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Altnagelvin Parents Group, Altnagelvin hospital, Derry (2026)

10/06/2026

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Sinead McGinty, who organised our most recent donation.

Sinead works at AVEVA, and the AVEVA Derry office recently held a bake sale inspired by her daughter’s hospital stay last year and her desire to give something back.

The team raised an incredible £535, which was used to purchase toys to help make long hospital days a little brighter for children and their families. Through AVEVA’s Action for Good matching programme, the company also donated an additional £500 directly to the Altnagelvin Parents Group charity.

This matching scheme made a real difference, significantly increasing the impact of the team’s fundraising efforts and helping their generosity go even further.

Pictured receiving the £500 donation is Sr Sharon O'Donnell, alongside Sinead McGinty, Raymond Findlay, and Tony Harvey from AVEVA.

Thank you to everyone who supported this wonderful fundraising effort.
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05/06/2026

💚 Volunteers' Week 2026 💚

As Volunteers' Week comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to thank and recognise the incredible people who make Altnagelvin Parents Group possible.

Since co-founding our small registered charity in 2018, we have been fortunate to have a dedicated team of volunteers who generously give their time, energy and commitment to support families and help our charity thrive. As a charity run entirely by volunteers, we simply could not do what we do without you.

A special thank you to our committee members:
💚 Lisa Storey – Chairperson
💚 Deirdre Cassidy – Treasurer
💚 Yvonne Devenney– Children’s Ward Representative
💚 Kellie McGowan – Secretary

Your hard work, dedication and passion are truly appreciated, and your contributions make a real difference.

We would also like to give a special mention to everyone who volunteers their time throughout the year, whether helping at events, fundraising, supporting projects or lending a hand whenever needed. Every contribution, big or small, helps make our charity a success.

Thank you all for your continued support, kindness and commitment. We are incredibly grateful for each and every one of you. 💚

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31/05/2026

On Saturday 30th May 2026, we were delighted to host our fifth annual Afternoon Tea.

This special event brought together parents of children living with lifelong and complex medical conditions, along with a guest of their choice and members of the Children's Ward teams. It was a wonderful opportunity to step away from the day-to-day challenges, enjoy some well-deserved time to relax, and connect with others who understand our journey.

To all the parents who joined us, thank you. We know how precious your time is, and we are so grateful that you chose to spend part of your weekend with us. We hope you enjoyed being looked after for an afternoon and sharing quality time with your guest in such beautiful surroundings.

We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make the day possible:

📸 Peter McKane for capturing the event so beautifully through his photographs.

📝 Clare Lynch and Kitty McNally for looking after the event registration.

💚 Karen Hargan, Chief Executive of the Western Health and Social Care Trust for joining us and for her kind and encouraging words about our charity and the work we do.

🎶 C Harmony, especially Clodagh Goodman and Dee Bradley, for providing beautiful music that created such a warm and welcoming atmosphere throughout the afternoon.

🕯️ Urban Ivy Aromas for the thoughtful gifts of wax melts and scented sachets, which our guests were delighted to take home.

🏛️ The team at Bishop's Gate Hotel Derry, for their hospitality. The venue was stunning, and the afternoon tea was truly wonderful, a special word of thanks to Jenny.

We are incredibly grateful to the The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, whose generous funding made this event possible.

💚💚💚

If you have a child with a lifelong, complex medical condition and attend Altnagelvin Hospital, we would like to welcome you to the Altnagelvin Parents Group.

To request to join, please click the link below and make sure to answer all membership questions so we can approve your request:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1201180943346333/?ref=share_group_link

Together, parents can support one another, share experiences, and build lasting connections with families who truly understand. 💚

23/05/2026

We were delighted to be chosen as the charity partner for the 2026 Derry Journal People of the Year Awards.

It was a privilege to deliver the charity welcome speech and present two very special awards during such an inspiring evening.

Thanks to the incredible generosity shown through donations and the raffle on the night, an amazing £2,631 was raised for the Altnagelvin Parents Group.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who organised this event and all who attended for their kindness, support, and generosity.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and to everyone who was nominated, your contributions and achievements to our community is truly inspiring 💚

12/05/2026

Happy International Nurses Day 2026 to the staff on Wards 6&16 in Altnagelvin Hospital 💚

12/05/2026

Today, on International Nurses Day, we proudly celebrate and recognise the incredible nurses across the Trust. 💚

Observed each year on 12th May, the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. International Nurses Day is an opportunity to reflect on the compassion, dedication, and care that nurses bring to patients and families every single day.

To mark the occasion, we wanted to show our heartfelt appreciation to the teams on Wards 6 & 16. As a small token of thanks, the staff were treated to a special brunch buffet in recognition of their hard work, kindness, and unwavering commitment to patient care.

A special thank you to Mairead at Sweet & Gentle Cheeses for creating such a fantastic spread, and to Claras Candy Creations for the beautiful personalised balloon that helped make the day extra special.

Happy International Nurses Day! 💚

12/05/2026

A huge thank you to Lisnagelvin Primary School for their incredible support. Together, they recently raised a very generous £250 for Altnagelvin Parents Group.

Your kindness, generosity, and community spirit are truly appreciated. Thank you to everyone involved for your wonderful support! 💚

15/04/2026

Life on a children’s ward is never easy. For some families, it means navigating complex conditions and frequent admissions. For others, it’s an unexpected, one-time stay filled with uncertainty. Every story is different but each one matters.

As a charity, our goal is simple: to make that time just a little more comfortable for every family who walks through those doors. Over the years, your support has helped us provide things like beds so every parent can sleep comfortably while staying close to their child, and 50” smart TVs to bring a small sense of normality during difficult days.

We’re incredibly grateful for every donation we receive and even more so for the stories behind them.

Yesterday, we were deeply touched to receive a generous donation of £380 from a parent who recently spent time on the ward with two of their children. A time they will likely never forget.

To our anonymous donor: thank you, from the bottom of our hearts 💚

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to all our families and followers.
We hope you have a lovely day 💚

13/02/2026

💚 🧸 🏥

It has been a pleasure to co-host the 2026 Teddy Bear Hospital, in partnership with Ulster University Child Health Society and the Western Health and Social Care Trust Health Improvement Equality and Involvement Department.

The aim was to develop a fun and engaging project, focusing on promoting a positive image of the healthcare profession and promoting healthy lifestyles, while aiming to reduce fears children may have of clinical environments.

The parents from Altnagelvin Parents Group have been key to providing information and insight behind uncertainties and fears their children may have developed due to repetitive, yet necessary hospitalisations because of the nature of their children’s medical conditions. This has helped shape all the medical play stations at the event as well as feedback from last years event.

The children had the opportunity to wear child size scrubs, put their teddy through pretend MRI and X-ray machines, get their bloods taken, have an NG tube or cannula fitted and visit the dentist. They were given the opportunity to be the doctor for the day and visit an ambulance. A huge thank you to all the student doctors and nurses from the child health society at university of ulster

Bringing together health and education through play based activities at this early intervention project has hopefully had a positive lasting impact for each and every family taking part.

Thank you for our information stands this year. We had stands from Angel Eyes NI, Encompass My Care App, Care Opinion, PPI, community food and nutrition, physical activity, and smoking cessation.

Exploring the medical world around them through medical play based activities has been an invaluable opportunity.

By bridging the gap between young patients, parents, siblings and the healthcare system, we hope the Teddy Bear Hospital made a lasting impact.

Thank you to all the staff at An Croí Hillcrest Trust for their support on the day and the days leading up to the event.

Thank you to Just Content Studios who provided instant photos on the day for children to take home.

All the lovely photos capturing the event were taken by Peter Mckane.

A special word of thanks to everyone who helped on the day to make this successful event run so smoothly

💚 🧸 🏥

Altnagelvin Parents Group

10/06/2026

05/06/2026

31/05/2026

23/05/2026

12/05/2026

12/05/2026

12/05/2026

15/04/2026

05/04/2026

13/02/2026

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