The ARCHIE Foundation

Projects and Appeals

The ARCHIE Foundation is the official charity of child health across the whole of the North of Scotland. As such we are receive near daily requests for support and our funding can range from a few pounds to a million pound redevelopment. We buy toys (lots of them); we provide cutting edge medical equipment;  we fund the provision of specialist staff, we also fund research into illnesses affecting local children and, of course, we redevelop environments to make them great places for children to be treated.    

Below are some of our current appeals coupled with some examples of past projects. With several hundred projects approved and funded over the last few years we are currently looking at ways of improving our website to show in detail every project we approve.

Of course, just because we approve a project for funding doesn't mean we have any money to pay for it!! Most of our large commitments also require the fundraising team to then go out and generate the income. And that's where we desperately need your help. Please read on and if you would like to support one of the projects you can donate on-line through this website or call us to discuss making a donation.

Summary of Current Appeals

Project: New Children's Ward for Raigmore Hospital
Target: £1,000,000
Summary: On March 18th 2011 we launched an appeal to raise one million pounds in the Highlands to fund the complete redevelopment of the Children's Ward - creating a brand new space that supports children but is also mindful of the fact that families travel further to be in Raigmore Hospital than from almost anywhere else. Being a sick child is bad enough, being five or more hours away from home can be incredibly hard on the child, their parents and siblings. Please help us reach this ambitious target by supporting our appeal. You can read more about the appeal by downloading our book here. 

Project: Specialist Nurse for Children’s Pain Management based in Aberdeen. 
Amount: £50,000 needed every year to fund the post and all equipment and associated costs. 
Summary: Can you help us fund our specialist nurse to provide an enhanced level of pain management for local children and to provide in-house training for existing staff? This service is not a 'core' function of the NHS but we know it makes a huge difference for local children with chronic pain problems. Jacqui, the first ever ARCHIE Nurse, has been in post now since September 2010 and is making a big difference to local children - but we urgently need more help to fund this crucial post. Please help if you possibly can. 

Project: ARCHIE Family Support Worker
Amount: £30,000 per annum
Summary: When a child is sick, it is an incredibly difficult time for all the family. The ARCHIE Foundation provide a suite of rooms allowing mum and dad to stay close to their sick child. However we need your help to maintain the provision of a family support worker, based in the ARCHIE Parent Accommodation Suite, to enhance the care and support available for a sick child's family. The total cost of this service is £30,000 every year. Please help if you possibly can to make a real difference for sick children - and their families.

Project: ARCHIE Play Leader
Amount: £20,000
Summary: There is a dedicated team of play staff in the hospital who use play as a means of therapy and entertainment to keep children calm and happy whilst in hospital. Getting a seriously sick child to smile and laugh can be hard work - but hugely rewarding. The ARCHIE Foundation need to raise almost £20,000 every year to fund the one ARCHIE Play Leader. In addition to Sam our Play Leader we fund musical concerts, face painting sessions, pottery classes, magician's visits, art workshops and much, much, much more! If you would like to get involved in funding some of this work, please get in touch!


A Summary of Recent Grants
 

Project: Young People’s Department, Royal Cornhill Hospital
Amount: £45,000
Summary: Children and Young People's mental health is often a 'taboo' subject. People prefer not to think about it - but we have to so that we can help make the difference for local children with mental health illnesses. In the Young People’s Department at Royal Cornhill Hospital there is a fantastic team supporting our local children. However, the facilities were not up to the task and the ARCHIE Foundation carried out a major redevelopment to create a positive, child focused environment that will help remind these children that we do care about them and that we will be there for them. 

Project: Rosehill House Redevelopment
Amount: £35,000
Summary: To upgrade the public spaces and treatment rooms within the Child and Family Mental Health department based in Rosehill House to make them more child friendly. The project involved patients, families and staff working with an artist to deliver a unique and exciting new look and feel of the building.

Project: ARCHIE Music Therapist
Amount: £16,000 for 2009
Summary: To fund the provision of a Paediatric Music Therapist with a view to developing music therapy within children’s services in 2010 and 2011.

Project: Promotion of Independence
Amount: £2,500
Summary: Provide specialist equipment to the Physiotherapy Team to allow children with very complex needs to enjoy more independent activity and exercise.

Project: Specialist Cot for Raeden Centre
Amount: £3,500
Summary: Provide a specialist cot to allow complex needs children within the Raeden Centre to have a higher level of care and use of more tailored, case specific equipment.

Project: Sunbeam Chair
Amount: £3,000
Summary: Purchase a special chair for complex needs children to allow them more comfortable conditions whilst waiting for outpatient appointments.

Project: Dina Dinosaur Programme
Amount: £1,100
Summary: Provide a training programme to staff within the Child and Family Mental Health Team to offer an additional treatment activity for patients in Aberdeen.

Project: Lightweight Wheelchair
Amount: £2,200
Summary: Provide a special lightweight wheelchair for a child with a unique range of conditions to allow them to participate in some sporting activity.

Project: Music Systems for Theatres
Amount: £1,500
Summary: To provide new equipment for 2 surgical theatres allowing modern music systems (ipods etc) to be used so children having local anaesthetic procedures can have their own choice of music playing.

Project: Fingabox, Patient Assessment Unit, Day Case Unit, A&E
Amount: £7,000
Summary: Provide Fingabox entertainment centres for these three places within the hospital. These are especially popular with infants and young children.

Project: Specialist Cot for use in Banchory Respite Centre
Amount: £10,000
Summary: A special cot allowing the extension of services offered by a respite centre in Banchory – allowing more complex needs children to utilise this facility.

Project: Wheelchair Loan Service
Amount: £3,500
Summary: Purchase additional wheelchairs to allow the creation of a loan service of wheelchairs for children going home from the hospital who may require, or would benefit from, a wheel chair for a week or two.

Project: Sensory Voyager, Day Case Unit
Amount: £3,000
Summary: Provide a specialist mobile sensory unit for children who are too poorly to come to the sensory room or for those who are recovering from surgery – especially very young children and babies.

Project: Speech and Language Therapy
Amount: £2,500
Summary: To redevelop the treatment room providing a modern, enhanced environment for children using this department.