Five-year-old Preston Grasshoppers rugby player helps mums write ambulance book

Theodore Naylor-Thomas who was born prematurely at Royal Preston Hospital has helped raise funds for NICU via Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s mums and babies charity Baby Beat by helping his mums Ruth and Charley, who work for North West Ambulance Service, with a book entitled ‘Hello Ambulance. The book encourages children aged three to seven on how to make an emergency call.

Paramedic Ruth told the Post: “During lockdown, we wrote a book called ‘Hello Ambulance’. Theodore liked me to tell him bedtime stories about my day. He liked them to start in a very specific way – ‘beep, beep goes the radio, nee-naw goes the siren’ - and then to tell him a softened version of the work I had done to help people.

“We realised that through these stories, Theodore would know how and when to call an ambulance and wouldn’t be frightened of making such a call so ‘Hello Ambulance’ is to encourage children aged three to seven to make an emergency call in an emergency situation.”

Theodore, who plays rugby for Preston Grasshoppers, arrived prematurely to weigh in at just 3lbs 7oz when born meaning he has to be cared for on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Preston Hospital where the family developed a close bond with Senior Sister Katie Noble, now known as auntie Katie. As a thank you to Auntie Katie and the NICU team, every year for the last three years, Theodore has combined two of his favourite things – cake and Christmas to help raise funds for NICU via Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s mums and babies charity Baby Beat.

Ruth added: “Katie and the NICU team were amazing and soon felt like family. We will be forever grateful to them for their support. Theodore is now a strapping lad. We are immensely proud of him.”

Ruth and Charley are selling the book via the website www.helloambulance.co.uk with proceeds from sales going towards the production and printing of their second book aimed at teaching older children CPR.