Soham couple donates an entire (dolls) house to Addenbrooke’s, and you can bid for it
There’s no doubt that this dolls’ house has been a labour of love for Beverley and Elethia Lorking.
It took the Soham couple four years to complete, but making the decision to donate it to charity was a lot quicker - especially as it will help the hospital where Beverley was nursed back to health.
The 'wedding hotel' house, which has been donated to Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust (ACT), will be sold to fund urgent improvements to children's services.
"I had an accident while walking the dog and I fractured my tibia and fibula in my left leg by my ankle,Beverley told the Cambridge Independent."I know very little about it because I was out stone cold. It was quite a job. And I just couldn't think of any way of repaying the hospital staff."
Initially, Beverley, 77, offered to make a dolls' house for ACT as he has done for friends and family, but when the charity came to collect it, the couple also said they could take the much larger hotel piece.
"He wanted to give something back. I knew the house was going to go somewhere where it would be better looked after and it could make some money for them,said 75-year-old Elethia.
While Beverley constructed the house, which was built from a kit, Elethia chose the decor. The bride is even wearing a dress made from Elethia's own wedding gown.
"He wallpapers, he does the decorating and I do the titivating,said Elethia.
Beverley continues to build the houses and is currently working on a garage for a neighbour's grandson after completing a house for her granddaughter.
The wedding hotel is being auctioned on eBay to raise money for ACT's One in a Million Appeal - a £1million campaign to ensure that every young patient experiences the best possible outcome.
Being seriously ill and in hospital can be frightening and traumatic for a child at any age. At Addenbrooke's and the Rosie, staff do everything they can to minimise the distress for them and their family. But while the staff work tirelessly to ensure that quality of patient care remains world-class, services are under strain.
The funds will be used in nine ways, including using £85,000 to buy state-of-the-art laparoscopic surgical equipment to reduce the pain and trauma of operations in children as young as one day-old, and £153,000 to equip specialist transport for tiny babies and provide vital equipment for the neonatal intensive care unit, ensuring that sick newborns are treated quicker and safer.
To find out more about ACT's One in a Million Appeal visit the appeal website.
