Forever Friends Appeal stalwart leaves on a high

A popular fundraiser who has persuaded dozens of firms to opentheir cheque books for a hospital charity appeal has retired on ahigh.

Forever Friends Appeal corporate officer Nina Rack has justhelped the charity hit a target of Pounds 3.1 million to contributeto the cost of a new neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at theRoyal United Hospital.

Mrs Rack, who was responsible for getting donations out ofbusinesses, decided the time was right to retire after the appeal'sSpace to Grow campaign came to an end.

She celebrated her last day with a party, which was attended byrepresentatives of the many of the businesses she had dealt withduring her eight years with the charity.

Forever Friends is now moving on to raise money for new cancerequipment.

She said: "I thought the time was right to leave now, at theclose of the NICU campaign.

"If I stayed for the start of another campaign I would have gottoo involved and would never leave.

"I have enjoyed my time with the appeal and will miss everyone Iwork with.

"I have met many new people through my role as corporate officerand a lot have become close friends."

During her time with the appeal she helped set up the BrownswordChallenge, where former Bath Rugby owner Andrew Brownsword promisedto match money raised by the public.

She also liaised with inventor Sir James Dyson and his wife LadyDeirdre, who donated Pounds 500,000 towards the unit, which will benamed the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care.

She has met a number of celebrities through her work, includingCasualty actor Tristan Gemmill, who has become a friend, andmusician Jamie Cullum, whose father John is appeal chair man.

She said one encounter with the singer stood out.

"I remember when Jamie Cullum put on a performance to support theappeal.

"We had a medium-sized Forever Friends bear which sat on thepiano, and I had to sew its legs together to try and stop it fromfalling off."

She added: "I am so pleased we have now raised the full amount ofmoney.

This new unit will benefit so many vulnerable babies in the area.I am so proud to have been a part of it."

Appeal head Tim Hobbs said: "Nina will be greatly missed by allof us. She worked really hard to get donations out of businesses,which in this current climate was not easy.

"Businesses have to like the person they deal with before theyagree to support a charity. Nina has a wonderful personality -people buy Nina Rack."

Mrs Rack is looking forward to spending more time with hergrandsons, four-year-old Ethan, and Owen, who is 10 months.

She will still be a familiar face around the hospital, as sheheads up its Look Good, Feel Better project.

This allows women who have cancer to be pampered once a month byhairdressers and beauticians.

She has previously had cancer and knows how important it is tolook good to boost confidence.

She said: "This will allow women who are going through a toughtime to have some time to look after themselves.

"They will feel good when they look good, and will be able totalk to people who are going through the same thing as them."