“They made such a huge difference”: Kent accountants choose hospital’s Twinkling Stars appeal as 2020 charity

Charter Tax Supports Twinkling Stars Campaign

A charity which helps families who have lost a baby will benefit from a whole year of fundraising support from a Kent accountancy firm.

Charter Tax, which has offices in Kent and London, is supporting East Kent Hospitals’ Twinkling Stars campaign as its chosen charity for the coming year after it helped two of its own members of staff.

The charity has provided a private suite at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where families who have lost a baby can have their own space to say goodbye together.

The suite is next to the labour ward so that mothers are close to the medical team, but are away from families who are celebrating the birth of a baby. It has its own kitchenette and bathroom, and families are looked after by a specially trained midwife.

The couple from Charter Tax who were supported by Twinkling Stars said: “They looked after us from the moment we got to the hospital to the moment we left. They couldn’t have done more for us and also offered support after we got home.

“Without this charity, we would have been on the main labour ward giving birth with all the other mums. This organisation makes such a huge difference to the emotional wellness of the people involved and we can’t praise and thank them enough.”

Dee Neligan, East Kent Hospitals Charity’s fundraising and development officer, and maternity matron Jo Olagboyega visited the Charter Tax office to tell the team more about Twinkling Stars, and Charter Tax principal Mark Howard presented them with a cheque to start the year of fundraising.

The firm donated £1,000 to the charity instead of sending Christmas cards in December, and will match whatever funds the team raise over the coming year.

Twinkling Stars was founded by Charlotte Bassett-Rogers, whose son Blake was stillborn at just 25 weeks in 2014.

She had to cope with the ordeal while still on the maternity ward, so she and her sisters, Leigh Knight and Georgina Varnals, made it their mission to see if they could provide something better for other families.

The suite at the William Harvey opened in 2018 and has inspired a similar facility at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, called Precious Memories. Twinkling Stars’ next goal at Ashford is to create an entrance to the suite that is separate from the labour ward, and to redesign one of the labour rooms.

The charity’s Justgiving page explains: “Women and their families who are dealing with the loss of a baby are experiencing a unique form of grief, needing physical and psychological support.
“The suite will require charitable support to keep it looking as good as new and replace the soft furnishings, toiletries and decorations when required.”

Founded in 2009, Charter Tax has offices in Kent and London and works with both businesses and individual clients from around the world. We specialise in international tax, including tax for non-doms, company expansions and offshore trusts.

Call our Kent office on 01580 313108, or visit us at Suite 1, Bedgebury Business Park, Forge Farm, Goudhurst TN17 2QZ. Alternatively, contact our London office on 020 7084 5771 or visit us at 1 St James’s Place, SW1A 1NP.