Fundraising
News
Summer 2020
Helping our Hospital Heroes The Royal United Hospitals Bath charity magazine
Welcome I’m sure that you will agree the past few months have been challenging for us all – and yet out of all the hardship and heartbreak they’ve been remarkable too. We’ve seen people come together across the country to support the NHS and locally support our hospital like never before – it’s been amazing and I can’t tell you how much it has meant to our hospital heroes and the volunteers working at the RUH. In this issue we share with you a round-up of what’s been happening since the lockdown, with a special mention of Captain Sir Tom Moore who captured our hearts (page 4), and how the support from our local communities has helped our staff (pages 6 and 7). We’ve also included a round-up of the huge support received from our local business community. From supermarkets and retail stores to local restaurants, deliveries have flooded in. We’ve received donations of food, toiletries, personal protection
equipment (PPE) and other essential supplies. As a thank you we have listed all the companies who have supported us (page 18) during this difficult time. To help keep our nurses and doctors’ spirits up during this challenging time, we continue to share with them all the lovely drawings and thank you letters received from the public. So please keep sending them in as they mean a lot. On behalf of my team, it’s safe to say that we’ve never been prouder to support staff, our colleagues at the Royal United Hospitals Bath who are working on the frontline in response to COVID-19. Thanks to your continued support we will continue to provide funding they need to continue to deliver high-quality care to our patients. Thank you for your support, stay safe – I’m sending all my very best wishes.
We’re always keen to hear your feedback about Fundraising News, or any aspect of our work. Please email: forever.friends@nhs.net
The Forever Friends Appeal is registered with
The Forever Friends Appeal, Royal United Hospitals Bath, Combe Park, Bath, BA1 3NG. Royal United Hospital Charitable Fund. Registered Charity No. 1058323
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Cover: Critical Care Team on The Pierce Intensive Care Unit. This magazine is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and has a high environmental profile with FSC® recycled, EU Ecolabel certification and a CO2 neutral option.
Urgent Appeal
Thank you for supporting our Hospital Heroes Appeal
In response to the coronavirus pandemic and to support our staff who have been going the extra mile, every day, to provide the best care possible under extreme pressure, we launched the Hospital Heroes Appeal. Within these few months an incredible £210,000 has been raised, making emergency funding available to help our amazing NHS staff through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. We have been overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity – thank you for choosing to support our staff. Rhyannon Boyd, Head of Fundraising, said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us, whether you’ve made a donation or donated gifts in kind, thank you, it really means a lot. Thanks to the funding received, we were able to provide staff care packages to ensure our colleagues had food (with some goodies as well) to help them
during their long shifts. For our colleagues in Critical Care we purchased special reclining chairs and inflatable mattresses for the doctors’ mess so they can have a rest in between shifts if they need to. We’ve also delivered thousands of reusable water bottles to help our staff stay hydrated when they are wearing personal protection equipment (PPE), which is really important for their wellbeing. Everyone’s effort has already made a big difference and, with your help, we can continue to provide rapid funding which will pay for immediate initiatives to help staff and patients through this crisis, as well as projects that will give longer term practical and psychological support.
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What I have learnt in this short and rather unusual time is that we are in a community that really cherishes and values its hospital and staff.
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A national hero
How Captain Sir Tom Moore has help Thanks to Captain Sir Tom Moore, millions has been raised for NHS charities. He’s a true inspiration and hero to us all and the amount he’s raised will be shared between 230 NHS charities, including The Forever Friends Appeal. We will use these funds to enhance the wellbeing of our staff during and after the coronavirus pandemic as well as to support our patients and their families. How we are using donations:
10 COMPUTER TABLETS donated by the Somerset Freemasons have been given to our Intensive Care Unit to help patients stay in touch with their loved ones using video messaging.
50 BRAND NEW BIKES donated by BW Cycling have been given to frontline staff to help them get to work.
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6,000 EASTER were delivered during the Eas holiday weeke
A national hero
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Ed’s mountainous challenge Inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore, our ambassador Ed Jackson set out to raise £2,000 for our Hospital Heroes Appeal and two other charities by climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest – on his parents’ staircase.
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Thanks to the generosity of the public and a donation from Berghaus, Ed raised more than £52,000 (including Gift Aid). Ed said: “The incredible people of the NHS saved my life and got me back on my feet three years ago and now they’re making that difference for many more.”
MEMORY BOXES have been developed for every ward to support patients nearing end of life and their families – see page 16 for full story.
Ed’s accident left him with a broken neck and he was told that he may not walk again. After a gruelling recovery and rehabilitation at three hospitals including the RUH, he made an amazing recovery. His Everest challenge involved taking more than 89,000 steps up and down the staircase and shared his highs and the lows on Instagram including interviews with sporting celebrities and the inevitable climbing injuries. He said: “It was certainly a lot tougher than I expected but the incredible support pulled me through. Thank you again to all that messaged and donated.” Fundraising News 2020 I 5
Help for our Hospital Heroes Since we launched the Help Your Hospital Heroes appeal, the response from both the local community and nationally has been truly staggering. Here are just a few examples of how you have made a difference to staff at the RUH.
BW Cycling, Creo Medical and Tour du Velo joined forces to donate 50
brand new bicycles for RUH staff who needed them to get to work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Nurse Ashleigh Taylor (pictured) said: “I am cycling to work and this bike has
been life changing – as I live in Bristol it has taken slightly longer to build up the fitness, but on the weekends I’ve been out and about!” rk
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Nurse Ashleigh Tay lor with his new bike
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Our junior doctors receiving their Easter eggs
Delicious ‘Hero’ biscuits from the Sugarcane Stu
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Help for our Hospital Heroes Food glorious food!
A number of restaurants provided takeaways for staff, including The Mint Rooms, Nando’s, Spice Dunes, Rosarios, Indian Temptation, Yak Yeti Yak, Take A Bao, the Green Bird Café and Eveleighs.
We received lots of lovely sweet treats and other snacks from Em Rose
Cakes, the Good Day Café, the Sugarcane Studio, the Thoughtful Café, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Graze, the Squirrel Sisters and many more.
RUH staff enjoyed an Easter eggstravaganza, with over 6,000 Easter eggs being delivered to the hospital, thanks to the Bath Comedy Festival, gemsatwork, Lucknam Park, Prestat and Maison Georges Larnicol.
Hand creams and other toiletries were donated for our care packages from Wild and Wolf, Soho House, Tiny Leaf Organics and Jennifer Essen, to name but a few.
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RUH Cancer Care Campaign
Update on the Dyson Cancer Centre Back in April our hospital Trust was granted full planning permission for construction of the new Dyson Cancer Centre – which is fantastic news. The new Centre will be located next to the main entrance of the RUH and will help transform the care we provide for patients, families and carers. It’s scheduled to open for patients in 2023 and will bring the majority of the RUH’s cancer services, including research teams, under one roof. Progress is being made on site, with hoardings (temporary wooden panels) now erected around the former Physiotherapy block and Pain Clinic. These have been installed to keep the public safe while demolition of the old therapies physiotherapy block, former Pain Clinic and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery starts in late July.
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Caroline Gilleece, RUH Matron and Cancer Lead Nurse, said: “We are really excited by what the future holds. This will be more than just a building, it will provide a nurturing and therapeutic environment centred on patient care and experience, which will also provide a fantastic place to work, so we can retain our dedicated staff and attract the very best to join us.” Close to £10m has been raised by our dedicated supporters since the launch of our RUH Cancer Care Campaign. To find out more about the Dyson Cancer Centre and to donate to this fundraising campaign, please visit our website.
Special Appeal
Speech and Language Therapy Appeal
A week before lockdown, before any of us knew what was about to happen, we launched a new appeal to help patients who have swallowing difficulties. We aim to raise £50,000 to purchase a portable machine that will enable our speech and language therapists to provide an alternative bedside assessment. The impact of having this machine will see reduced waiting times for patients who currently have no option but to wait to attend the X-ray clinic. Catherine Cawley, Clinical Specialist and Speech and Language Therapist, said: “Being able to eat and drink without a second thought is something most of us take for granted. But sadly many people have problems swallowing as a result of conditions such as having a stroke, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. It is a serious issue as it can cause coughing and choking when you eat and drink, which can lead to chest infections, increased hospital admission and lengthier stays in hospital.
We want to help give patients who have swallowing difficulties the highest standard of care at the RUH. But COVID-19 continues to have a real and tangible impact on our fundraising mission, so when you can, please consider continuing your financial support of our important work. The best way to do so while many of our events and other activities are on hold is through an online gift or by using our donation form on the back of this newsletter. Thank you.
“Having this machine will be a game changer – we will be able to give patients a quicker diagnosis, recommend treatment and reduce the possibility of further medical complications.” Fundraising News 2020 I 9
Events Calendar
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An update on our events Due to COVID-19, we have sadly had postpone or cancel a number of our fundraising events for 2020. With social distancing remaining a fact of daily life, we’ve made the difficult to decision to cancel our Movie by Moonlight (scheduled for August) and the Walk of Life canal walk (rescheduled for September) this year. We are working hard to bring them back, better than ever for 2021. We know that many of you are finding your own socially distanced ways to support the hospital during these extraordinary times, and for that, we are so grateful. Right now, we really
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do need your support so that together, we can continue to make a difference for patients, families and staff at the RUH, during and beyond the crisis. With the cancellation of some of our biggest events, our income is falling, right at a time when we need our amazing NHS more than ever before. Please note: Your health, and that of RUH patients and the wider community, is our absolute priority. We will continue to monitor advice from the UK Government and Public Health England and are prepared to make further changes to any of our remaining events if needed.
To sign up to any of our events, please visit our website.
My Walk of Life Marathon – throughout September Whilst you’re doing things on your own, we want to make sure you’re not alone in making a difference, so we’ve launched this new virtual event! Challenge yourself to walk a marathon over the month of September and make every step count for patients, families and our Hospital Heroes.
your doorstep, start a ‘work from home’ walking commute, turn your garden into the expedition or climb Mount Case (your stairs!) make your challenge work for you. It’s free to sign up and is open to all ages. Plus, if you raise £100 and complete 26.2 miles by 30th September you’ll receive a medal!
This is your walk, your way. Whether you discover the great outdoors from
Newfoundland Dog Dive – Saturday 19 September Experience an open water rescue performed by a four-legged hero… a Newfoundland Dog!
Skydive Day – Sunday 11 October One brave act of kindness, one giant leap for the RUH.
DIY Fundraising We know that right now everyone is spending a lot more time at home. So why not use some of this time to fundraise to show your support for our hospital heroes? You could host a virtual quiz, coffee morning, head shave (like Leo, pictured) or even ask for donations instead of birthday presents. Please don’t forget to let us know what you are planning to do so we can help you get the most out of your event. Email us at: ruh-tr.fundraising@nhs.net
India Trek – May 2021 This is our postponed overseas trek and we are now taking further bookings, so that you too can join our group hiking the foothills of the Himalaya’s.
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Community messages of support
RUH staff ‘overwhelm The people of Bath, and towns and villages across north East Somerset and Wiltshire have demonstrated how close they hold the NHS and the RUH to their hearts during the coronavirus crisis. Many people up and down the country took part in the Clap for Carers campaign, applauding NHS workers. Messages have been displayed in windows, painted on pebbles, chalked on pavements and posted via social media. The RUH and The Forever Friends Appeal have
received thousands of messages of support that we have been able to share with staff by including them in the care packages that we have been supplying to wards and departments. A number of our celebrity ambassadors have sent videos of encouragement,
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fearless exposure of yourselves in order to try to save so many of us.” RUH staff have really appreciated gestures of gratitude. Holly Woodland, Sister on Parry Ward, said: “They brighten up our day and it means a lot to know the community is behind us all the way. The thoughtfulness of the general public has been overwhelming and we are grateful for the support and appreciation.”
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Your fundraising stories
Community heroes
The community spirit has been incredible during this coronavirus outbreak and we’re so grateful to everyone for showing their support and working together in this time of need. We have loved hearing your stories and sharing your updates, in particular with our hospital colleagues who have continued to care with bravery and empathy in the face of the unknown. These stories are just some of a few from our amazing supporters .You can find more on our Facebook page and Instagram – please share and like them while we work together to keep our community healthy during this unprecedented time. We would like to thank George Harding, who at age 84 climbed up and down his 60ft tree for two weeks to raise money for our Hospital Heroes Appeal and Macmillan Cancer Support. Sharon Lambert organised a sponsored head shave with her friends and mum to raise money for our RUH Cancer Care Campaign. Together they raised an incredible £900 for our appeal and two other charities to raise awareness of ovarian and endometrial cancer. 14 I Fundraising News 2020
We would also like to say a huge thank you to the magnificent Timsbury Theatre Group who have chosen to support us for another year and for their recent donation of £600.
Thank you India for coming up with a fun idea to decorate eggs with NHS signs, ‘smile and be happy’ messages and doctor and nurses faces. She sold them to her family at home for our hospital heroes appeal to do something to help everyone at RUH Bath, where she was born 10 years’ ago.
Community
Loraine compiles Rainbow Recipe Book in support of RUH Former Mayor of Bath and one of our longterm supporters Loraine MorganBrinkhurst MBE has come up with a brilliant idea to raise money for our Help Your Hospital Heroes Appeal. She has called on her connections to collate a selection of wonderful recipes to create a very special recipe book.
iPads to bring loved ones together digitally Dyson have donated 50 iPads for all wards and departments in the RUH. They are enabling patients and their loved ones to make video calls and connect virtually at a time when visiting is restricted*. The iPads are aiding communication between staff and patients when unable to speak as well as providing a source of entertainment for patients, offering a virtual break from the clinical environment. For patients living with dementia who are in hospital for other treatment, the iPads are welcomed distraction, helping
Contributors include Olympic gold medal winner Amy Williams MBE, the BBC’s Ali Vowles, actor Simon Shepherd and TV chef Martin Blunos. Profits from sales of the Rainbow Recipe Book will go to the appeal. You can purchase the recipe book for £10, including postage, via Paypal by entering Loraine’s email address loraine@ morganbrinkhurstconsultancy.co.uk and sending details with your payment of where to send the book. Alternatively, if you don’t use Paypal you can send Loraine an email message and she can provide you with the bank details. to reduce the patients’ anxiety in an unfamiliar environment. The donation is part of Dyson’s wider initiative to support local health services across Bath, Bristol and Swindon at this difficult time. The idea stemmed from an existing project led by the James Dyson Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, which refurbishes and donates used IT equipment to local schools.
*Visiting restrictions were in place at time of this newsletter going to press, please visit www.ruh.nhs.uk for latest information.
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Legacies
Special memory boxes created for patients
Creating special memories and keepsakes for patients nearing end of life and their families has been made possible thanks to donations made by the public to our Hospital Heroes Appeal.
Lead Nurse Palliate Care and End of Life Care Helen Meehan
Memory boxes have been made up and delivered to every ward, including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department. Helen Meehan, (pictured) Lead Nurse Palliative Care and End of Life Care said: “The coronavirus pandemic does present new challenges, but caring with compassion, kindness and respect are absolutely central to all that we do. “Every patient matters and every family matters here at RUH Bath and we are so pleased to have the memory 16 I Fundraising News 2020
boxes. They will enable our staff to support patients nearing end of life and their families and we hope that the keepsakes and memories created will bring compassion, some connection and comfort.” The boxes include inkless paper and wipes to create memory handprints, a notebook, a cotton or voile purse to keep a lock of hair, a pair of keepsake hearts – one for the patient and one for the family – and an A6 card with envelope to write a message.
Legacies
We’ve launched a free online Will service
We are very pleased to offer a free online Will-writing service to help our local community make or update their Wills from the comfort of their own homes. We have partnered with Beyond, one of the UK’s top online Will-writing providers to offer this service. The cost for a single will is usually £90, but for a limited period it is being offered free of charge.
Gifts left in Wills to the RUH are used to benefit many areas across the hospital including funding pioneering research, funding additional medical equipment, building projects and the refurbishment of wards and facilities.
Jan Witt, Legacy and In Memory Manager said: “We fully understand that during these uncertain times, many people are thinking about their current situation and wish to put their affairs in order, giving them peace of mind.
Beyond’s online Will service provides easy step-by-step instructions which means the process to make a legally binding simple Will should only take about 15 minutes. Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible and joint Wills for married couples are also included in the offer. Every Will is checked by one of Beyond’s in-house legal experts.
“There is no obligation to leave a gift in your Will to support our charity. However, we hope you’ll be inspired to kindly leave a ‘gift of care’ in your Will, no matter the size, to help the RUH continue to provide high quality care to its patients and their families in the future.”
To take up the offer and for more details please visit our website.
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Gifts in kind
Our Corporate Heroes
There’s no doubt that our business community has stepped up to support the RUH since lockdown. We would like to thank all companies* for collectively donating approximately £125,000 worth of gifts in kind to support our hospital heroes.
Locally-based companies: • Asda Trowbridge • Aquae Sulis Dental • Bailbrook House Hotel • Bath Dental Excellence • Bath Comedy Festival • Bath Soft Cheese Company • Booker Cash and Carry • British Corner Shop • BW Cycling • Cereal Partners • Circus Dental • Coconut Collab • Co-op Wellsway • Curious Universe • Em Rose Cakes • Eveleigh’s Cafe • Francis Hotel • Freemasons • Good Day Café • Green Bird Café/Bertinet Bakery • Have Faith Tattoo • Hilliers Garden Centre • Homewood Park Hotel • House of Flavours • Indian Temptation • JSBS • Lick the Spoon • Louis Boston • Lucknam Park • Lyndhurst Dental Practice • Maison Georges Larnicol • Marks & Spencers in Bath • Mehmet Kebab House
• Pom Boutique • Portals Paper • Prior Park • Pullins Bakery • Red Rocko • Rosarios • Roundhill Roastery • Serenity Wellness & Beauty • Seven Hills Chocolate • Spice Dunes • Sugarcane Studios • SuperFoods • Sujay’s Jerk Kitchen • Take a Bao • Taste of Bath • Thatchers • The Hive Yoga Studio • The Mint Room • The Work Perk • Thoughtful Bakery • Tiny Leaf Organics • Waitrose Bath • Wessex Water • Whatley Manor • Wild and Wolf • Yak Yeti Yak
National companies: • Amazon • BSH Home Appliances • Cath Kidston London • Clarin’s Cosmetics • Dyson • Gems at work • Graze • Holland & Barrett
*This list was correct at time of going to press on 19 June 2020.
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• Krispy Krème • MADE.com • McCurrach • Morrisons Bath • Nandos • Nestle • Pizzahut • Poundland • Prestat Chocolate • Sainsburys • Squirrel Sisters • Soho House • Southern Coop • Travelodge
Companies who have made a financial donation to our Hospital Heroes Appeal: • Bath Roofing Supplies and Building Plastics • Box Steam Brewery • Bristol Water • Cereal Partners • Good Day Café • Hallsall • JSBS Group • Katie Mullally • Kids of Bath • Lovehoney • ORX Association • Portals Paper • Sing and Sign Bath • Suzanne Elizabeth Hairdressing • Touchstone
Corporate Challenge
ow r G t i e k a M The Corporate Challenge The Make it Grow corporate challenge is back! After the success of its launch in 2019 which saw 17 companies raise over £15,000 for the RUH, we’re inviting your company to take part in the 2020-21 challenge. The challenge runs from 1 October 2020 – 31 January 2021 and once you’ve signed up we’ll give your company a £20 start-up fund and challenge you to raise more than any other business taking part. How you grow your fund is up to you (within reason!) and we’ll provide you with plenty of fundraising support, including lots of virtual ideas to keep everyone safe and have fun. To take part and for more information, visit www. foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk or email patsy.gould@nhs.net Andrews Esta te Agents (Midsomer N or ton branch ) cake
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Please return form to: The Forever Friends Appeal,
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Please return form to: The ForeverCombe Friends Appeal, Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG Royal United Hospital, Park, Bath BA1 3NG