Blue Skies Hospitals Fund

05/12/2025

And the Winner is...

with Bertie and Betsy!

We absolutely love the name Carly, thank you so much for giving our lovely new bears their forever name! 😍🎉

Please pop into our office (opposite Costa) at your earliest convenience to collect your lovely pair of bears! Bertie and Betsy are so excited to meet you! 💙

03/12/2025

✨🎄 Delivering Joy this Christmas! 🎄✨

A HUGE shoutout and thank you to the incredible staff at Dunelm, Blackpool Retail Park for their phenomenal support of our 'Give A Gift' Appeal 2025! 💚

The generosity didn't stop there – a massive thank you also goes out to every single customer who donated gifts in-store. Your kindness is truly overwhelming!

These wonderful gifts will make a massive difference, bringing smiles and Christmas magic to so many patients who will be waking up in a hospital bed on Christmas morning.

It’s community spirit like this that makes the festive season so special.

From all of us at Blue Skies, and Michael the manager, thank you for helping us spread cheer and make Christmas brighter for those in hospital. You are all amazing! 🎁🌟

01/12/2025

🌧️🏃‍♀️ Rain or Shine, the Elves Still Jingle! 🏃‍♂️🌧️

A massive festive shout-out to all the amazing 'elves' who braved the wind and rain at Anchorsholme Park for our annual Blue Skies Elf Run! 🌬️🎄

You all brought the brightest festive spirit, even when the weather tried to dampen ours. Seeing all the smiley faces, bobbing elf hats, and even the four-legged friends (shout out to Elvis and Rizzo) joining the fun made it a truly lovely day! ❤️🐶

From all of us at the charity, thank you for making this event so special. You are all our little superstars!

01/12/2025

🎄✨ Christmas Magic Alert! ✨🎄

A huge, heartfelt thank you to the incredible teams from Bispham with Norbreck Chapter 4731 and Emblem Lodge 6727!

We were absolutely thrilled to welcome Bob Marsden (Blackpool Group Vice Chairman), Gordon Major (Worshipful Master), and Alan Albiston (Charity Steward) to our offices the other day.

They presented Blue Skies with a phenomenal donation totalling £700.00 for our ‘Give A Gift’ Appeal 2025! 🎁

We are completely blown away by your kindness and generosity. This amazing support will help us bring smiles and happiness to so many of our patients on Christmas Day. Your lodges are helping to make the festive season brighter for our hospital community! 💙

Thank you so much! 🌟🎅

01/12/2025

🌟 Heartwarming Heroes Alert! 🌟

A massive shout-out to absolute superstar Isaac Redfern and his kind-hearted friends in Year 1 at Stalmine Primary School! school for their incredible generosity. 💖👏

Isaac, having spent some time on our Children’s Ward in September recovering from HSP (Henoch-Schönlein purpura), wanted to give something back to say a huge thank you for the wonderful care he received. What an amazing idea!

On Friday the 14th, the whole Year 1 group rallied together and held a non-uniform day at school! The result? A whopping £100 raised! 🤯🎈

These funds will go directly towards buying special gifts for children who will unfortunately have to spend this Christmas with us in the hospital.🎄

🎁 Your thoughtfulness is truly helping to spread some festive cheer where it's needed most!

Thank you, Isaac, your friends, the staff, and the families at Stalmine Primary School! You are all little legends! 💙

27/11/2025

💙 A truly incredible act of love and remembrance for Nana Joany 💙

Brothers Jake and Sam Gallagher turned their grief into grit, honouring their beloved Nana Joany, who sadly passed away at the age of 90. To celebrate her life and support the incredible Swan/Bereavement Team, they took on a challenge that would make anyone tired just reading about it! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

On September 13th, Jake and Sam decided to run a phenomenal 90km (that's over two back-to-back marathons!) in a single day. Their goal: to raise as much money as possible for the team that provided such "utmost care and dignity" to Nana Joany and their family.

They set off at 6:30 am and battled everything the weather could throw at them: wind, rain, and even a thunderstorm! ⛈️ Despite the conditions, they pushed on, fueled by determination and their mum Melanie's pride.

"It took total grit and determination," Melanie shared. "I could not have been prouder of them."

After hours of relentless running, they reached their final destination around 8 pm, where friends and family, including brother Toby who joined for the final leg, met them with cheers and applause.

Their immense effort paid off in a huge way! The brothers raised a staggering £4,237.31 for the Swan Team! 🌟

This phenomenal donation will make a real difference to families going through the toughest times. Thank you so much, Jake and Sam, for this inspiring tribute to Nana Joany. Your strength and generosity are simply amazing!

Show them some love in the comments below! 👇

25/11/2025

Our amazing Walkies for Wards event is coming up soon! Bring your pooch down to Lytham Hall and join in on the festivities! 🎁

It is £5 per pooch, starts at 10:00, there is a tombola, costume competition and much more! Come and join in on the fun on 7th December! 💙

Head to our website to register your dogs today, or feel free to turn up on the day!

25/11/2025

✨ A STAGGERING gift for a special 85th birthday! ✨

A huge Blue Skies thank you to the incredible Mr. James Bamber from Preston! James celebrated his milestone 85th birthday by giving back in the most amazing way, raising an incredible £1061.00 for our Cardiac Department here at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals! 💙

James and his wonderful family organised a fun-filled Greyhound Race Night right from their home! Talk about a creative way to fundraise! 🐶🏁

❤️ This donation comes straight from the heart. James wanted to share his immense gratitude to all the dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff who provided exceptional care during and after his heart surgery.

🩺 Your generosity helps us go above and beyond for patient care and comfort!

💙 James, your selflessness is truly inspiring. Thank you for choosing to support Blue Skies and the amazing team that cared for you!

Want to get involved and support our charity like James? Head over to our main charity page at Blue Skies Hospitals Charity or contact us on 01253 51004 to see how you can start your own fundraising journey today!

23/11/2025

Thank you so much to all of our Blue Skies Elves that braved the rain today! We are so grateful for your continued support and you all smashed it!

Stay tuned to see all the amazing snaps we got from The Elf Run this year! 🤩🩵

22/11/2025

Tomorrow 🩵🩵

Feel free to come on down and sign up on the day also!

19/11/2025

🩵

💙 Lorraine’s legacy funds first metabolic monitor for the North West 💙

Seriously ill patients who have been placed into an induced coma to help them recover in hospital will receive specialist care thanks to a new piece of equipment which is the first to be used across the North West.

Sometimes patients are placed into a coma to help their recovery, protecting the brain from further damage and allowing the body time to heal. While a patient is in a coma they need the right amount of calories to keep them healthy.

Thanks to hospital charity Blue Skies, the COSMED portable metabolic monitor, or calorimeter, is being used in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals’ intensive care department.

Thought to be one of only ten in the country, the calorimeter provides accurate and personalised nutritional calculations so that each patient receives received exactly the right calories for them depending on their unique energy expenditure needs. These needs are dynamic and can change during the course of a patient’s stay.

Having either too many or too few calories is harmful so getting it right means a safer, shorter stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), less muscle loss and reduced time needing mechanical ventilation.

The machine was purchased by Blue Skies with the help of a £16k fundraising campaign by Jim Egan, whose wife Lorraine was a patient at BTH.

Read more:
https://www.blackpoolteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/about-us/latest-news/lorraines-legacy-funds-first-metabolic-monitor-north-west

Blue Skies Hospitals Fund

19/11/2025

🎄 EVENT ALERT 🎄

Our Elf run at Anchorsholme Park is coming up fast! Only 4 days remaining!

Come and join us for a fantastic fun-filled day that helps an amazing cause. It is also a perfect excuse to get into the Christmas spirit a little early! 🎅🏻🩵

Where? Anchorsholme Park
When? Sunday 23rd November, registration is 10:15!

Remember, you don’t just have to run - come and join the fun! Sign up on our website now or🩵🩵