World Prematurity Ball raises £20k and a glass to twins Joshua and Samuel

On Saturday 20th November, New Life held its last social event of the year, a World Prematurity Ball at Newbury Racecourse. The event was attended by over 150 guests including regular supporters, fundraisers and some staff from the special baby care unit at The Great Western Hospital, Swindon. Guests wore a touch of purple to mark the occasion. The charity, now in its 26th year reached the £1m target in the summer. CEO Trevor Goodall founded the charity 26 years ago with the intention of organising one charity golf day to raise funds for the unit where his twin boys Joshua and Samuel were cared for. Since then, the charity has gone from strength to strength, funding equipment for hospitals as far as the Highlands of Scotland, and helping thousands of premature babies.

Neonatal Consultant Dr Sarah Bates attended the ball and paid tribute to Mr Goodall, thanking him for all the equipment he had helped supply for the unit over the past 25 years. She gave a heartfelt speech about how she first met Trevor when his twin boys were born prematurely, but sadly died within the week.

Mr Goodall said ‘The day I walked out of the hospital without my boys was the saddest day of my life. From that moment on I vowed I would do all I could do help other families with a premature baby. Funding equipment such a twin incubator, means these tiny babies have the best equipment money can buy, coupled with the amazing care that the specialist staff provide each day. It’s a massive legacy for my twin boys. They were here and gone within a week, it was so tragic. To think they have helped me to go on and help so many other babies is just fantastic.”

The event raised a staggering £20,000 and included an auction and a raffle. Amongst the auction items were a fourball at The Belfry which was raised £1200, and two Chelsea tickets and a signed shirt raising £700.

The plans for 2022 are now underway with some new events on the fundraising calendar. The charity is still hoping to bring an Ambassador onboard in 2022 to help raise awareness of the charity and the work it does and to help even more hospitals and families. For enquiries about this, please contact Trevor on trevnewlife@hotmail.com.