TYNESIDE tycoon Graham Wylie and his son are celebrating after a year of their fundraising brought in more than £250,000 for the heart unit which saved the life of the entrepreneur’s daughter.
The founder of software giant Sage and his son Richard have, between them, orchestrated several cash-boosting events to thank the surgeons at the children’s heart unit, based at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
It was almost two years ago that medics stepped in to save Graham’s daughter Kiera after she was diagnosed with a complex heart condition while she was still in her mother Andrea’s womb.
Minutes after she and her healthy twin sister Zahra were born at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Kiera was rushed across to the Freeman where she underwent a delicate operation planned by surgeons before she was born.
Nearly two years on, Kiera awaits a further operation which will hopefully correct her condition once and for all.
In the meantime, she and her family have developed a strong relationship with all the staff at the heart unit, prompting them to use their entrepreneurial skills to raise money and awareness for the Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF).
Just under a year after embarking on their fundraising mission, the family have donated and raised the remarkable sum of £275,000 to the heart unit.
Graham, 52, who owns the software firm TSG, donated around £91,000 which enabled the hospital to buy two vital pieces of equipment to be used on Ward 23, where the heart unit is based.
A further £173,000 was raised through the Have A Heart golf trophy challenge – which saw celebrities from the world of sport and TV tee-off at Close House’s Colt course for the charity – and through a race day hosted by Newcastle Racecourse.
Kiera’s big brother Richard has joined his father’s mission, embarking upon the biggest challenge of his life in August when he and three friends cycled from Newcastle to Paris, raising a further £10,707 for CHUF.
Graham, 52, owner of Close House Hotel and Golf, said: “I am really pleased with the incredible fund raising efforts for CHUF this year and especially proud of my son Richard.
“Thank you once again to the people of the North East for supporting the doctors and nurses on ward 23 at the Freeman Hospital who work tirelessly to make sure the children and families on the ward are cared for to the optimum standard often performing ground breaking procedures.”
Richard said: “This has been a great father-son bonding experience, with my sister Kiera and the unit as our mutual goal. I’m really happy to make my dad proud. It has been a really warm feeling to see that people still donated despite the credit crunch.
“I am going to make a big framed board to have at home with all the newspaper cut-outs and photos of the team and keep it for Kiera when she is old enough to understand.”
For more information about the heart unit visit www.chuf.org.uk
