Stuart Broad named ambassador for hospital charity

Former England cricketer Stuart Broad and his mother have been announced as the new ambassadors for a children’s hospital campaign.

Broad, who was born prematurely, and his mother Carole Joyce will support Nottingham Hospitals Charity’s Big Appeal.

The news was shared on the cricketer’s birthday, 38 years after he was born weighing 2lb 2oz at Nottingham City Hospital.

Broad said he owed his life to the neonatal unit in Nottingham.

The Big Appeal, launched in September 2023, aims to raise £1.5 million for Nottingham Children’s Hospital, including a new neonatal unit at the Queen’s Medical Centre.

Broad said the appeal was “very important” to him.

He said: “I was born at 31 and a half weeks, weighing 2lbs 2oz. My dad said when he reached out his hand, my whole body fit inside his hand.

“I was kept alive by the neonatal unit in Nottingham, so obviously I owe them a lot – I owe them my life.

“I’m here now, 6’4”, 38 years old today, and I’ve managed to accomplish a lot.

“Without the care I received in the first 10 weeks of my life, this certainly would not have been possible.”

Nottingham Hospitals Charity said every year more than 1,000 premature and seriously ill babies from the East Midlands and beyond are treated in its neonatal units.

With the works underway at the new unit, this number is expected to double.

Broad added: “My mother said the hardest thing she ever had to do was leave the hospital without her newborn.

“As a father now, I just couldn’t imagine leaving the hospital without my daughter Annabella with us.”

The NHS will fund the essential features of the new unit, but the Big Appeal will provide extras such as a dedicated ultrasound machine, as babies currently need to be taken to the radiology department.

It will also fund home-made additions to the unit’s rooms, such as televisions and furniture.

Mrs Joyce added: “There is no doubt that without the care and support we had all those years ago, Stuart would not be here today.”

Nigel Gregory, chief executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said they were “delighted” to welcome them as ambassadors.

He said: “After starting his life as a premature baby, Stuart has become a local and national sporting hero – it just goes to show what the tiny babies being cared for in our neonatal unit can achieve.”

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebookabout Xor in Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via Whatsapp on 0808 100 2210.

Related Links