Motivated by the premature births of her own two children, Mrs Priaulx –alongside her husband Andy – founded the PPBF in 2003.
‘I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for as long as we have,’ she said.
‘Looking back I never intended for it to run for this long, we did one fundraiser and since then it’s just snowballed into what it is today.’
The charity has since gone on to help more than 1,000 local families via fundraising for essential equipment, as well as the provision of three flats situated next to Southampton General Hospital.
The PPBF’s work has included purchasing a range of specialist medical items for the hospital, including software to allow nurses to send video updates to families, and training dolls to enable an on-island neonatal life support course to take place.
The launch of the baby box saw families receive a gift box containing bespoke clothing, toiletries and gifts, while funds were raised to buy Guernsey’s first lifesaving ventilator, suitable for children up to 12 years old.
Recent years have seen the charity purchase and renovate Aggie’s Burrow, Isaac’s Pad and Frankie’s Den – the three flats used by local families needing to be based at Southampton General Hospital.
An initiative known as ‘Buy A Night’ – launched at the end of 2023 to encourage supporters to pay for families to stay in the flats – raised £66,000 last year.
‘I do often look back and think “did we really do all that?”,’ Mrs Priaulx said.
‘This award is as much for the charity’s members and everyone in the community who has contributed over the years as it is for me.
‘The response we still get blows me away, we’re getting even bigger and the plan is to keep on going.’
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