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April 2024 Page 21 AD SALES 01204 478812 A FAMILY fromBury have raised more than £7,300 to support parents and their families who use Royal Bolton Hospital’s neona- tal unit. With the help of friends and loved ones, Alex Grice and Nicola Orrell organised a charity ball to mark World Prematurity Day 2023 that raised more than £22,000. The family chose a number of charities to support, includ- ing Our Bolton NHS Charity, with the funds donated to its dedicated paediatric and neo- natal specialty fund. The family have supported Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s official charity part- ner for the past four years to acknowledge the care support Alex and her partner Declan received when their twins, Ava and Archie, were born prematurely at Royal Bolton Hospital in 2019. The twins spent 126 days on the neonatal unit (NNU), during which time Alex expe- rienced the care and compas- sion from NHS staff. She said: “Raisingmoney for the Bolton NNU will always be of the highest importance to me and my family after what the nurses, doctors and staff did to care and support us when Ava and Archie were born 15 weeks early, in 2019. “After being born so prema- turely and poorly, their uncer- tainty of life put everything into perspective for us as a family and it is one of our greatest privileges to be able to give back to the incredi- ble NHS staff who helped us through the darkest times. We’ll always be grateful for their support and kindness. “We have experienced life on neonatal unit first hand and knowing that these funds have and continue to help support other families going through similar experiences makes us truly happy. Nicola Orrell, who is grandmother to the twins, has helped to organise the charity ball and is currently finalising plans for their fifth annual event on Saturday November 9. EXCITEMENT was in the air among children and staff as musical theatre legend Alfie Boe stepped through the doors of Derian House Chil- dren’s Hospice. The Broadway star, renowned for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in Les Miséra- bles, looked around Chor- ley-based Derian House and learned more about what the hospice does to care for 400 families of seriously ill children from across the North West. Alfie, originally from Fleet- wood, had nipped back up north for work and decided to pay a visit to the local chil- dren’s hospice that he had heard so much about. The star chatted with youngsters and with staff, posed for plenty of photos, and even signed a Derian mug and notepad on his way out. “I was absolutely blown away by Derian House,” said Alfie, who has announced that he will be re-joining the cast of Les Misérables later this year for The Arena Spec- tacular – on stage in over 15 countries worldwide. He added: “I was in the area and I had heard so much about the hospice, I knew I had to visit to take a look around and see the incredible work that they do. “I met with children and staff and was absolutely amazed at the energy every- one at Derian has – it is such a happy place. It’s beautiful, the love and joy that staff bring to the children and fam- ilies. It just made me want to be a part of it. “The work that Derian House does is very close to my heart, as someone who is aware of hospice care. I’ll do whatever I can to support this charity. I’ll be staying in touch and visiting as often as I can. The peace and happiness they give to families is commend- able and I’m proud to now be a part of it.” Kim Owen, director of people and organisational development at the charity, said: “What a great start to a Monday morning – a Broad- way star to brighten every- one’s day! “Alfie was absolutely lovely and chatted with staff and children here at the hospice – we are so grateful that he took time out of his busy schedule to come and visit. He has truly put smiles on everyone’s faces.” Derian House cares for more than 400 babies, chil- dren, young people and their families from across the North West and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Find out more: www.derianhouse. co.uk THE Office for Students (OfS) has launched a consultation on a pro- posal by the University of Bolton to change its name to the University of Greater Manchester. Vice chancellor Professor George Holmes, who has been head of the university for almost two decades, said: “I am pleased to announce that the Office for Students (OfS) has confirmed that it is formally launching the consul- tation on the proposal of the university to become Univer- sity of Greater Manchester. “The new title will more accurately portray what the university has become in recent years: serving and operating in the whole area of Greater Manchester, not just one borough within it. “Our commitment to Bolton is unswerving and we are committed to continue to be part of the fabric of the local community. “The governors of the uni- versity unanimously resolved to change the university’s name in order that we can best serve our borough by con- tinuing to grow and succeed with the due prominence that the new title will help to give.” Professor Holmes stressed that universities have the absolute right to choose the name they use as long as, in accordance with the law, the name is not confusing or misleading. He said that the consulta- tion by the Higher Education regulator poses a simple ques- tion for people to consider: Is the new title University of Greater Manchester mislead- ing or confusing? He added: “Our main campus, along with several other campuses, are spread throughout Greater Manches- ter and almost 70 per cent of our students reside perma- nently at a GM address. “The new name is not con- fusing – there are already two other institutions in GM with the city of Manchester in their title. “In London there are many more which use the capital’s name in their titles. Liver- pool, Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle city regions all have multiple universi- ties with the city’s names in their titles without cause for confusion.” The application is fully supported by the universi- ty’s board of governors and current and former students’ union presidents. Consultation launched on university name change Broadway star Alfie takes centre-stage Ball is a fundraising success Glamour event: The ball organised by the Grice family is a major fundraiser (Photo credit: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust) She said: “We’re in the planning phase for our fifth annual charity ball, which will take place on Novem- ber 9 at the Last Drop Hotel in Bolton. “We are looking for busi- nesses to support our amaz- ing event through sponsorship and the donation of raffle and auction prizes. Sponsors will receive a table of 12, sponsor credits on all social media posts, branding on the event and credits in any coverage. To find out more please email nicola@edisonmedia.co.uk. ” Over the past four events a £57,000 has been raised for Our Bolton NHS Charity and other organisations and charities, including Ronald McDonald House Charities, Bliss Charity and SANDS. Sarah Skinner, charity manager at Our Bolton NHS Charity, said: “The generosity of Alex, Nicola and their family and friends has already made a meaning- ful difference to our families who spend time in our neo- natal unit.”