Bristol children's hospital aims to raise £3.5m

The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children was rebuilt in 2001, helped by £12m from the Grand Appeal

A £3.5m fundraising campaign has been launched at Bristol's children's hospital as it expands its services.

Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal is raising money for facilities including burns and neurosurgery which will be transferred from Frenchay Hospital.

The NHS will provide £30m for the core costs of the move, creating one of only a few leading multi-discplinary children's hospitals in the UK.

Since it was set up in 1995, the Grand Appeal has raised over £18m.

'Groundbreaking' equipment

Sarah Vipond, fundraising manager at the Grand Appeal, said: "In the next couple of years the services of burns, neurosciences, neurosurgey and major trauma are coming over...to the children's hospital.

"All of children's services are going to be centralised. We're supporting that transfer and expansion by fundraising for a really groundbreaking bit of kit."

The money raised will go towards an integrated children's cancer unit and an intra-operative paediatric MRI scanner - the first of its kind in the South of England.

The children's unit will also provide "interactive and child-friendly artwork".

Since it was established in 1995, Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal has raised over £18m

Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal was formed 17 years ago after a public charity appeal to build a new children's hospital enlisted the help of Bristol-based animation studio, Aardman Animations.

It is the only charity raising funds for the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and St Michael's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Special Care Baby Unit) at St Michael's Hospital.

The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children was rebuilt in 2001, helped by £12m from the Grand Appeal - it is one of the charity's biggest achievements to date.