Royal Surrey Charity Matters: supporter magazine - Autumn 2021

Royal Surrey

Autumn/winter 2021

Charity Matters

The Wellbeing Cabin’s arrived PAGE 3 Fundraising for our cancer service PAGE 6

I am proud, grateful and so happy to be alive Joanna, COVID survivor PAGE 4

Supporter magazine

HELLO!

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elcome to the Autumn 2021 edition of the Royal Surrey Charity Matters magazine.

Having recently joined the team as the Head of Fundraising for Royal Surrey Charity, I have been struck by the passion and dedication of the front-line staff across the hospital and our community sites.

Having spoken to so many amazing staff and patients, I can now understand why the vital services offered across the trust are amongst the highest rated in the UK. What has caught me off guard is the fact that, despite the incredible pressure faced by our nurses and doctors and staff, they are still overawed by the public support they have received since the pandemic began.

Many have repeated the same message and all have impressed upon me a strong sense of wanting to say thank you to our local communities and everyone who has supported them over the last 19 months.

“You must say thank you to everyone who has supported us this year.

Promise you’ll thank them.”

Intensive Care Nurse We hope you enjoy this edition of Charity Matters, covering important projects and fundraising milestones. The patient story on page four brings home again the realities of contracting COVID and how our teams in Intensive Care saw them both through a very difficult time.

On behalf of all the patients and staff at the Royal Surrey, thank you for supporting our charity.

Robin Legge Head of Fundraising

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HOW YOUR MONEY MADE A DIFFERENCE TO OUR FRONTLINE WORKERS...

EMERGENCY COVID-19 APPEAL RESPONSE

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hen we put out our Emergency COVID-19 appeal last year we were bowled over by the response. Everyone wanted to play their part in helping the NHS cope through one of the most challenging periods in our 73 year history. Our fundraising appeal raised thousands almost overnight.

For the first time ever, donations were made specifically towards supporting our staff’s health and wellbeing, with people keen to help them through the long and difficult days. Thanks to the money you gave, the £369,026 donated directly to Royal Surrey Charity meant we could…

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FUND OUR SIX BRAND NEW IGLOOS

For many staff getting outside, away from the wards for much needed breaks was vital, particularly at the height of the pandemic. Our highly attractive igloos provide a clean, dry and welcoming all year round break-out space, with heating and lighting installed. If you’re visiting the Royal Surrey, you can see two of the igloos near the main reception on your way in.

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FUEL TO KEEP THEM GOING

Long shifts and for some, self-isolating away from family members meant that many of our staff had little time for preparing healthy meals for themselves. We therefore funded delicious

THE ARRIVAL OF OUR WONDERFUL WELLBEING CABIN

T and nutritious meals, snacks and fruit for our staff over this period, taking the worry of mealtimes away from them, knowing they could eat well at work. £150,000 in donations went towards providing 45,000 meals over 16 weeks for NHS staff. Thanks also to a large donation given with great generosity by the Acott Family Charitable Foundation.

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INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH LOVED ONES

To ensure staff and patients could keep in contact with their family on the outside, we funded tablets and smart phones for each ward to make those much needed video calls.

This was particularly important for patients and staff on the Intensive Care Unit. Some really special phone calls and video calls were able to take place thanks to your support.

“Across the NHS all our members of staff have been professionally and personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been overwhelmed by the support and donations from our community, especially at the peaks of wave one and two. We wish to thank each and every one of you. Your donations are hugely appreciated and have such a welcomed impact. The initiatives support our staff health and wellbeing and are sustainable as we continue on our COVID journey.”

Jo Mountjoy, Chief Nurse

hanks to national hero Captain Tom Moore, £33 Million pounds was raised for NHS Charities Together’s COVID-19 appeal. We were fortunate to receive a grant from our umbrella charity which meant we were able to install a Scandinavian-style wooden cabin for staff. This brand new, purpose built area, will be the heart of our newly introduced wellbeing programme.

Surrounded by peaceful gardens at the rear of the Education Centre, the wellbeing cabin will be the home for hardworking NHS staff to gravitate towards, when the day has taken its toll and they need to unwind or re-energise after working hard caring for our patients. With the finishing touches being put in this autumn, a calendar of wellbeing activities is poised to get underway. The Trust’s Wellbeing Programme is working with community groups and holistic practitioners to make a new welcoming ‘space’ that is available to all.

Amy McCarthy from the programme said: “Staff health and wellbeing has never been so important and staff now have a protected space to decompress, engage in a wellbeing related activity or to just relax.”

We will also post regular updates on how staff are enjoying using the space on our social media, @royalsurreycharity and @HWBRoyalSurrey.

Thank you for giving our staff somewhere new to go to when they need it most.

Royal Surrey Charity Matters | Autumn/winter 2021

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PATIENT STORY

Two patients recount the care they received in Intensive Care after contracting the virus.

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ike hospitals up and down the country, the Royal Surrey found its intensive care units full during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two patients, Joanna and Samuel, each spent several weeks in intensive care, being treated by our amazing staff to fight COVID-19. Here are their stories: Within 24 hours of contracting COVID-19 in March 2020, Sam was admitted to hospital.

Although initially treated on the general ward, he was soon rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and placed on a ventilator after his condition deteriorated rapidly. He stayed in intensive care for five weeks.

cases of COVID have experienced a much more severe form which unfortunately affected both Joanna and Sam. Due to the hallucinations Joanna experienced, she initially distrusted the medical staff trying to care for her. However as she gained consciousness she soon welcomed and appreciated her team’s patience and help.

Joanna: “I suddenly enjoyed and appreciated the love and care of the nurses, and I looked forward to seeing the doctors who were very patient about explaining my progress.”

Sam also couldn’t believe the love and support he received from all the staff at the Royal Surrey, not just the doctors and nurses, but the auxiliary staff and cleaners too.

Sam: “I’ve got no memory of what happened after my first day in the general ward. My wife told me soon after my breathing deteriorated, I had to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.”

In April 2020 Joanna (featured on our cover) was admitted to the Royal Surrey with COVID-19 and double pneumonia. After spending two weeks in the emergency assessment unit, her condition worsened and she was put into a coma on the ICU. It was a very worrying time for both patients and families and friends as they waited to see how they would respond to their treatment.

Sam left hospital in May this year, and Joanna a few weeks later in June, but the support from the Royal Surrey didn’t end there. From psychologists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and consultants, staff were on hand to ensure Joanna and Sam’s road to recovery went as smoothly as possible.

Sam: “I’m so grateful for all the help I’ve received and for all the wonderful angels at the Royal Surrey.”

Joanna: “I lived in a land of hallucinations – unfortunately for me, they were rather frightening.”

One of the less commonly known side effects of COVID-19 recovery is hallucinations. Although many recovering from a critical illness experience delirium, doctors have found that those recovering from very bad

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Joanna Sam

FUNDRAISER FOCUS

Lance Bombardier – a remarkable pandemic volunteer and fundraiser SO IMPRESSED BY OUR STAFF, ONE MEMBER OF ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL TOOK TO THE SADDLE TO FUNDRAISE...

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ance Bombardier Liam Henderson, from the 12th Regiment for the Royal Artillery for the army took part in the London to Brighton 71 mile Off-Road Bike Ride to raise money for Royal Surrey Charity.

After experiencing firsthand the work the hospital and staff do, during his deployment to our wards during the COVID-19 pandemic, he wanted to do even more for us.

“At the height of the pandemic earlier this year the NHS needed a lot of extra help on the wards so sent out a request that activates something called MACA, which stands for Military Aid to the Civil Authorities. Teams from my regiment were sent to several different hospitals and locations and I happened to be part of the team who went to the Royal Surrey.

Our role was to do all the jobs that would usually take a nurse or healthcare

assistant away from the wards, so anything from moving patients to different wards, to collecting items brought in by patients’ families or picking up supplies for the medical staff. It meant that anyone with clinical training were able to stay where they were most needed – caring for patients.

A moment that really stayed with me was when a patient was having a really hard time. They were restless and really wanted to go home, but weren’t allowed as they were waiting for test results to come back.

One of the staff knew the patient quite well and went in to sit with them to ensure they were okay and knew exactly what was going on. It later turned out that the

staff member had actually finished their shift, but had spent their own personal time making sure the patient was okay. That is another level of care and is exactly what the NHS is about.

I wanted to give back to the amazing staff I worked alongside. It’s my way of saying thank you for their tireless work.

Since leaving the Royal Surrey Hospital I’ve been deployed overseas, but have tried to fit in my training wherever I can, Continued on the next page…

Inspired by Liam’s bike ride?

Why not sign-up for your own fundraising challenge? Visit our Challenge Events page to see the events Royal Surrey Charity has spaces in. royalsurreycharity. org.uk/Events

Royal Surrey Charity Matters | Autumn/winter 2021

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FUNDRAISER FOCUS

Continued from the previous page… including cycling round a hanger while we were out in Estonia!”

“When Liam left us the staff said he had a lasting positive impact upon them and our patients loved him. They were disappointed they couldn’t keep him for longer. We were then delighted to hear from him and how he had adopted us in his charitable adventures.

Over the months since he left I know many nurses have been sending him good luck wishes. He is an inspiring, all round amazing guy and a true credit to the British Army.”

STAFF SUPPORT

Going over and above in their work for patients WE ARE CONSTANTLY AMAZED AT THE LENGTHS, HEIGHTS AND DISTANCES OUR SUPPORTERS WILL GO TO FUNDRAISE FOR US!

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his September six brave members of staff from St Luke’s Cancer Centre took part in a sponsored 15,000 ft skydive to raise money for Royal Surrey Charity. With a group fundraising target of £10,000, we spoke to Oncology Support Officer Jessica Roots about the team’s inspiration:

Jo Mountjoy, Chief Nurse Liam completed his cycle challenge on 4 September 2021, raising over £300 so far.

Thanks to everybody who got behind him with a donation. ●

Impressed by this member of our armed forces personnel?

A beneficiary of our care yourself or want to do a good deed for the day? You can still support Liam’s cycle challenge, by donating via his GoFundMe page, look for: gofund. me/7ee1c7f8

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“The Chilworth Unit at St Luke’s is always very busy with patients receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but is in desperate need of an update. We’ve been working on an environment project for the ward to make it a place patients receiving treatment will feel relaxed and comfortable in and to ease the burden of treatment where possible.

One item we really want to change are the chemotherapy chairs. Some patients come in for up to eight hours a day to receive their treatment so should be treated to a comfortable place to sit, however the

Jessica and her colleagues Emma Masters, Rica Mari Paez, Joanna Ogrodniczuk, Charlie Self and Hannah Taylor

replacement chairs are about £1,000 each. We’d like to get 10 so that’s why we’re shooting for the sky and set our fundraising target at £10,000.

There’s already been some amazing work done. New wall glamours (large artistic stickers), a mural, and a new café area where patients can get tea, coffee and snacks have been really popular. Other ideas for further improvements are underway, within budget. Coming for chemotherapy isn’t something patients want to do, so we wish to make it a little easier for them by offering them a comfortable and relaxing space. Some of our other plans include creating sofa areas with coffee tables.

We also want each treatment bay to have a different atmosphere – so one will be quieter with tranquil soothing music, while another will have a chess board to help keep patients busy while having chemo.

We hope that the improvements will be complete by spring next year, and my colleagues and I want to do any fundraising we can do to help boost the project. It’s also nice to give back and help raise awareness of St Luke’s and the amazing work done here. We really hope we can hit our total and be able to better the experience for all our patients who are going through a hard time.”

Jessica and her colleagues Emma Masters, Rica Mari Paez, Joanna Ogrodniczuk, Charlie Self and Hannah Taylor, completed their skydive on 18 September at Go Skydive in Salisbury.

You can still support them and find out more about the project, visit: royalsurreycharity. org.uk/fundraisers/st-lukes-fromus-to-you-fundraising-page ● Royal Surrey Charity Matters | Autumn/winter 2021

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COMMUNITY SUPPORT

A E T G I B NHS Chinking tea cups and enjoying cake

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n 5 July we celebrated the NHS’s 73rd birthday with the NHS Big Tea. To mark the day tearific hampers packed with goodies were distributed to staff throughout the hospital.

The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Susan Lochner, visited helping to deliver hampers and thanking staff for their hard work during the pandemic.

If that wasn’t enough, the NHS celebrated being awarded the George Cross by The

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Queen for 73 years of dedicated service, as well as the commitment from healthcare workers in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

A huge thank you to Freemasons of Farnham, Farnham Round Table, Rapid Relief Team UK and Biddles of Guildford for donating the hamper treats and helping our staff celebrate in style! Here’s a lovely photo taken on the day with staff outdoors enjoying their well earned tea and cake in the summer sun.

Virtual fundraising took off…

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huge thank you to everyone who supported Royal Surrey Charity through virtual fundraising events during the pandemic. With many mass participation challenge events cancelled the take-up of safely socially distanced virtual events took off. Named so, because of the use of online apps like Strava to record distances, times and personal bests virtual fundraising offered a new way for people to run, cycle, and swim for charity.

Young and full of beans!

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ur charity was supported by several young people who took part in their own virtual fundraising activities…

George ran an entire marathon over 10 days as part of the 2.6 Challenge, raising a fantastic £800 for staff at the Royal Surrey.

Then, in January of this year he increased his distance, setting out to run the amazing challenge of 100km in one month. When we caught up with George we asked why he was so motivated, he told us: “My goal is to raise money for The NHS and Royal Surrey Charity because I want to help all the exhausted and amazing staff who are working tirelessly on the six wards trying to win the battle against COVID. My aim is to help them as much as I can while they are so busy helping others and saving lives.”

WELL DONE GEORGE FROM EVERYONE AT THE TRUST!

MEANWHILE...

Inspired by Captain Tom Moore, Xi-Xi took up the 100 challenge.

What did she decide to do that was 100 themed? To run 100 lengths of a football pitch! After a lot of running, she smashed her original target, eventually raising over £2,000 for Royal Surrey Charity. An incredible total to reach and proving often the best ideas are the simplest.

Star baker, Mila has been doing delicious doorstep cake deliveries to lucky friends and family locally since the beginning of this year. From finding the recipes, baking and decorating the cakes to labelling and photographing them to let people know what they can order, Mila has so far raised a brilliant £200 for Royal Surrey Charity. ● Royal Surrey Charity Matters | Autumn/winter 2021

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FUNDRAISER FOCUS

FROM PIRATE DJ ROOTS TO FUNDRAISING GUILDFORD BASED DJ SCRATCH’S DANCE MUSIC MIXES HIT ALL THE RIGHT NOTES AS THOUSANDS OF POUNDS ROLL IN.

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t was a phone call from long term friend ‘Spenny’ to Guildford resident Dave Hitchens that prompted a one-man fundraising campaign that has been hugely successful, attracted local BBC media attention and entertained thousands during the pandemic.

Dave, also known as DJ Scratch has a long history and love of dance music and has kept people upbeat throughout the pandemic thanks to his live-streamed DJ sets from March 2020 onwards. That first set played out via Facebook Live, with 500 people watching from the comfort of their own homes, led to wife Kylie spotting an opportunity to turn his mixing talents into a fundraiser with the NHS

their immediate choice to benefit.

Playing big name dance hits from Candi Staton’s You Got The Love through to a broader mix of late 90s trance, DJ Scratch’s sets and energetic ‘performance’ on the decks saw donations rolling in. Fundraising was initially collected for NHS Charities Together. Between March and December 2020 over £14,000 was raised for NHS Charities Together and then over that time, he turned his focus to Royal Surrey Charity.

To date he has raised a truly amazing £22,000!

The draw of our own in-house charity for the father of seven was led by his personal connection, through the maternity services, end of life care for his aunty and nan and citing us as his local hospital, as a Guildford resident.

DJ Scratch’s pioneering character is a defining quality of this talented

supporter. He was one of the original pirate DJs for Guildford based radio station Kane FM in the late 90s and now he has found himself part of the birth, growth and success of contemporary virtual fundraising, all made possible thanks to using online technology in new ways during the pandemic.

Dave’s music knowledge and talents have shone out, proving if you have an idea for fundraising, there’s always a way to make it happen, even during the most difficult of times.

“Apparently I am the most popular DJ in Guildford right now. I went across to Basingstoke and I heard someone say, ‘Look there’s DJ Scratch!’. I’ve also been spotted in Tesco here next to the hospital.

My fundraising through DJing has gone from strength to strength and long may it continue.”

If you would like to donate, please visit his fundraising page: royalsurreycharity.org.uk/fundraisers/the-dj-scratch-nhs-fundraising-vinyl-show

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CHRISTMAS

2021

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNERS NAMED AND SHOWCASED IN NEW CALENDAR

W Royal Surrey Charity Christmas cards Five brand new designs available, priced £3.95 per pack of ten cards with envelopes.

You can order online via our recently restocked shop: royalsurreycharity.org.uk/shop Or call us for more info on this year’s Christmas cards on 01483 464146.

ON SALE NOW !

ith an amazing response, of over 135 entries, the winning 12 photos are featured in our 2022 charity calendar.

Winning images were selected from the five categories: seasons, celebrations, wildlife, natural world and black and white.

Overall winning entry Nick Mardall’s ‘Autumn Rainbow’ will appear on the front cover of the calendar. Nick wins a family photography session with professional photographer and competition judge, Zoe Patman (Photography by Zoe). A huge thank you to all entrants and we’re looking forward Calenda rs to next year’s are now competition. available for just £10 . Visit: royalsur reych org.uk/s arity. hop

Royal Surrey Charity Matters | Autumn/winter 2021

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Help spread some festive cheer…

£20

could b uy bag fille a gift Christm d with as for our goodies patient s

re COVID

Photo taken befo

s a m t s i r h this C

PLEDGE A PRESENT Make a donation to our Pledge a Present Appeal and help ensure all patients spending Christmas at the Royal Surrey, Haslemere or Milford hospitals, as well as Cranleigh community patients, receive a gift to enjoy on Christmas day.

Registered Charity no: 1049776

To Pledge a Present: Visit royalsurreycharity.org.uk Or call 01483 464146

Or send a cheque made payable to ‘Royal Surrey Charity’ to: Pledge a Present, Royal Surrey Charity, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Egerton Road, Guildford, GU2 7XX

*If we raise more than is needed for the appeal, we will put your donation towards the area of greatest need within the hospital.