About the Ickle Pickles Children’s Charity

One in eight babies are born prematurely - in the UK that’s over 90,000 babies every year.

Ickle Pickles are the smallest and sickest babies who need intensive care in neonatal units

Ickle Pickles can be a full term babies (40 weeks) requiring treatment or surgery or more likely babies born prematurely (before 37 weeks). Babies born before 27 weeks are classed as extremely premature and it is often these tiniest babies who need the most help.

Since 2009, the Ickle Pickles children’s charity has been raising money for the intensive care equipment that treats these babies and helps to keep them alive....

Donate to the Ickle Pickles

Our work

The Ickle Pickles offers a unique opportunity to help vulnerable babies at a critical time in their lives.

Our long-term plan is to become the charity partner for 150 neonatal units and to donate vital equipment to every neonatal unit in England & Wales.

We strive to give every newborn a chance by working and campaigning nationally whilst delivering tangible benefit for local parents, neonatal units and communities.

See our current Appeals

Equipment we fund

We have funded equipment both small and large, from incubators and ventilators through to
breast pumps, feeding chairs and tiny baby nests to help the smallest babies.

Below is a list of SOME of the equipment that helps to make up an intensive care station in a Neonatal Unit
(Hint: It's a LOT!)

Incubator

Incubator

Typical cost: £27,000

Function: To isolate the baby and control the temperature and environment

Typical lifespan: 7 years

Ventilator

Ventilator

Typical cost: £25,000

Function: Provides oxygen and support whilst the lungs grow and mature

Typical lifespan: 5 years

Cerebral function monitor

Brain monitor

Typical cost: £22,000

Function: Monitors vital brain activity – helps assess brain injuries & monitor seizures

Typical lifespan: 5 years

Vital stats monitor

Vital stats monitor

Typical cost: £10,000

Function: Monitors the babies physiological functions, alerting the nurses to problems

Typical lifespan: 10 years

Vapotherm

Vapotherm:

Typical cost: £4,550

Function: Increases airway pressure to help make breathing easier for the baby

Typical lifespan: 7 years

Phototherapy lights

Phototherapy lights

Typical cost: £3,000

Function: Treats jaundice in newborns by breaking down billirubin in the bloodstream.

Typical lifespan: 10 years

Incubator

Typical cost: £27,000

Function: To isolate the baby and control the temperature and environment

Typical lifespan: 7 years

Ventilator

Typical cost: £25,000

Function: Provides oxygen and support whilst the lungs grow and mature

Typical lifespan: 5 years

Brain monitor

Typical cost: £22,000

Function: Monitors vital brain activity – helps assess brain injuries & monitor seizures

Typical lifespan: 5 years

Vital stats monitor

Typical cost: £10,000

Function: Monitors the babies physiological functions, alerting the nurses to problems

Typical lifespan: 10 years

Vapotherm:

Typical cost: £4,550

Function: Increases airway pressure to help make breathing easier for the baby

Typical lifespan: 7 years

Phototherapy lights

Typical cost: £3,000

Function: Treats jaundice in newborns by breaking down billirubin in the bloodstream.

Typical lifespan: 10 years

VIEW OUR CURRENT APPEALS

Neonatal units we support

We’ve brought equipment for over 30 neonatal units around the UK and this number grows every year.

Some of the hospitals and transport services are shown below. You can donate monies to any neonatal unit in England and Wales with the Ickles Pickles. Explore the full range of appeals we currently have running or get in touch today if you want to discuss working jointly on an appeal for the unit that treated your Ickle Pickle.

How we build fundraising partnerships

Ickle Pickle ambassadors

We are fortunate to have many wonderful volunteers who work to build relationships with the clinical and nursing staff at the neonatal units we work with. They will typically be a parent whose child has been treated on a neonatal ward.

They focus on raising awareness about the charity and engaging with clinical teams to determine what equipment the neonatal most urgently needs.

Our commitment to NNUs

As a national charity with a local focus we work hard to develop relationships with clinical teams and parents fundraise & donate monies directly to their nnu.

For parents & staff who want to do more than give a donation, we will provide support including branded marketing material, fundraising advice and event management expertise.

Parental awareness

We request a noticeboard in the unit or parent rooms to help promote our work & encourage fundraising.

Our hope is that parents will want to donate or fundraise for the unit where their child was treated and they can do that through us. We consult with each nnu to formulate wish lists and provide full transparency of funds raised.

Ickle Pickle ambassadors

They focus on raising awareness about the charity and engaging with clinical teams to determine what equipment the neonatal most urgently needs.

Our commitment to NNUs

As a national charity with a local focus we work hard to develop relationships with clinical teams and parents fundraise & donate monies directly to their nnu.

For parents & staff who want to do more than give a donation, we will provide support including branded marketing material, fundraising advice and event management expertise.