Rockinghorse takes young patients for a spin on the Brighton Wheel

Almost 20 young patients at a Brighton hospital were treated to an outing by a local charity and one of its backers.

Rockinghorse, the children’s charity, took the youngsters and their families for a free ride on the Brighton Wheel on Saturday (18 August).

The youngsters – all patients at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital – had the first ride of the day to mark the Brighton Wheel’s charity day which raised money for Rockinghorse.

The Brighton charity, which supports the Royal Alex and the Trevor Mann Baby Unit, held fundraising collections throughout the day.

And staff were on site to talk to the public about the work that Rockinghorse does with the hospital and its other projects.

Staff at Brighton Wheel chose to support Rockinghorse after one of its employees lost his son.

Delso Da Silva said: “Our lives changed dramatically when we had our premature twins, Alicia and Alfie, and we were thrust into life on the Trevor Mann Baby Unit for the next nine months.

“Unfortunately after 13 days we lost our beloved son Alfie.

“Alicia was very ill with life-threatening problems for many weeks but through the help of the Trevor Mann Baby Unit and Rockinghorse, we were finally able to bring our little girl home.

“We will never be able thank the hospital and charity enough but we hope that any money raised will in turn be able to help other families.”

Delso and two other staff members took the plunge for the charity by braving a 12,000ft skydive and have already raised more than £1,200.

Analiese Doctrove, Rockinghorse’s fundraising manager, said: “We’re so grateful to Brighton Wheel for its support.

“The staff have been brilliant and it’s a great opportunity for us to tell people more about what we do and how they can help make a difference.”

To sponsor the staff at Brighton Wheel, visit their Just Giving page.