A £425 pot of gold for children’s wards at the end of Toby’s rainbow
difficulties when they were younger to say thank you for the amazing work they do. He also made some for the young patients.
Toby was inspired after learning of the Virgin Money Make £5 Grow project, which gives young children the opportunity to take a loan of £5 to start their own mini business.
It is usually done through schools and youth groups, but he tackled it during lockdown from the family home in Philadelphia, near Washington, where he lives with mum Gill, dad Andrew and Sam, aged five.
Toby had to devise his own business plan and design his product.
"He decided to do rainbow wish bracelets as a reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic ‘and of how special everyone is’.
He made the bracelets using string and beads and sold them for £2 each to family and friends through social media, and collected the money through an online service.
He said: “At the start of my project, I decided I wanted to give any profit I made to the children’s ward at Sunderland because me and my brother have both stayed there.”
Due to the pandemic, only one parent can stay with a child on the children’s wards. Toby added that he wanted to put a smile on the children’s faces “because they can’t see both of their parents in the hospital like me and my brother could”.
Derek Curry, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s directorate manager, paediatrics and child health, said: “I want to thank Toby for his kind donation and say very well done for putting together his business plan and designing and making his product.
"Our nursery nurses will use the money to buy toys and craft supplies for the children on our wards.”