Water babies fundraiser

Participants in the Water Babies swim school in Louth and Meath helped to raise an astonishing €28,000 for the Nazareth Ward at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin.

Water Babies and their amazing Mums and Dads who swim in St Mary’s Drumcar and at Integral Drogheda and Bettystown raised funds during Splashathon 2017, a sponsored swim for babies and toddlers which took place over two weeks at Water Babies swimming classes.

Carol McNally from Water Babies presented a cheque for €28,000 to nurses Liz Sweeney and Mary Matthews from The Nazareth Ward at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, with the assistance of Bubba, Water Babies cuddly whale.

During Water Babies Splashathon, babies and toddlers from across Ireland completed a ‘Cead Mile Splashes’ to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Nazareth Ward at Crumlin Hospital.

The tiniest patients are cared for in the Nazareth ward, which is one of the oldest wards in the hospital.

It was never designed to treat the number of patients it currently does and whilst each and every patient receives world class care from the hero doctors and nurses, there just isn’t enough room in the tiny 1960’s cubicles for parents to be with their precious children.

To make matters worse, when there is an emergency and a baby needs urgent treatment, there is no room to get life- saving equipment to a baby in their bed – the bed needs to be brought to the door.

Carol McNally said: ‘ We are so proud of little Water Babies and their parents who took part in Splashathon and raised much need funds for Crumlin’s Nazareth Ward. Our bi-annual Splashathon is a fantastic fun way to make a real and lasting difference to sick babies and their families from across Ireland.’

Water Babies run award winning baby and toddler swimming classes across Ireland in Louth, Meath, Dublin, Kildare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Tipperary.

For more info check out www.waterbabies.ie