Peterborough City Hospital neonatal unit welcomes special delivery from supermarket giant

(Left-to-right) Sabrina Kayser (Senior Sister), Mum Zoe with baby Huxley, and Anya Johnston (Tesco Community Champion).

New parents at Peterborough City Hospital are set to benefit from another welcome arrival; clothes for premature babies donated by Tesco.

Packs of the supermarket giant’s F&F Premature Baby Essentials – which contain sleepsuits, bodysuits, hats, and scratch mitts – have already been delivered to the hospital’s neonatal unit.

Jan Marchant, Managing Director for Tesco’s Home and Clothing, explained the motivation behind the initiative:

“Premature babies are often unexpected, and it can be difficult to find clothing items to fit at such short notice,” she said.

“We want to provide practical help to mums and dads at Peterborough City Hospital during a stressful time and help give babies a stronger start in life.”

The delivery to Peterborough City Hospital is part of a nationwide plan by Tesco.

Ultimately, the supermarket chain hopes to donate around 23,000 packs of F&F Premature Baby Essentials to some 157 neonatal units across the country.

The Salvation Army is supporting Tesco by helping to deliver the clothing.

Kirk Bradley, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the Salvation Army, said: “We are happy to be supporting Tesco to deliver these much-needed items of clothing to the NHS neonatal units.”

He added: “These generous donations provide comfort for the most vulnerable and give these families essentials in their time of need.”

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, on average 7-10% of babies born in England and Wales are born prematurely.

“Having a baby born prematurely can be a really worrying time for many,” said NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard.

“With our hard-working staff across the country continuing to do all they can to provide care and support to premature babies and their families, it is fantastic that Tesco is donating specialist baby clothing to every NHS neonatal unit across England to provide additional help.”

Ms Pritchard believes that these clothing packs could make “a huge difference to tens of thousands of babies and their families who need it most over the next year.”

“We are extremely grateful to Tesco, and to the Salvation Army, for making this possible.”