A DEESIDE business has chosen its charity of the year to help hundreds of vulnerable babies.

Staff from B2 Business Systems met with volunteers and staff of the Wrexham Special Care Baby Unit as part of this year's efforts to raise funds for Cherish.

Cherish provides support to vulnerable babies and their families during their stay at the unit.

Employees of B2 voted for Cherish to be their chosen charity of 2019 with the Deeside and St Asaph based teams lining up a range of fundraising activities.

Mark Blyth, B2’s Helpdesk team leader, said: "Our staff recognise the fantastic work and support that Cherish provide to sick children and their families.

"This is a great opportunity to raise money for such an important charity that has in reality touched many of the lives of our staff. We want to hit our target, provide the much needed support to this charity, and also have a bit of fun along the way."

From cake bakes to the ultimate Snowdonian trekking challenge, ideas are coming in thick and fast, spurred on by appreciation of the service the charity provides and in some instances, their own personal experience of their care.

Ian Challinor, B2’s Operations Manager, said: "Dylan, my son would not be alive if it wasn't for the care he received in Wrexham SCBU. Cherish give a better start in life to the tiny or sick babies and their families who have been treated and cared for on the unit.

"The charity also put us in touch with other parents of children with the same condition as Dylan which really helped and we have made lifelong friends. A lot of the nurses that work on the unit are also part of the charity so it is a real community feel."

The annual chosen charity and efforts to fundraise for important local causes form part of B2’s values that put 'people at the heart of the business'.

Cherish, which was founded in 1987, is a voluntary organisation and provides essential equipment to the unit, travelling expenses and financial support for parents as well as funding the upkeep and running of parents' accommodation on the unit, allowing them to live on the ward with their sick children.

Ruth Drake, chairperson for Cherish said: "Cherish Wrecsam is a very small, local charity run entirely by volunteers. These volunteers are often parents who have had a baby in SCBU at some point and have benefitted from the work we do.

"One of our proudest achievements is the upkeep and running of parents accommodation on the unit, allowing parents to be close to their babies at all times during extremely critical periods.

"With some 250 families passing through the unit each year, the support we provide would not be possible without the help of fundraisers and companies such as B2. We are extremely grateful to Ian and Mark and the team for their input and very excited to be B2’s chosen charity for this year."

Anyone wishing to donate can do so online at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/b2-business-systems1.