Children's hospital charity in Belfast renamed Little Heroes
Little Heroes was formerly known as Helping Hand
Families of children supported by a leading hospital charity have expressed their thanks as it took on a new name.
Little Heroes, formerly known as Helping Hand, is the charity for the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
The name is a nod to the bravery and resilience of the children treated in the hospital every day.
Families whose children have been cared for at the Royal attended the renaming event in Belfast on Thursday.
The charity has described the name change as marking a new chapter for an organisation established in 1997 by medical staff at the hospital.
Nadine Chambers' daughter Alex was cared for in the hospital after she suffered a brain haemorrhage in December 2023.
Since then she has been steadily overcoming the challenge of learning to walk by using a special frame.
A fundraising walking challenge organised by Alex's family has raised more than £16,000 for Little Heroes.
Ms Chambers said Alex was her "little hero".
"I don't think this charity could have been given a better name because we call her our hero all the time," she told the event at St Mary's University College, which is across the road from the hospital.
"She's our inspiration, she gives us that motivation that we need."
She added: "I think it's really important to remember this is a charity that was founded in 1997, this is not a recent struggle.
"The resources that the NHS can give have a limit, and it's charities like this that go beyond that limit, and it means that the equipment in the hospital across the road can be where it needs to be to give every single one of our children a chance that they need to recover as best as they possibly can.
"I don't know if Alex would be home by now. I don't know if Alex would be as strong as she is by now if the charity didn't support the hospital, and that's genuinely the truth."
David Loughran's son Odhran was born with his food pipe and wind pipe conjoined. He was operated on less than 24 hours after birth and has required a lot of hospital care since.
Odhran uses a tracheotomy tube in his neck to assist with his breathing but the family is hopeful that he will make a full recovery and the tube can be removed when he is a bit older.
Mr Loughran and his employers, the Keystone Group, have managed to raise more than £35,000 for the charity.
"My workplace were very supportive of me. I was absent from the business for a period of around four months," he told the renaming event.
"We're very grateful that they chose the Little Heroes charity to support and through the events and their contacts, not just here in the island of Ireland but throughout the UK as well too, we raised over £35,000 for the charity."
Little Heroes chief executive Mary McCall highlighted the significance of the renaming.
"We are thrilled to share Little Heroes with the local community - a name that we hope resonates with the spirit of the children we serve," she said.
"Today's launch of our rebrand marks a new era for us, one that reinforces our commitment to providing life-changing care, support and hope to sick children and those who love and care for them."
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