At Swoffers we are extremely proud of our colleagues and the work they do for local charities. Today we want to put the spotlight on our Senior Property Manager, Nikki Trebert.
She’s best known in the island for her haul of 21 Island Games medals for shooting. But what you might not know about Nikki is that she is also an Ambassador for the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation.
The foundation offers a range of help to families who are going through immensely difficult times with a premature baby or sick child. For instance, it manages two apartments near Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton – Aggie’s Burrow and Isaac’s Pad – providing families with a home away from home. This month (November) marks the 19th birthday of the charity and a #BuyANight campaign is being launched to help keep these lifeline properties running.
Nikki became involved with the foundation after her daughter was born and needed a short stay in the Guernsey intensive care special baby unit. Nikki herself was ill in intensive care when she received a gift from the charity.
‘My daughter wasn’t premature, but because she was receiving special care they sent me a book with photos to show me how she was doing. I wasn’t really aware of the charity before that, it really meant a lot to me so that’s why I wanted to get involved.’
Early on, Nikki was able to provide her Swoffers-honed property skills and helped with the compassionate housing in Southampton. Nowadays, she’s ‘happy and honoured’ to be an Ambassador helping out at fundraising events. She particularly enjoys get-togethers with all the families.
‘It’s incredible and so rewarding to see how children have developed from being sometimes very poorly and born very premature, to all grown up. Often it doesn’t matter if you’re born premature, you can achieve anything, it’s amazing to see how it doesn’t hold children back.
‘It’s not just premature babies that we aim to help, there are also sick children whose families need support to get through the tough times. When Swoffers asked us all to find a charity that we wanted to work with, I already knew that my answer was the PPBF. I always know that work will support me if I need to go off and help with anything they need.’
Since its launch in 2003, the foundation has raised well over £1m. and the money is used to buy equipment for the Guernsey neonatal unit. This has included ventilators, an incubator, a cerebral monitor, and training aids such as an advanced simulator doll. There are many smaller, but just as important items that have been given to the unit such as breast pumps, relaxing chairs, and a much-used camera printer.
The charity also puts together baby boxes for the new mums of premature babies. These contain small nappies and clothing like hand-knitted hats because it can be difficult to find small enough outfits.
To find out more about the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation, including information about how to donate, visit ppbf.org.gg
