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For Christmas this year we had booked to stay at Whinfell Forest centre parcs with my husband and 4 boys. One of our boys has an ileostomy and other health conditions and has spent numerous occasions in Hospitals this year. During our stay he became ill and was taken by Ambulance to Cumberland Infirmary. We then stayed there for 3 days. I was absolutely blown away with the Christmas presents that he woke up to on Christmas morning, and read your story about Evie which broke my heart. It’s absolutely amazing what you do to help others. (All our presents were back at Centre Parcs.) So both myself and my son spent a quiet Christmas in hospital.
As we live in Rochdale we don’t know the area at all and I hadn’t heard about Team Evie before. Am truly blessed to have had a received gifts in her memory. This is something we will treasure for life. So a huge, huge thank you

Just a short message of thanks. I was recently in the maternity ward at the Cumberland infirmary with my wife and premature son. Because of his size he was being monitored and got taken to the SCBU for some further tests and monitoring. While in there I stayed with him and to mask my worry and soothe him I made my way through the selection of books which were available thanks to your scheme. These were a great help to me as it took my mind off the potential issues and I think soothes him to listen to me reading to him. Many thanks!

I gave birth to a premature baby at Whitehaven hospital unexpectedly in November and I was overwhelmed by your courageous work through this charity. There were times I felt so scared and alone but knowing what you had been through helped me through, also the lovely packs that you provided were a lovely touch.

Your insulated cups at the RVI meant I could have a cuppa whilst sitting with my poorly boy last night. So simple but a huge comfort to a mammy on her own. Thank you so much ❤️

Thank you Team Evie I have been in PICU in the RVI with my son for 1 week now , we are frequent visitors here and I am so happy to see Team Evie have helped change the rules on having hot drinks on the ward and the Team Evie mugs you have left for families are perfect so I can keep my eyes open with a coffee while sitting my by son’s bedside, the little things matter!

We found ourselves in PICU at the RVI on the 22nd December due to our daughter, Betsy failing to fight a virus independently in part due to her Mitochondrial Disease. Your presents, welcome bag and card made our stay. It helped us deal with missing our Christmas and watching Betsy struggle on a ventilator. I know you understand this trauma and what it can do to families. Reading your card consoled us and reminded us just how fortunate we are to have a great hospital, with excellent staff and that other parents have been through this experience too. We are now on the ward and Betsy is continuing to recover. We hope to get home soon, but she is dictating the pace – as ever. Once again thank you for all that you do!

Hi Team Evie, I felt compelled to write you this message as I stand in the waiting room of the paediatric intensive care unit at the RVI. I opened the album on the table and by chance I spotted Evie. My son is currently very sick and I am waiting to go in to see him. Her smile has warmed my heart and in such darkness brought some light. She has touched my heart. I just wanted you to know!

Team Evie are an amazing charity who do incredible fundraising for seriously sick children in hospital and their families. They also run a bereavement support group to help other families who have lost children like they lost their beautiful baby Girl Evie. I worked on children’s intensive care at the RVI for 2 years (just recently left due to moving house) their lovely baby spent the majority of her short life with us on intensive care. After Evie’s passing Greg and Jill (Evie’s parents) started to fundraiser to help us provide equipment and other things for the babies and children who were on intensive care. They also help out other wards at the RVI. Nothing was ever too much to ask, they provided sensory equipment, a huge book trolley, DVDs, TV’s, toys and also physiotherapy equipment. They helped me out with my projects on the ward such as providing us with scarp books so parents good keep a diary with cherished memories in. The amount of time and effort they put into to helping other families after such a devastating time for them is just overwhelming. They are the nicest two people you could meet and still make people so happy whilst battling their own grief over Evie. It was a huge pleasure to work alongside them and I always knew I could turn to Team Evie when I needed something for the ward that would make the time the child spent in hospital that little bit more bearable.

What you have done and given our ward is truly incredible and we are so thankful for the amazing work you do xx

I wanted to say a massive thank you for the Easter box with all the little presents and treats in that I received of the nurses I was having a really tough day and you made a difference to that with your generosity. I asked who Evie was and the nurses told me about her and mentioned she spent some time on PICU in 2015 and my daughter was in around the same time as yours was and I just want to say I’m so very sorry to hear the loss of your daughter it actually got me choked up that someone would want to do something so kind after enduring such a tough time themselves yous are absolutely amazing people and very inspirational! from the bottom of my heart thank you 💚💚💚

What a great organisation! Having had my son rushed to the picu at the rvi I recieved a lovely pack with everything you would need at short notice thank you so much!

When Greg and Jill lost their beautiful daughter Evie at just 6 months, they were determined that her short, courageous life would be remembered. They set up a charity in her name in a devastating time when I’m not sure I could even have got out of bed. They have helped hundreds of families so far, donating physio equipment, monitors, books, toys, and DVDs to hospital wards and community nursing teams as well as setting up a support group for bereaved parents. Everything they do is with the intention of improving the quality of life, mental and physical wellbeing of families of sick children. We admire them so much, we’ve truly never met a couple who are so inspiring.they do Evie proud every minute of every day and they deserve to be recognised for it.

I have seen first hand the need for support that babies, young children and their families need when in desperate situations in hospital or after a child is lost. I have also seen first hand the work which Team Evie does in these situations and what a difference their support makes – inspirational and inspired, unstinting in giving what is needed, where it is needed and when it is MOST needed. And all through the inspiration of a very special baby girl – Evie Johnston. Team Evie deserves every award going!

Since losing their daughter Evie, the Team Evie charity have been committed to helping others with ill babies in hospital. The strength they have shown is inspirational. It is not everyone that can take the loss of a child and channel it in to helping others and making such a positive difference.

A truly inspirational couple, running a fantastic charity which provides support, motivation, comfort and endlessly working miracles to help others. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything

Team Evie have remained positive despite losing their child. They are an inspiration. They have focussed their efforts on very practical solutions that will improve a stay in hospital for others going through this. I have seen first hand how grateful the families are to receive the picu bags, use the chargers they donated and the ward libraries. This is to mention just a few things that they have achieved. Fantastic work team Evie and thank you from all at GNCH x

Team Evie are amazing in their quest to support parents who died themselves in a position they are all too familiar with. The items and support Team Evie offer to families cared for in the areas they support find it so valuable and is greatly appreciated by the staff.

Team Evie have provided so much support to other parents and sick children since they lost their daughter. They have been so thoughtful and done so much to help and support other families. they provide comfort bags with toiletries and snacks for the families of sick children requiring transfer from their local DGH to the PICU. They have provided IPADs with simulation software to the PICU and NECTAR transport team to help training staff. They provided book libraries to numerous children’s wards in the tertiary hospital and DGH. They have provided sensory equipments the wards and memory boxes and diaries for long stay patients so their milestones can be recorded. At Christmas and Easter they have provided hampers for the families. Team Evie have also sent up a parents bereavement group for other families. These are just a few examples of the wonderful work the charity do, they are selfless and dedicated to help other families of sick children.

Greg and Jill’s absolute commitment to their daughter Evie and the determination that she will never be forgotten is such an inspiration to all. They are kind, caring and inspirational people who deserve to be recognised for everything they do for bereaved parents in the memory of Evie. They provide a bereavement support group, help to provide a support group for parents of children who have long term conditions and are constant fundraisers to help provide all sorts of incredible resources to the wards they cherish.

I have experienced first-hand the need for help and support for babies, young children and their families when faced with life threatening and sometimes life ending health problems. Team Evie, (Greg & Jill Johnston) because of their own experiences, have tackled these problems and more by raising money to donate medical equipment, play equipment, gift boxes, use of holiday cottages, bereavement support and much, much more. This has been achieved through their own selfless commitment to helping others and to encourage family, friends and many other people to do the same through personal challenges and fundraising. And all done in the name of one very special and inspirational little girl – their baby daughter Evie Johnston.

Hi just wanted to say I loved your busy box idea, my daughter has had over 100 anaesthetics so far and is due another major one shortly. With two younger siblings this is something I will definitely be looking to use. Lovely cause, lovely ideas.

My husband and I would like to thank you so much for your beautiful generosity!! The Easter gift was such a lovely and kind thought and has allowed dad and I to smile a little. With our 23 weeker twin #2 has been in PICU for 5 weeks now after contracting swine flu. He is struggling to come off the ventilator due to the further lung damage he has. We hope he will find the strength soon to do well and cope without the ventilation. Your daughter would be so proud to have parents like yourselves. You have certainly continued to keep her memory alive. Thank you for making yet another special occasion missed, bearable.

This morning we were treated to a lovely array of books to read to our son after a long 11 days without a cuddle! Even his brother got involved to read to him. Big thank you to Team Evie, Greg and Jill and everyone who donated these books. We are enjoying them a lot!

I spent Xmas 1999 at the PICU in Newcastle with my nephew who was critically ill with meningitis. What you and team Evie have done for the children and families who spend time there is wonderful.

I would like to say a massive thank you for providing the book trolley at the RVI. My son became very poorly with RSV bronchiolitis whilst visiting my parents over Christmas in the North Yorkshire moors. We were admitted to James Cook hospital, Middlesbrough where after 8 days on a ventilator and a blood transfusion my little premature baby was very unstable and was transferred to the RVI. Both my husband and myself gained great comfort from reading to our son throughout the day. It became a bit of a joke between us and the nurses that for every book I read him would give us an increase of 1% in his oxygen sats, this often happened for the first two books! After a few days my daughter joined us at the RVI where we sat and read to both of them enabling us to feel like a family. He remained on a ventilator for 18 days and then he came off and is now just on a little bit of oxygen. Last Monday we were transferred back to Taunton hospital in Somerset. Where his recovery will continue with a very poor book supply! Whilst on PICU I witnessed many parents reading the books. One Older boy opposite had physio and suction every couple of hours and the nurses always read to him through his physio and his mum said how much he dreaded the physio but enjoyed the stories! The books really helped me get through some very hard days and for that I thank you and all those that donated books (I loved the stickers and the beautiful picture of Evie telling us who donated the books).

The parents that received the Christmas boxes were very touched by them. What a very kind thing for you to do.

Thank you very much to ‬Team Evie for our lovely Easter gift….spent last night on PICU with our little boy who suffers with a bad chest. Put a smile on our face for certain and he can’t wait to tuck in when he’s better.

My grandson has just spent a week on ward 12 PICU and I sat and read him books from this lovely library and I must say these books provide an escape from the treatments that are ongoing and are definitely a massive help for the children and their families while spending time on paediatric intensive care.

Incredible work, all in the name of incredible girl. Well done Team Evie!

Thank you so much to you and your family for donating these gorgeous and extremely thoughtful gift boxes, my 5 week old baby is currently on PICU and this immediately made me smile and fill up to think that complete strangers care and think of us at this tough time. Thank you very very much.

A big massive thanks for the gifts today. This really made me and my partner smile at this desperate time, much appreciated and unexpected when walking into the PICU today. Really thank you.

My 6 year old son was taken to PICU, he was ventilated and poorly. He remained in PICU for 1 week and he gained his strength and got better with the help of the nurses and doctors. I was so upset at my son being ventilated again and did not know what to expect but all the doctors and nurses in PICU where still there from when my son was a baby and they looked after both myself and Deacon and a BIG thank you to Team Evie for the presents we received. This made our stay in PICU over xmas more comfortable and happy. Thank you once again and good luck with your charity xxx

Thank you so much to your amazing charity our son has only just arrived at Newcastles RVI in the early hours of this morning and we received your lovely gifts. What an amazing thing for your charity to do!

When my son was in hospital your equipment dvd and players helped him take his mind off his injuries.

I felt compelled to write to you. We have kindly been loaned a SATS monitor that yourselves provided.I saw the metal plate on the back and decided to have a look. We have triplet daughters that were born at the RVI in March at 26+5weeks. Our daughters spent almost 5 months in hospital on ward 35 we were helped by numerous people, so the RVI holds a very special place in our hearts. All three of our daughters have chronic lung disease ,as you can imagine without the monitor we would not be able to have our daughters at home. I was genuinely touched by all the good work you do and I thought you might like to know about the positive impact it is having on families.

Hello just want to say thank you for the books trolley you gave to Newcastle RVI children’s ward . My daughter has recently had a short stay on the ward and the books definitely helped her through her short stay she loved them thank you.