, Andy, to raise funds to help babies who require specialised care when they are born.

6. The charity asks its partners and supporters to use a media toolkit to share the video on social media on the 17th of November to celebrate World Prematurity Day.

Ickle Pickles Children’s Charity
Giving every newborn a chance
Icklepickles.org