Striking the right note for babies in need: Topless Bangor Rugby Club singers brave the elements in Belfast Cornmarket charity drive for Ulster Hospital's neo-natal care unit
Rugby players have been striking the right note for neo-natal care, braving the elements by carol singing in the heart of Belfast – topless.
Burly blokes from Bangor Rugby Club have been hitting Cornmarket over the past few weekends to fundraise for a unit at the Ulster Hospital that looks after newborns.
And the cause is very close to their hearts, as one club member, Jamie Clegg, spent agonising weeks trekking back and forth to the unit this year after his twin boys were born at just 28 weeks.
Thomas and Finn spent close to two months in the neo-natal unit. While they’re now happily home and waiting for their first Christmas with Jamie and wife Susie, the couple say the help they received this year was invaluable and resulted in them forming a deep connection with hospital staff.
“While the boys being born prematurely was a traumatic time in our lives, the neo-natal staff made our family feel so comfortable and reassured,” said Susie.
“Everything was just so calm in the unit and the boys were treated as if they were just part of the family, including their little sister Aoife who is two.
"I felt so reassured, as the staff would make the situation as normal as possible by telling me, “you should have seen what those Thomas and Finn ones were up to last night” – it just felt very normal for us to hear those stories and we really appreciated it.
"Aoife would draw pictures for her new baby brothers and the nurses would put them up on the wall where the incubator would sit, every element of what they did made us feel part of the team.”
Paying tribute to the care and compassion of neo-natal staff in the Ulster, Susie credited them for building up her confidence.
“Seeing Thomas and Finn in the incubator, the nurses encouraged me to lift them, to feed them,” she said. “They kept saying to me, “they are your babies, they are just smaller. You are their mummy and they can hear your voice”.
“The neo-natal staff became an extension of our family, we are so grateful to them and feel incredibly lucky to have our boys thriving at home.”
The topless rugby singers have become a festive favourite in Northern Ireland’s capital city, with their charity appeal an annual event since they started shedding their shirts in 2012.
Jamie and his teammates spent four weekends belting out carols in Cornmarket, even braving the aftermath of Storm Darragh to entertain Christmas shoppers as part of their fundraising drive.
He said: “There is no way to thank everybody at the neo-natal unit for what they have done for our family, we will never forget how amazing they have been.
"This is our first Christmas together with the boys and it will be lovely to introduce them to family and friends who have yet to meet them.
"We will never forget the professionalism, kindness and compassion of the neo-natal team during the boys’ seven weeks with them. This is our small way of saying thank you, and hopefully helping to support other families and the staff within the neonatal unit.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the club for supporting us by choosing these organisations for our club fundraising efforts this year.”