Basildon’s mayor teamed up with Tesco to donate gifts to the children receiving treatment at Basildon Hospital.

David Harrison has picked the Polly Parrot Appeal as one of his chosen charities for the year.

To help the appeal over Christmas, he asked Tesco on the Mayflower retail estate to provide some gifts.

He handed them over to the hospital play team and let Adetolani Osindero, nine, try on his mayoral chains.

He said: “The presents were kindly given to me by Tesco, and I decided to donate them to the hospital because I think the children who are sick at Christmas deserve to be extra spoilt.”

The Polly Parrot Appeal is raising funds for the children’s wards at Basildon Hospital including the neonatal intensive care unit and children’s oncology.

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Charitable Trust has raised more than £284,674 over the past few years, towards a fundraising target of £250,000. We are increasing our target to cover the on going maintenance of Polly’s Pad on site parents accommodation , and to fund more projects within our hospitals where children attend as patients or visitors.

Money raised from the appeal will be spent on decoration, distraction equipment, sensory equipment, toys, child-friendly furniture, TVs and electronic gadgets.