Babies born in Grafton will now be able to travel in state of the art comfort and care, after an incredibly generous donation helped purchase a new transport cot for Grafton Base Hospital.

The transport cot is used to transport vulnerable sick or premature babies who require a transfer to another hospital in a safe and protected space. It’s also used to transport babies within the hospital, for example, from operating theatres to the Maternity Unit.

“This is an incredibly important piece of equipment for Grafton’s Maternity and Women’s Care unit,” Maternity Unit Manager, Tina Morrison, said.

“It provides a protected, safe, warm environment for our tiniest, most vulnerable patients.”

Grafton Toyota Dealer Principal, Michael Anstee, spearheaded the fundraising campaign, raising the initial funds in collaboration with other local businesses. When local woman, Marie Preston, heard about the cause, she generously donated $22,000 to turn the vision into a reality.

The new $30,000 cot is a more sophisticated and spacious version to replace the ageing cot which has moved hundreds of babies.

“It’s wonderful to be able to upgrade this essential piece of equipment, it’s the Rolls Royce of transport cots for babies in the Clarence Valley,” Tina said.

“We are extremely grateful for the continued support of community partners like Toyota, who help us continue the wonderful work of caring for women and babies in our community.”

Local charity, Our Kids, helped purchase the cot for Grafton Base Hospital.

“We live in such an incredible, generous community and because of this, Our Kids has been able to expand our footprint to help Grafton Base Hospital, meaning our kids stay local when needing medical care,” Rebekka Battista, Our Kids Fundraising Coordinator, said.