STAFF and children at a Poole nursery will be turning out in their pyjamas on Friday (December 2) to raise money in support of one of their peers, who had brain surgery at just two-years-old.

Trailway Tots in Broadstone is getting involved in PJ Day for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

Its after preschool assistant Hollie Pulford, from Oakdale in Poole stayed at Ronald McDonald House Southampton when her two-year-old daughter Paige was being treated for Chiari malformation, a condition causing the lower part of the brain to push down into the spinal canal.

Mum-of-two Hollie, 31, said: “At the beginning of September, we were given an appointment with a neurosurgeon at Southampton Children’s Hospital. My husband Will and I were told that due to the rapid onset of new symptoms, Paige urgently needed brain surgery. It was very scary.”

Hollie said: “When we arrived at the hospital on September 7, the day before Paige’s operation, a member of staff told us about the Ronald McDonald House, just moments’ away from the ward. We live an hour’s drive away from the hospital, so we’d initially looked into getting a hotel. Discovering there was free, homely accommodation on offer thanks to this charity, was just amazing.”

Paige’s post-surgery MRI scan showed the procedure had been a success, but she will continue to be monitored, especially when she reaches her teenage years.

The room at the Southampton House helped to ensure Hollie and Will could be as close to Paige as possible throughout her treatment and recovery.

Hollie approached her employer about taking part in PJ Day for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK , and they were ‘delighted’ to get behind it.

On Friday, December 2, fundraisers up and down the country will be helping the charity keep more families together by holding pyjama parties in nurseries, schools, colleges, and offices.

To find out more about PJ Day, visit: https://rmhc.org.uk/event/pj-day/