At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, TotsBots immediately began to make face masks for adults and children from its Glasgow factory and is now donating the proceeds to two charities.
In a generous gesture of giving back to the many staff who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic, TotsBots is donating a total of £30,316. Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, which fundraises to ensure that every child treated in Scotland’s largest children’s hospital receives the extra special care they deserve, will receive £20,138.
Meanwhile, the NHS Charities Together, a national independent charity with a network of over 240 NHS charities across the UK that provides extra support to care for NHS staff, patients and communities, will receive £10,178 from the reusable nappy brand.
Co-founder of TotsBots, Fiona Smyth, is especially grateful to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and the NHS. In the summer of 2019, her son, Darach developed endocarditis, a potentially fatal infection of the heart. Darach spent seven weeks in hospital and eventually endured open heart surgery. The experience was made less traumatic with the support and care from staff.
Fiona commented: “The kids’ cardiac team at Glasgow Children’s Hospital, some of whom have been there from the beginning of Darach’s journey, feel a bit like an extended family to us. When we walk on the ward, we are met with well-known faces that have cared for Darach since the day he was born and have supported us through some of our darkest moments.
“We feel so indebted to everyone and so it’s nice to be in the position to do something to give back, especially to the charity where we have experienced first-hand the work that it does. Raising funds for something that makes such a difference to kids and families during difficult times is our immense privilege.”
Kirsten Watson, chief executive, Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to TotsBots for this very generous donation. We can never say thank you enough to local businesses like TotsBots who, during a time of such great uncertainty and unprecedented challenges, have gone above and beyond to support the charity.
“We rely entirely on donations and fundraising to continue our life-changing projects at the children’s hospital, so this kind gift will make a remarkable difference to our young patients, their families and the NHS heroes who care for them.”
