Our Hospitals Charity Newsletter - Summer 2022

Making the

DIFFERENCE Cardiovascular nurses taking on the Burpee Challenge for the James Cook Cardio Appeal

BURPEES CHALLENGE GETS HEARTS ACROSS TEESSIDE PUMPING! Social media campaign for new academic heart centre is going viral!

Also in this issue:

Why Teesside needs to be at the heart of new research into cardiovascular disease.

Our charity fundraisers are a knockout! All the fun from our latest charity events.

We help our local NHS go further at The James Cook University Hospital, The Friarage Newsletter Summer 2022 Hospital and community health services across Teesside and North Yorkshire

Summer 2022 1 ourhospitalscharity.org

HELLO, FROM OUR HEAD OF CHARITY BEN MURPHY

WELCOME V TO OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER Hello and welcome to the summer issue of Our Hospitals Charity newsletter.

Ben and Lisa Meehan, fundraising manager, at a U3A event in Northallerton

We hope you’ve been enjoying the sunshine. Our special thanks must go to those who’ve been doing the burpee challenge in the heat for our James Cook Cardio Appeal!

You’ll find out more about that and how you can get involved on page 4. We’re looking forward to seeing more people doing the challenge across all of Teesside’s favourite social media platforms.

Our newsletter is a regular celebration of everything you’ve been doing over the previous three months to raise funds for Our Hospitals Charity – as well as a way for us to show you just some of the people and places your donations support.

We’re so grateful for all your generous donations, especially during these expensive times in which we are all living.

What makes Our Hospitals Charity so special and unique is that you can choose where you want the money to go to improve the facilities we offer patients, their families and our staff across Redcar Primary Care Hospital, The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, The Friarage in Northallerton, The Friary in Richmond, East Cleveland Hospital and all of our community services.

You can find out more on the benefits of choosing a specific place for your money to go or leaving it for us to decide how to allocate the funds on page 6.

In this issue, we share some ongoing work taking place in Brotton, thanks to a very special donation from one particular family in memory of a very special lady.

We also show you how we transformed an area that once resembled a clinical doctor’s waiting room into a homely environment for our spinal injuries patients and their families, providing them with a calming and comfortable environment. Patients say they absolutely love it, which is exactly what we want to hear!

Our charity night for the James Cook Cardio Appeal was a huge success and dozens of people also took part in our We’re a Knockout competition – if you attended we’re a knockout, see if you can spot yourself in our picture gallery.

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We’re looking forward to more events to come in summer and autumn, including our golf day and the Great North Run, so make sure you check out our next edition for more news on how these events have gone.

Hope you enjoy catching up with us – preferably with a glass of something cold in your hand!

See you in the next issue!

Warm Regards Ben Murphy Head of Our Hospitals Charity @OurHospitalsCharity @OurHospCharity @ourhospcharity

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OUR UPDATES

MEET

Leanne and guest at the palace!

LEANNE HAS A PARTY AT THE PALACE! Leanne Petch from the Specialist Palliative Care Team was Our Hospitals Charity’s lucky winner who received a pair of tickets to the ‘Platinum Party at the Palace’ - part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Leanne, who admits she “loves the royals” was delighted that she got to see them all and described the concert as “wonderful”.

Leanne saw everything from the infamous Paddington and the Queen’s marmalade sandwich sketch to the Marine Drummers with the Queen and all the Royal speeches.

She said: “I thought I could not have asked for more until we managed to get to a barrier on The Mall to watch the Platinum Pageant on Sunday.

“We saw the gold coronation coach and then to top it all off, we were on The Mall for the Queen’s appearance on the balcony.

“It was all very special and I’m grateful for the memories I now have”.

You can see more of our staff and supporters enjoying the Queen’s Jubilee on pages 22 to 23.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT LIZZY MCCORMICK Lizzy works in Trinity Holistic Centre, providing complementary therapies for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

This is something the centre provides free of charge for those patients who can benefit from them, which is why the centre relies on donations made to it through Our Hospitals Charity.

The treatments she offers at both the James Cook and Friarage sites include reiki, refloxology and aromatherapy - and she has been delivering these services for more than 27 years.

Thanks for all your hard work Lizzy!

Newsletter Summer 2022

Our KATHRYN KATHRYN ALMOND, HEAD OF COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY AT TRINITY HOLISTIC CENTRE What do you love about your job?

The people … every patient has their own story and I love learning about all the things they have done, their thoughts and opinions. It’s a real privilege that people are willing to share so much of themselves with us.

I also love our team, they are the most fabulous bunch of beings, genuinely caring about each other and supporting our service … it would be nothing without them!

What has been your most memorable moment while working at Our Hospitals Charity?

There are so many, I’ve been here nearly 20 years! My proudest are getting the auricular acupuncture service published in a surgical journal and also winning our awards … I guess I am proud because I feel our service has some recognition for the hard work we do!

What’s your favourite type of fundraising event and why?

My favourite events are those that involve cake! I always feel guilty for those who run marathons and do big sporting gestures as I can’t imagine anything worse! I am in awe of people who are determined and focused to spend hours training to overcome challenges.

What’s your top tip for people who are thinking about holding a fundraising event?

Do something you enjoy, it doesn’t have to be an enormous dangerous challenge, ultimately, your friends and family will support anything you do and that is what fundraising really means … it’s just a reflection of support and love for the person doing it and the cause they have chosen.

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GET YOUR HEART

PUMPING

FOR NEW ACADEMIC HEART UNIT! RUNNING TOTAL FOR THE CAMPAIGN ACCORDING TO THE CHARITY’S JUST GIVING PAGE WAS MORE THAN

£136,000

AT TIME OF WRITING! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR!

Cardiac nurses doing burpees for heart centre fundraiser

Social media campaign aims to raise thousands for lifesaving cardiovascular research.

Hearts across Teesside are pumping, as hundreds of supporters take on the burpees social media challenge to raise funds for the James Cook Cardio Appeal for a new Academic Cardiovascular Unit (ACU) at James Cook Hospital.

As reported in the last newsletter, Our Hospitals Charity has joined forces with South Cleveland Heart Fund to raise £650,000 for the new cardiothoracic research facility at the Middlesbrough hospital, through a campaign called Hearts and Minds.

The hospital’s cardiovascular research nurses were amongst the first to take up the challenge, which encourages people to do 10 burpees and film their efforts for social media, with each participant donating £10 by texting HEARTAPPEAL to 70085. Texts cost £10 which goes to the appeal plus your standard network rate.

Using social media, people are then invited to tag 10 friends to do the challenge themselves – significantly increasing the money that could be raised for the new academic centre through social media.

Professor Enoch Akowuah, consultant cardiac surgeon at South Tees Hospitals

And he added that although hundreds of very generous people have already taken up the challenge, we need more to join in!

“Businesses across the region have already started competing against each other to see if they can meet our challenge and raise as much cash as possible for our appeal,” Ben said.

“All money raised will go to the James Cook Cardio Appeal, which aims to raise £650,000 to create a new unit at the hospital focusing on research that will prevent heart attacks and help countless people in our region.

“We want people to film or post a photo of themselves doing the challenge using the hashtag #NHSBurpeeChallenge, tag 10 friends, then make a £10 donation.

“We will share the best entries across our Facebook and Twitter channels, so whether you’re a business, gym, sports club, school, or someone who enjoys a bit of healthy competition, get involved and donate to this fantastic cause.”

Ben Murphy, head of Our Hospitals Charity, said the challenge is perfect for anyone who is looking to get fit at the same time as saving lives.

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Ben Murphy, Adrian Davies, Rebecca Maier, David Austin, Enoch Akowuah

Help us transform Teesside’s unenviable heart health record In 2021 to 2022, James Cook Hospital treated almost 1,500 people who had suffered from a heart attack – and our region also has the unenviable record of having 90,000 patients with heart disease, all of whom could benefit from the latest clinical research into their conditions.

Professor Enoch Akowuah, a consultant cardiac surgeon at South Tees Hospitals explains: “On Teesside, we have got more people with heart disease than virtually anywhere else in the UK – but at the same time, we do the least amount of research into heart conditions in the UK. “A lot of research is done in Oxford and London and places like that but very little research into heart disease is done here.

“The one thing we do know is when you do research, it means that the quality of the care that you can give to your patients is improved and it also allows us to do quite a lot of care that we wouldn’t do outside a research setting, so we can do things that we don’t normally do.”

The professor adds it “always seems a bit strange” to have this prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the local area and not much research going on, but he adds:

x Newsletter Summer 2022

“The aim of the ACU is to bring those two things together to allow the research to happen where the disease is happening.

“That’s what we are really excited about and that’s the main mission of the ACU.” Dr David Austin, consultant cardiologist at South Tees Hospitals, said the cardiology and cardiothoracic surgical units at James Cook Hospital have been at the heart of Teesside for the past 25 years.

“It was a huge step forward when these units were opened in terms of patient care in the region and over the years, we have slowly built up our research capability,” he said.

“Now, we are really taking the next step in the evolution of our department.

“The cardiovascular research facility will really bring the research team right back home, within the cardiovascular footprint within the hospital.”

Rebecca Maier, head of the academic cardiovascular unit, added: “What we are doing is relatively new and bringing all that infrastructure together under one roof is going to allow us to design and develop more research and access patients more easily, hopefully to the benefit of patients in the Teesside area.”

For more information about the campaign, visit southtees.nhs.uk/charity/campaigns/hearts-and-minds/ To make a donation, you can visit justgiving.com/campaign/HeartandmindsJCUH

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CHOOSE WHERE YOU WANT YOUR MONEY TO GO…OR LET US DECIDE! At Our Hospitals Charity, we’re really open to YOUR ideas about how we can make your NHS go further across Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Northallerton and Richmond.

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Neonatal nurse Leanne Nellis set out to raise funds for a cooling mat in memory of her daughter - and has now raised £57,700

Sometimes, when people are in hospital with their loved ones during what can be the most difficult time in their lives, a need is identified, such as the fundraiser who thought new bedside lighting would have improved his and his wife’s experience while the lady was receiving palliative care.

This is the type of enhancement that wouldn’t be funded by the NHS – so he raised the funds for it in memory of his wife.

Occasionally, certain medical equipment may be in short supply – the NHS can only fund a certain amount within each hospital and on occasion, demand can outstrip supply. This happened to Leanne Nellis, when there was only one cooling mat in the neonatal unit and there wasn’t another available for her baby daughter Maisie Hope, resulting in the Trust borrowing one from another hospital.

Sadly, despite a mat being borrowed and the best efforts of the team who cared for her, Maisie Hope passed away.

In their daughter’s memory, Maisie Hope’s family started fundraising for a new cooling mat - and have now raised a staggering £57,700+ for the neonatal unit, in memory of their beautiful daughter.

Even better, Leanne has become a neonatal nurse herself – determined to turn the devastating experience she

had into something positive - a role that enables her to support other families.

These examples show it really is up to you to decide where you want any money you raise to go.

Just contact our team by phone on 01642 854160 or 01609 764936 or email us at OurHospitalsCharity@nhs. net with your suggestions and we will support your ideas.

Alternatively, if you’d like to raise money for our hospitals and you don’t have a specific item you wish it to be used for or a special place you want it to go to, you can leave it to us to decide the best place for your donation to go.

If you do that, it ensures some of the areas that, for whatever reason are less popular with fundraisers, but are equally important to our patients, get a much-needed funding boost.

Recent examples of where we have been able to direct these funds include buying pyjamas and self-care products for elderly patients with no families who come into hospital with very few supplies.

So, if you’re thinking of fundraising, why not get in touch with us to discuss the options about where your money can help our NHS on Teesside go further?

We look forward to hearing from you!

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You can read more about the Nellis family’s story at https://www.southtees. nhs.uk/news/leanne-joins-neonatal-team-in-memory-of-daughter/

OH, WHAT A NIGHT! A great time was had by all at our charity night in the Dorman’s Club Linthorpe, in aid of the James Cook Cardio Appeal for our new academic cardiovascular unit.

We enjoyed some fantastic entertainment from George Williamson and Leandra Lane, as well as a raffle and tombola - thank you to everyone who donated prizes or came along to enjoy themselves!

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LEANNE’S CHARITY CHALLENGE IN MEMORY OF

BABY REGGIE

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Leanne Robinson, her friends and family pulled on their bright yellow T-shirts to raise funds in memory of Leanne’s baby son Reggie.

Reggie was sadly born sleeping in August 2021 after Leanne suffered complications when she was 37 weeks pregnant.

Less than a year later, Leanne and her friends decided to complete a challenge in his memory, while also raising funds for the central delivery suite at James Cook Hospital, which cared for the family so well.

Writing on her GoFundMe page, which at the time of writing had reached donations of more than £3,500, Leanne said: “Staff at James Cook NHS Hospital delivery suite went above and beyond to support our families through a very difficult time.

“As well as being cared for in their critical care room, we were given access to a suite called Billy’s Room, which is specifically for bereaved families to spend time together.”

In memory of Reggie and as a thanks to all the staff at James Cook delivery suite, Leanne and her family and friends took part in the Yorkshire three peaks challenge on Saturday 25th June - exactly 10 months on from Reggie’s birth and passing.

The money raised will go to the

Yorks Three Peaks Baby Reggie

delivery suite, as the Robinson family became aware they would like to develop their critical care room and also have plans for another bereavement suite.

Billingham bikers Teesriders MCC also kindly nominated this to receive funds from its annual fundraising throughout 2022.

The final total is expected to be presented in December 2022.

Yorkshire Three Peaks fundraisers

For more information or to make a donation to Leanne’s cause, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/yorkshire-3-peaks-in-memory-of-reggie

SEEING OUR CHILDREN’S FACES LIGHT UP IS AMAZING!

Newsletter Summer 2022

Much needed sensory equipment, toys, books, games and DVD players are just some of the items provided to our Children and Young People’s Emergency Department at James Cook Hospital – thanks to your donations.

Health play leader, Joanne Skelton said it is fantastic to have such a vast range of toys and activities, to meet all ages and needs.

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FAMILY ROOM MAKEOVER PROVES A REAL BOOST FOR SPINAL INJURIES PATIENTS “Clinical” feeling environment transformed thanks to your donations.

Red plastic chairs that had replaced a worn out sofa in a “clinical” feeling area once greeted families who wanted a comfortable space to spend quality time together at the James Cook spinal injuries unit.

However, the family room within the centre has now been transformed into a calm, tranquil and relaxing space.

With its pale green walls and artificial plants brightening up the space, as well as ambient lighting, comfortable chairs and sofas with pretty cushions, a book shelf and coffee making facilities, patients and their families now have a homely environment where they can spend precious time together.

Lyndsay Wilson, the spinal HDU manager, contacted Our Hospitals Charity to see if the unit could have some funding to makeover the room – a place where doctors sometimes discuss delicate news with spinal injury patients and their families about their prognosis.

Lyndsay saw the importance of those families and patients having a comfortable and calming environment where they could talk in a non-clinical setting.

And she has been super impressed with the transformation of the room, which was completed in little more than a day!

“Before, it just looked like a waiting room,” she said.

“Sadly, with the nature of the work that we do, doctors sometimes have to break bad news to patients and their families and we thought it was important that they had a comfortable and inviting environment.

“I got in contact with Our Hospitals Charity and they have been amazing.

“We needed somewhere that was a bit nicer for patients and their relatives and it’s even better than I thought it could be with the coffee machine and comfortable chairs – I wasn’t expecting it to look as good as this!”

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Lyndsay Wilson left and Keely Fisher in the spinal family room

Families whose loved ones are in the high dependency unit and are going through a traumatic time can now use the calming space, Lyndsay says gives her “goosebumps” at how nice it is and knowing how precious it is to the families who can now use it.

“It’s now so much more inviting,” she said.

“Patients can come here with their families and relax if they want to get away from their bed and the ward area.

“We desperately need these areas that are more inviting because our patients are in our care for so long – sometimes as long as one year – so having this space means so much to us.”

Keely Fisher, spinal ward manager, adds the patients who have used it so far “absolutely love it”.

“This helps patients when they need some time away from other patients and relatives on the ward,” she says.

“Staff aren’t allowed to use it as their restroom – it’s purely for patients and relatives and staff have their own places to go.

“One member of staff brought in some mugs for the room

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Patients can come here with their families and relax if they want to get away from their bed and the ward area. to go next to the coffee machine and they are really pleased that patients now have this tranquil space to go to.”

A lovely painting in memory of a previous patient still has pride of place in the room, as well as prints with the poignant words “Every family has a story, welcome to ours,” which have been specially framed to enable them to be cleaned and keep them fresh.

Mackenzie Thorpe delivery

Just outside the room in the corridor, an original Mackenzie Thorpe painting ‘Ironopolis’ will soon take pride of place, after it was delivered by the Middlesbrough-born artist’s gallery recently.

It is currently being framed to protect it and make it possible to clean in line with infection prevention and control guidelines.

Mackenzie, who has supported Our Hospitals Charity through donations of his artwork and in countless other ways, said: “The hospital does amazing work for our whole community and we are lucky to have such a brilliant hospital, so I am thrilled to be able to support it in any way I can.”

Spinal family room

Spinal family room

Lyndsay Wilson in spinal family room

Newsletter Summer 2022

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IT’S GREAT FOR OUR HOSPITAL FAMILIES TO BE OUT IN

NATURE!

New gardens will be a real tonic for patients, visitors and staff.

When they are taken out into the fresh air and surrounded by nature, even the most poorly patients benefit emotionally and physically.

There is also an added benefit for relatives who are visiting and caring for their loved ones, as well as healthcare staff, who need to take a much-needed break from the clinical environment - with its harsh lighting and limited views of the outside world.

With that in mind, we’re really excited to see the development of our intensive care unit garden, into which patients can easily be wheeled out in their beds and the neonatal unit garden, where families can take a break from the unit whenever they need to.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the generous funds gifted by people like you to Our Hospitals Charity – and our patients and visitors will be thankful for this for many years to come.

Diane Monkhouse, intensive care consultant, said: “We first started meeting about renovating the garden in July 2020. It really came about out of the pandemic. We didn’t have any space in which patients, family and staff could spend some time – everywhere that they could go was a public area – which isn’t great for patients recovering from critical illness.

“We wanted to provide a peaceful tranquil place where they could go.”

And with the support of Serco staff, nurse consultant Lindsay Garcia, green-fingered psychologist Graham Dyson, maintenance manager Shaun Hudson and talented artist Laura Johnston, as well as many others – including those who have generously donated to Our Hospitals Charity for the cause – that is exactly what’s been achieved.

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Lynne Paterson

Laura, who has set up the Community Interest Company (CIC) Healing Spaces, had a very special reason for getting involved with the ICU garden project.

Her brother Ian was a patient on the ward for many years, before he sadly died.

Laura, designed and made the sculptures and iron screens which will have plants growing between them to create private spaces, as well as the beautiful curved bench area.

“Having the opportunity to design the whole space was just lovely, because of my connection to critical care and the fact I spent many a Christmas day here alongside my brother,” she said “Before, this was just a barren courtyard with lots of bamboo and Acer and it wasn’t really suitable for bringing beds out.

“We needed to redesign the layout so that beds could access the space easily.

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Front Laura Johnston and Diane Monkhouse, back Chris Sanderson, Lee Dowson and Shaun Hudson

Our families need a nice space where they can go and get some fresh air “Now, it’s a space that can be enjoyed all year round, where families can move chairs around to wherever they like, to sit by a bed.”

Paving in the area has been recycled from what was down previously, to create a sustainable solution.

The project has also been supported by Hills Nursery of Stokesley, Durham Botanic Gardens and Acklam Landscapes.

Diane says: “We are so grateful to everyone who has given their time, energy and donations to the project.”

The team are hoping to establish a ‘Friends of the Critical Care Garden’ group to provide ongoing maintenance.

Also due to be completed is the Neonatal Unit Family Garden. This has been totally transformed through the generosity of our fundraisers.

This space had been a little rundown and required some TLC, so has been improved in order that we have a beautiful outdoor space for families who have sick children on the NICU to enjoy.

This will be particularly important for families with other siblings, who get restless after spending many hours on the unit and it will help improve the mental health of anxious and stressed parents, who can enjoy some muchneeded fresh air and birdsong.

Clinical Director, Lynne Paterson said: “We decided we were going to do something with the garden in 2019 so we

could turn it into something everyone could enjoy.

However, the project stalled due to Covid. Several months later, we were lucky enough to get local gardeners ‘Mossy Rock’ involved and they have helped transform the area.

“Others who have made this possible are Serco with P. Young Developments together with the support of Maintenance manager Shaun Hudson and of course our amazing fundraisers. We are extremely grateful for the support to make this happen.”

Lynne added: “I think that our parents will be delighted to have somewhere to go outside – particularly the ones who stay in our flats in the middle of the hospital.”

The garden already includes a dining table area and will also feature a couple of benches when finished.

“It might be nice in the future to have a volunteer gardener too,” Lynne says as this area will grow from strength to strength.

Anybody who is interested in getting involved can contact Our Hospitals Charity on 01642 854160 or email OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net

Newsletter Summer 2022

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POOL TABLE

DONATION RELIEVES BOREDOM

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FOR TEEN PATIENTS Older children welcome donation from The Teesside Family Foundation.

Thank you to The Teesside Family Foundation for donating a pool table to the children’s ward of James Cook Hospital.

This is a great addition to the ward, helping teenagers overcome boredom as they recover in hospital or undergo treatments.

We had a pool table before, but it was very old and in need of repair, so this donation is very gratefully received and is already proving popular.

Ben Murphy, head of Our Hospitals Charity, said: “We are very lucky to receive regular toy donations from a variety of kind people and charities - and this helps to keep our young patients occupied while they are in hospital.

“However, sometimes the teenagers on the ward find there’s nothing which is age appropriate for them to play with.

“Now, thanks to The Teesside Family Foundation, we’ve got this lovely new addition to the ward, which is great!”

Sarah Walker, a trustee of The Teesside Family Foundation, said: “We are so happy to be able to support Our Hospitals Charity and James Cook Hospital with this donation for the benefit of older children on the ward – and we are delighted to hear

New pool table in the children’s ward

young people on the ward are already getting so much pleasure from it.”

Ben added Our Hospitals Charity is always keen to work with other charities in the local area so that they all promote and support one another.

He said: “We’ve been very lucky to benefit from working with The Teesside Family Foundation, South Cleveland Heart Fund and the Friends of the Friarage in recent times, to name just a few charities who have supported us in our work. We are equally happy to help promote them too and provide mutually beneficial assistance when we can.”

HAEMATOLOGY DEPARTMENT BENEFITS FROM £10,000 IN ENID’S MEMORY We had the pleasure of meeting the family of Enid Bramwell, who presented us with a cheque for £10,000 in her memory.

Enid was treated from 2005 to 2019 by Dr Dang in the Haematology Day Unit at James Cook Hospital and this amazing amount of money will help us continue making a difference to patients in the Haematology department.

What a wonderful legacy for Enid to leave behind!

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TIME TO TEE-OFF!

Charity Golf Day organisers hope to beat £5,000 raised in 2021.

Our Hospitals Charity was calling on golfers throughout July and early August to sign up to the annual golf day on August 19, at Middlesbrough Golf Club.

Organisers were hoping to top the £5,000 the event raised last year, with teams being registered up until the event by emailing OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net or calling 01642 854296.

Golfers were also welcome to find out more by popping to the Charity hub at James Cook Hospital, opposite Costa Coffee.

Play was due to start from 11am, with bacon butties served before our golfers’ rounds.

Ben Murphy, head of Our Hospitals Charity, said: “The on course competitions that we run on our Golf Day include longest drive, nearest the pin and beat the Pro.

Some of last year’s golfers who enabled us to raise £5,000

“After 18 holes, we encourage our golfers to celebrate with a well-earned drink and dinner with your fourball.

“We always have a number of not-to-be-missed raffle prizes too!”

Funds raised from the Golf Day this year will go to the James Cook Cardio Appeal for a new Academic Cardiac Unit, which you can find out more about on pages four and five of this newsletter.

MORE CREATIVES SHARE THEIR TALENTS AND BRIGHTEN UP OUR WARDS! While we are always keen to receive cash donations, we also thoroughly welcome donations of art work to brighten up our ward areas or help our patients pass the time in hospital.

In the last few months, we have received some lovely donations to help our staff improve the environment our patients are treated in.

Stephen Cross donated some lovely framed photographs of Saltburn, which are being used to brighten up a family room at East Cleveland Hospital in Brotton.

We also received some signed copies of Tosh Warwick’s Memories of Middlesbrough and Stockton books from Heritage Unlocked.

Stephen Cross Photos

These will be useful for our dementia friendly wards.

During Dementia Awareness Week, Our Hospitals Charity also provided a number of wonderful new resources to the dementia team, to help them to effectively and compassionately communicate with people who have dementia.

Through charitable donations we are hoping to transform more wards across the Trust, making them more dementia friendly, which will help patients who can be easily disorientated adjust to their surroundings and lessen the likelihood of falls.

Memories of Stockton books

Do you have a talent that could help us brighten up our environment for our patients?

Email us at OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net.

Newsletter Summer 2022

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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Ruth

Family turn heartbreak of losing Ruth into fund that will support other families at Brotton hospital for years to come.

Ellie Darren and Sarah, Ruth’s sister return to East Cleveland Hospital, Brotton

A 29-year-old woman has told of the heartbreak of losing her popular auntie Ruth – and the reasons why her family are supporting Our Hospitals Charity in her memory.

“I would just like to say thank you to The Friarage Hospital for the weekly infusions Ruth received there and the hospitality they gave her,” he said.

Ellie Randall says her auntie Ruth O’Hare, got amazing care in East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital at the end of her life - when she was just 41 after fighting ovarian cancer for four years.

“Obviously, she didn’t want to go to hospital, but they made it so much easier for her to do so and she met some lovely nurses along the way.”

However, the complexity of her condition, which meant she needed a Hickman line to receive nutrition, saw her husband Darren providing the life-giving procedure, day in and day out, something which Ellie says “put a lot on his shoulders”.

The family, which includes Darren, Ruth’s mother Sandra and her sister Sarah, were determined to raise funds for improvements in end-of-life care in our area after Ruth died.

Darren said that to receive the potassium infusions she needed into the Hickman line, Ruth had to make frequent trips to The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton and the family wanted to acknowledge the care and support she received there.

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Darren explained Ruth went to East Cleveland Hospital for respite care to give him a break at home between March and mid-April last year.

He said: “I had to show the nurses how to administer the Hickman line feeds as they weren’t trained to do so – although they got the hang of it after a week or so.

“Then we had a medical bed put in place in my front room and I cared for her with the assistance of nurses who came every morning to check on her.

“She was at home with her family until she passed.”

After discussing their experiences with clinical staff at our Trust, the family are pleased the £12,500 they raised will now be spent on transforming a room to make it more comfortable and modern for relatives staying over to be near their loved one.

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A ‘before’ pic of the room that is to be renovated in Ruth’s memory

Some of the money will also go towards purchasing a specialised chair that converts into a bed, enabling relatives to sleep right next to their loved ones in those greatest moments of need.

The charity has also transformed some of the outdoor space which Ruth’s mum Sandra has enjoyed visiting with friends, after the family filled it with lots of colourful plants.

Ellie says: “Ruth was 10 years younger than my mam so she was always like a big sister to me really.

“Her boys were only eight and 12 when they lost her.

“She was a travel agent and she loved it.

“She loved a dance – and she was hilarious!”

Ruth was also hugely popular, which can be seen in the amount that was raised in her memory, mainly through the family simply sharing her story.

She also fought ovarian cancer fearlessly, having been diagnosed about five years ago.

However, despite having chemotherapy and all the treatments she could, the disease eventually spread to her bowel.

Ellie said: “Because of where the blockage caused by the cancer was, she had to have an ileostomy.

“Because the cancer was so high up her bowel, and where they had to put the ileostomy, she wasn’t absorbing any nutrients at all, so she got the Hickman line.

“It gave us longer, but nobody was trained to get the feeds through it, so Darren was trained for it.

“I think Ruth’s was quite a rare case and it was quite a lot for Darren. There was no specific place for what she needed – she did feel out of place wherever she went.”

Towards the end of her life, Ruth was treated in a “really small room” and due to the impact of Covid, only one member of the family could go in to see her at a time and “there was nowhere to go to take a break or get a coffee”.

Darren, Ruth and their boys

Ellie said: “We decided to update the room at Brotton.

“We didn’t know there was a bed upstairs where visitors could sleep and if people are having to travel some distance, having that funded in Ruth’s memory will make a huge difference to others.

“The staff at Brotton were amazing. There wasn’t anything they could have done – it was just the situation.”

One day Ruth told her family that she just wanted to go outside and Ellie said they had to get her into a wheelchair, whereas now, there is an outdoor space where you can push a bed out.

“Now they’ve got all those lovely spaces and we’ve planted some flowers in planters that the Charity had put in,” Ellie says.

“My Nanna – Ruth’s Mam - has been going up every day and watering them.

“It’s made her get in touch with her friends again as well because she’s taking her friends with her.”

A café is also going to open soon at the Brotton hospital and Ellie says Sandra is looking forward to that.

Ellie says: “I couldn’t believe how much nicer it was when we went on the first anniversary since Ruth passed away, so we could talk about what we wanted to spend the money on.

“It didn’t seem like the same place.”

Ellie thanked friends of Ruth and businesses for helping to raise funds - but money mainly came in after people read Ruth’s story and decided to donate.

Ellie said: “At first, we just wanted to try to do something to make sure nobody else had the same thing, having to administer things themselves for their loved ones.”

“She was a popular lady,” said Ellie.

However, having talked to staff about their experience,

“She was an absolute warrior.”

“I don’t think I heard her complain once when she was ill either.

We will update readers on the transformation at East Cleveland Hospital in Ruth’s memory in future issues.

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IF IT NEEDS FIXING,

THEY CAN SEW IT! Carol and colleague Mandy’s friendly service is sew good for charity!

Remarkable ladies who have turned their love of sewing into admirable careers have raised more than £1,356 for Our Hospitals Charity.

Carol Marjery – also known as the sewing lady to James Cook Hospital staff – regularly repairs staff uniforms, ensuring they are both smart and practical for work.

Carol Marjery in the sewing room

“I enjoy doing it – you don’t know what you’re going to get in from day-to-day – this week, I repaired a Gazebo!”

But she also has a sideline – and it’s benefiting the charity immensely.

Carol loves her job in the sewing room, having started her career sewing in factories such as Dannimac in Cargo Fleet Lane.

Carol and her colleague Mandy Evans repair staff’s own clothes from home in return for a small donation to Our Hospitals Charity.

She has worked in the sewing room for 10 years and worked as a domestic within the Trust for another decade before that.

And the weirdest thing the pair have been asked to take a look at? A Gazebo!

“I like working in the hospital,” she said.

Carol says: “People just started coming down and asking for alterations and we just gave the money they gave us for it to the charity.

“The staff love what we do – they are so happy when they can get something done and we get quite good reactions about the work that we do.

“Sewing uniforms is our day job, but staff also bring dresses, jeans, curtains for us to alter – and all the money they give us for doing this for them goes to Our Hospitals Charity.

“They always have a smile on their face when they pick their items up!”

KEEP ON PEDALLING!

“You get to meet different people all the time.

Thank you Carol and Mandy for your time and efforts!

Thank you to all the cyclists taking part in the Tour De Trinity, a virtual cycling challenge where participants see how many miles they can clock up during August and September.

The challenge - for anyone, on any bike, travelling any distance - will help the Trinity Holistic Centre continue its fantastic work providing complementary therapies for cancer patients across the South Tees area.

You can join in the fun at https://southtees.enthuse.com/cf/tour-de-trinity-a5bcd

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MADE WITH LOVE

in every stitch!

Jean Melville and the Nutty Knitters create beautiful items for sale.

Jean Melville just loves knitting - and also enjoys turning her talent into cash for Our Hospitals Charity.

The Nutty Knitters have donated hundreds of unique items, some of which will go to our maternity ward and neonatal unit for our newest and tiniest patients when they arrive into the world.

But they have been so busy, creating an abundance of items, that many of Jean and her friends’ creations are now also helping to raise funds for Our Hospitals Charity.

Many of the beautiful items the group have made are now on sale in the James Cook Hospital Charity hub, opposite Costa Coffee.

We would love visitors to the hospital to pop in and grab a beautifully hand-made bargain, at the same time as generating much needed cash for Our Hospitals Charity.

Jean, who attends a knitting group every Wednesday morning, knits day in and day out, creating beautiful items that, when they can’t be used by patients, make highly sought-after saleable goods.

She says: “We’ve got even more for the charity now and we’ve already started the angels for the hospitals’ Christmas trees – so start thinking about what you can do to raise more funds – maybe ask for sponsors or dedications?

“It’s entirely up to you but they are made with love in every stitch!”

Sadly, Jean says she’s unable to bring the next load of items in personally, but will be sending other representatives from the Nutty Knitters in with their haul of yarn.

“There are so many bags full, they might need to borrow my wheelchair to transport them!” says Jean.

If you let us know when they’re due to arrive, we’d be happy to help collect them inside, Jean.

We are so grateful to the Nutty Knitters and look forward to meeting more of them!

Do you have a creative talent that could be turned into charity cash? Or maybe your creations could help our patients be more comfortable during their stay in our hospitals? If you’d like some support with your donations or ideas, please contact Our Hospitals Charity on the details below.

UNWANTED ITEMS CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO CHARITY! At Our Hospitals Charity, we’re aware lots of people are affected by the current cost of living crisis, which is making it harder for people to support us and any other charity in the way they would like.

However, one thing we’re always looking for, that can make a huge difference to the amount of funds we can raise, is raffle prizes.

From the relatively inexpensive boxed toiletries set or hand knitted toy that would make a great tombola item, to the bigger prizes we sometimes get from

Newsletter Summer 2022

large businesses such as a nice afternoon tea, round of golf or spa day, we’re grateful to receive them all.

So if you have an unopened, unwanted gift to donate, or work for a business that could support us with a bigger prize, please get in touch.

We’d love to hear from you!

Telephone 01642 854160, email OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net or just drop in to see us at our hub opposite Costa in James Cook Hospital.

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Joyce Jumping out of a plane

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR GRANGE DENTAL CARE FUNDRAISERS!

Dental staff take to the skies in memory of Joyce’s Dad.

It started off with Joyce Rubas asking her colleagues at the Grange Dental Practice in Norton to sponsor her and her brother, Roger as they completed a charity skydive in memory of their Dad.

Joyce and friends including the Dental Divers before skydive

The skydive was to coincide with Joyce’s 30th birthday, as well as taking place the day before the first anniversary of Dad Thirumany’s death.

But supportive friends and colleagues were so excited by the idea of jumping out of a plane, they decided to get in on the action themselves!

In the end, On July 2, there were a total of 12 skydivers – calling themselves the Dental Divers - all of whom have managed to raise more than £5,000 for Our Hospitals Charity.

middle of June last year and doctors couldn’t control his temperature.

Speaking about the experience, Joyce says: “It was amazing – the best thing ever!

He was put on a ventilator, but his condition deteriorated and he sadly passed away on July 3.

“There were 12 of us in the end doing it because there were an extra two who decided to do it on the day.

Post-mortem tests showed he had a rare cancer called HLH (Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) which causes the immune system to malfunction, as certain white blood cells attack other blood cells.

“It meant so much to us to have people supporting us to do this in memory of my Dad.” Thirumany was admitted to hospital with a fever in the

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The heartbreaking situation was compounded by the pandemic, which meant visiting was restricted, but Joyce

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Joyce and Roger with their certificates after the skydive

“I had to lose weight to do the skydive and had a stone to shift, so that was an added stress and at times, it all just seemed a bit too much and I now wish we had done it a couple of weeks either side of my Dad’s memorial, as we were also so tired the day after the event.

“We had done 12 hours outside in the end and it took its toll.”

However, Joyce says she did feel close to her father when she was up in the clouds - and that was an amazing feeling.

“When we were above the sky and above the clouds, I felt like I was close to Dad,” she said.

“You always think, he’s just up there and I thought “he wont let me die!” and he’s going to be there to catch me!

“It felt like he was there in spirit.”

Joyce admits it was so emotional when she found herself safely back on land.

She said: “We saw my Mum and walked towards her crying, saying ‘I can’t believe we did it’.

“It was so good and the money is still coming in and we have already raised more than £5,000.

said the staff did the best they could to provide both her Dad and the family with comfort.

That is why Joyce and Roger decided to raise funds for Our Hospitals Charity, as a thank you for the care their Dad received.

Joyce eventually went up in the air with her brother and one of her friends – but it wasn’t all plain sailing!

The weather was bad - with rain and winds threatening to see the event called off - and they had to wait practically all day before getting clearance to jump.

“It got to 4pm and we had been there since 8.30am!”

Joyce explains.

“We were asking if we should just cancel and rearrange it.

“At 4.30pm, we were told to wait another 20 minutes and if the weather didn’t change we would be good to go.”

“We have done bake sales and raffles and have had a lot of support from a lot of local businesses. Thank you to everyone who has supported us.”

Joyce added that so many patients at the Grange Dental Practice have kindly donated to the cause and it was heart-warming to think so many people were so happy to help in these hard times.

All Joyce’s friends and colleagues loved the experience – and they’re already planning to do another charity event next year.

“We are going to look at choosing a charity in January and then decide what we want to do,” she said.

However, Joyce and her tribe agree it will take an awful lot to top a tandem skydive!

At least now they’ve managed that, the sky’s the limit!

Joyce and her flying friends

Thankfully, the waiting paid off and the 12 were split into groups to be taken up into the air.

Joyce said it was so emotional with the skydive coinciding with the first anniversary of her father’s death.

Although she has no regrets, her advice to other fundraisers is to think carefully about the timing of your charity event because emotions do run high around important anniversaries.

“The day after the skydive was a year to the day that my father died and in my head I thought it was going to be nice to do it around that time,” she explains.

“In actual fact, it was so stressful and I was quite emotional.

There’s still time to donate to Joyce’s campaign at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/grange-dental-divers Newsletter Summer 2022

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Our TRINITY HOLISTIC CENTRE The Trinity Holistic Centre has bases at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough and The Friarage in Northallerton, providing complementary therapies to support cancer patients with their conventional treatments.

Staff can also benefit from some of the relaxing treatments for a small fee and this helps towards the running costs of the Trinity Holistic Centre.

Our Hospitals Charity collects the funds people want to donate to Trinity Holistic Centre on its behalf, as the centre relies entirely on charitable donations.

For more information, visit https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/ trinity-holistic-centre/about-trinity-holistic-centre/

DEBBIE AND HER DOLLIES DETERMINED TO “SMASH” £1,200 FUNDRAISING TARGET Inspirational Debbie Edwards has stopped counting the days since she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer – and instead chooses to make every day count.

“This is my new normal and cancer is just going to have to fit into my life,” is her attitude, as she writes her blog, entitled “Just Another Challenge” to raise awareness and keep friends and family informed about her treatment.

Debbie, 36, is no stranger to challenges, having been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 19 and being registered blind.

Yet she runs, enjoys travelling and is, in her words, determined to “live her best life” despite facing a stage 4 “incurable” prognosis.

“It’s only a number and cancer only a word, so why should I not live my best life?” she says.

Debbie has already raised funds for Cancer Research, but is now raising funds for a cause much closer to her heart – the Trinity Holistic Centre.

She will be taking on the Great North Run in September with five friends and the six of them call themselves Debbie’s GNR Dollies!

Her husband Gary will also accompany her on the run.

Debbie and four of the girls all completed the York Marathon in 2019 and now, her friends, with the addition of Jill, want to support her in her latest challenge. All of them have Trinity Holistic Centre places, meaning they have to raise £1,200 between them.

However, Debbie is determined to “smash” this target!

She says: “I’m reaching for the stars! Please help me do this!”

Debbie admits that at first, she was unsure whether the

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Trinity Holistic Centre would be right for her, “what with all the other hospital visits you do and everything just being 100 miles an hour”.

But what she has found from using Trinity Holistic Centre, aside from Debbie, Kirsten, Helen, Sandra and benefitting from Sue (from left to right) complementary therapies, is it’s somewhere you can go to “feel a little bit normal and a little bit calm”.

“You meet people who know what you’re going through as well,” she says.

“It’s money raised by fundraisers that keeps the place going and I think, what better charity is there to do it for?

“Why wouldn’t I do it for them when they’ve helped me so much?”

Debbie says the Trinity Holistic Centre has been “an absolute Godsend” helping to make her feel better about herself in so many ways.

“The people who work there are all lovely people and I can’t thank them enough,” she says.

Good luck with your running and fundraising Debbie!

You can read more about Debbie at her blog https:// justanotherchallengedebbieedwardsbreastcancer.home. blog/ and if you would like to sponsor her, go to https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/debbiesgnrdollies

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DENISE AND FRIENDS PUT THE ‘FUN’ IN FUNDRAISING WITH CHARITY PUBS WALK! Denise O’Brien, her family and friends have raised a staggering £3,707 for Trinity Holistic Centre, by combining a tipple or two with a charity walk.

Denise’s fundraising journey started five years ago, when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, raising “a couple of thousand pounds” for Breast Cancer Care.

Last year, Denise was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer and has been supported by Trinity Holistic Centre in a number of ways, including receiving auricular (ear) acupuncture to assist with the hot flushes her treatment causes, as well as massages.

Because of the care she has received, Denise decided that her next “pink walk” around pubs in Middlesbrough would benefit both Breast Cancer Now and the Trinity Holistic Centre.

She said: “About 30 people did the walk and we were in The Gazette – front page and centre spread – raising awareness of breast cancer and secondary breast cancer.

“I decided to split the funds between the two charities and when we put the cash and cheques in the bank, my daughter Vicky’s employer PX Limited match funded it, so we ended up with more than £3,000 for the Trinity Holistic Centre.

“They were so generous – a lot of the staff also donated cheques of their own from the different departments.”

Denise, second from right, with her cheque for £3,707

Denise says patrons at The Apple Tree, The Rudds, The Southern Cross and The Lingfield which they visited also dug deep and filled buckets and tins with cash, thanks to all the staff giving them permission to collect.

Denise is delighted to be supporting Trinity Holistic Centre, as “they do an absolutely fantastic job”.

“They do an awful lot for a lot of people and they are so nice! Everyone there is just lovely!

“They make you feel normal and they are caring because having cancer, you feel as if there’s a stigma.”

Denise is also a talented crafty lady and donated a lot of needle felt work to the centre for them to sell – creations she made during lockdown.

She said: “I hoped they could use it for whatever they needed.”

TEA AND COFFEE NEEDED! At Trinity Holistic Centre, we have found a hot cuppa goes a long way when it comes to supporting our patients.

We are always grateful of donations of tea bags and coffee, which can be dropped in to Trinity Holistic Centre at James Cook or The Friarage.

Kirsten, Debbie, Sandra , Jill and Helen (from left to right)

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Thank you for your support!

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BARKERS NORTHALLERTON’S ROYAL CELEB

Our corporate partners Barkers Northallerton celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee in style – well, we would expect nothing less!

The department store featured a 1950s inspired window display, at the same time as collecting funds for Our Hospitals Charity via a QR code shoppers could simply scan as they passed the window. Ingenious!

Barkers also collected money in our fundraising tins which it had placed around the store.

Staff got into the jubilee spirit by wearing red white and blue – with hints of our purple charity hue too!

Thanks to our friends at Barkers for their continued support!

BEN AND LISA EDUCATE NORTHALLERTON UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE MEMBERS. Our head of charity Ben Murphy and fundraising manager Lisa Meehan attended a Northallerton University of the Third Age (U3A) meeting, to explain the great work of Our Hospitals Charity at The Friarage and community hospitals - including The Friary in Richmond.

The Northallerton University of the Third Age is part of an international movement that brings together semi-retired and retired people who want to learn new things and be active in their communities.

Even though people don’t receive formal qualifications for the learning experiences they go through at U3A, the learning itself brings its own reward.

Sheila Middleton, chair of Northallerton U3A, which has 350 members, was most impressed with the talk Ben gave to the group about Our Hospitals Charity.

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“Everyone really enjoyed it,” she said.

“It was excellent and I think we all learned a lot from it, including future plans for Northallerton that will benefit all our members.

“Many of us weren’t aware that Our Hospitals Charity also provides funding and support for smaller hospitals like The Friary – it’s not all about James Cook and The Friarage.”

Ben also touched on the delicate subject of the possibility of leaving a gift to Our Hospitals Charity in your will. You can find out more about this at www.ourhospitalscharity.org in the ‘ways to donate’ section.

For more information about Northallerton University of the Third Age, visit https://u3asites.org.uk/ northallerton/home.

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BRATION RAISES FUNDS FOR THE FRIARAGE CHARITY SUPPORTS STAFF TO JOIN IN THE JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS As usual, many of our dedicated staff were working extremely hard during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend – so we thought they deserved a treat!

Many wards and departments across our hospitals got into the Jubilee spirit with the flags and bunting out, while we provided free cakes and drinks to staff working throughout the holiday.

We hope everyone made the most of this great occasion!

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PAUL BRAVES THE

SHAVE!

For Paul Kay, having his beard is a big deal.

However, Paul is happy to have it all shaved off – if it means he has raised £500 for the James Cook Hospital oncology department that saved his life.

At the time of writing, Paul had raised an amazing £465 – needing just £35 more to keep his side of the bargain and have his trademark beard shaved.

However, if he can get to £1,000, Paul has agreed to have both the beard and his hair shaved off too!

On his JustGiving page, Paul explains how he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2016 and had surgery and chemotherapy - only to get the news it had returned following a routine scan in 2017.

Paul describes how your world “spirals out of control” when you’re given news that a cancer has returned, but he has bravely endured more chemotherapy and in April 2018 was told the cancer had gone.

Paul adds that all his hair had also gone with it – except for eyebrows, which he said “clung on for their lives!”

As he counts down the year to being five years cancer free, he decided his impressive facial hair should feature in a fundraising drive – and so once he has raised £500

the beard comes off.

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At £1,000, both his hair and beard will be shaved by Guido’s Middlesbrough, who have kindly agreed to support him once again.

Paul says: “It was there, when my hair started falling out after the first cycle of chemo, that Andrew took it all off for me, so fitting they should make me bald again!”

Speaking about what his beard means to him, he adds: “I’ve had a beard on and off for years but, although I’ve had it trimmed, I’ve never had it off completely since it grew back following chemo.

“It’s a statement and a comfort blanket, if you will.”

Paul has requested the money he raises to be spent on any equipment needed in oncology and day packs, which can be used for people undergoing chemo, to “make things a little more comfortable for them”.

Can you help get Paul to his first milestone of £500, then £1,000?

Visit https://justgiving.com/fundraising/paul82 to donate.

STAFF CHOIR ON SONG IN JULY! The South Tees NHS Choir were busy in July, singing at the Yarm Auditorium, where they joined the 100 Voices Choir and entertaining staff, patients and visitors in James Cook Hospital.

Our Hospitals Charity is proud to support this staff wellbeing project, as singing is so good for the soul and has proven health benefits.

The choir is free to join and staff of all ages and abilities meet to sing at Trinity Church North Ormesby.

Come along and sing away the stresses of the day – we could particularly use some extra male voices!

For more information, email jeanette.wainwright1@outlook.com.

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MOTORCYCLISTS GENERATE £3,000 TO SUPPORT CANCER PATIENTS Motorcyclists who have taken part in the Annual Kirkby Christmas Trial since 2006 have raised a staggering £50,000 for charity between them – and this year, Our Hospitals Charity has benefited to the tune of £3,000.

The latest event was the best yet, raising £4,200 to be split between two charities – with a further £1,800 added to the pot by the generous Ripon Motor Club!

We’re delighted to be using our £3,000 to transform a clinic room into a calming counselling room, that patients and their families can use when discussing a cancer diagnosis and treatment plans with specialist nurses.

Ripon Motor Club donation

This will make a huge difference to those patients and families, so a big thank you must go to everyone involved!

SMALL GESTURES LEAD TO BIG THINGS FOR OUR CHARITY We know that times are tough right now, which is why every penny counts for charities like ours – as the smallest donation really does add up to huge benefits for our patients, visitors and staff.

Jess from the Apple Tree with her tin

If you have a business premises and you think your customers or staff might like to donate their small change to their local hospitals across Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Northallerton and Richmond, why not place one of our collection tins in your shop, bar, café, restaurant or offices?

One of the latest businesses to do so was the Apple Tree Pub in Marton Manor.

Jess from the pub recently called in for their tin to be emptied – and discovered customers at the pub had donated £49.95, which will go towards our Cardio Appeal, helping countless people across our region by focusing on heart research.

As we explained on page 6, you can dedicate your tin to any fund or ward if you wish – or let us decide on the best place where it can have the most impact.

If every tin were to raise about £50, think how much we could raise with the amount of generous businesses out there on Teesside!

Whether it’s 5p or £1 that’s being put in, it literally all adds up!

If you would like a tin for your business premises, please drop us an email to OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net

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EVERY LITTLE HELPS US! Tesco Superstore in Eston recently received a visit from Janine Evans, part of the Our Hospitals Charity team, spreading the word about how we make a difference to more than one million people across Teesside and North Yorkshire.

Thanks to Tesco customers choosing us with their blue tokens, we recently received £1,500 from their community grants fund.

We’re so pleased to have so much support from our local supermarkets!

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A KNOCKOUT EVENT RAISES MORE THAN £6,000 FOR OUR HOSPITALS CHARITY.

DAY!

Our ‘We’re a Knockout’ competition was a fantastic event, with everyone enjoying all the whacky challenges and fun with inflatables, space hoppers and foam!

What’s more, the event has raised more than £6,000 for Our Hospitals Charity, with our South Tees Hospitals colleagues getting involved by forming teams.

Thank you to everyone who got involved by being part of a team or donating to this event.

Hopefully, we can do it all again next year!

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GOLF CLUB CAPTAIN’S GIFT OF THANKS Former Golf club captain Roy Sigsworth said a special ‘thank you’ to cardiothoracic surgeon Ralph White, presenting him with a cheque for £4,420.

Roy underwent a triple heart bypass in 2016, with Ralph performing the surgery, so when he became captain of Billingham Golf Club, he knew he wanted to support the cardiothoracic team at James Cook Hospital.

Roy presented the cheque alongside his wife Janet.

Thank you very much Roy!

Newsletter Summer 2022

Roy Sigsworth, left, wife Janet right, Ralph White, centre

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MAKE A donation

If you like what you’ve read about the work we do at Our Hospitals Charity, why not make a donation to Our Hospitals Charity at: The James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesbrough, TS4 3BW or Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 1JG. You can also drop your donation into our hub near Costa Coffee on The James Cook University Hospital site, where we also take contactless debit card donations.

For further information or advice, call us on 01642 854160 or email OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net I would like to make a donation to:

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I enclose my cheque or postal order made payable to Our Hospitals Charity, or please debit my Maestro/Mastecard/Visa

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The data collected on this form will be securely held on our database in line with current data protection legislation. Find out more on 01642 854160 or by email at OurHospitalsCharity@nhs.net Reach out to us on social media @OurHospCharity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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