A nursery in Chobham received an award for its fundraising efforts for babies born with congenital heart defects.

Pennypot Day Nursery raised more than £8,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and were presented with a special recognition award.

After adopting the cause as its ‘Charity of the Year’ along with the 43 other Childbase Partnership settings throughout England during 2024. Pennypot was named as the top contributor throughout the employee-owned company, handing over a whopping £8,330.27 out of the final £175,801.16 raised to fund life-saving research.

The cheque handover with a charity representative from each Childbase nursery in attendance
The cheque handover with a charity representative from each Childbase nursery in attendance (Childbase Partnership) (Childbase Partnership)

Pennypot team leader and charity representative, Aprille Goubert, said: “The British Heart Foundation is particularly poignant to us as a nursery, so we are over the moon to have been able to make this contribution.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible generosity and determination of our nursery families, and it really highlights what is possible when we come together with the aim of making a real difference.”

A sponsored walk around Virginia Water with families and pets, a summer fayre and a London to Brighton cycle were just some of the initiatives undertaken by Pennypot for the charity.

BHF holds significance for the nursery as one of the children had multiple open heart surgeries after being born with an AVSD. Heart defects are diagnosed in at least 1 in 150 births – an average of 13 babies each day in the UK – with more diagnoses later in life.

Pennypot parent Ian Richardson, who cycled 54 miles from London to Brighton - Pennypot Day Nursery in Chobham
Pennypot parent Ian Richardson, who cycled 54 miles from London to Brighton (Childbase Partnership) (Childbase Partnership)

BHF partnership manager Nigel Cole commented: “We knew Childbase would go the extra mile to raise money on our behalf, but this donation is beyond our wildest dreams. This has been one of the best partnerships we can recall, and I had a lump in my throat when I found out the total.”

The money raised by Childbase Partnership nurseries will now help fund research into congenital heart disease.