A special thank you to our supporters

Dedicated fundraisers, volunteers and friends of My WiSH Charity were “thanked” for their contributions over the past year at a celebratory evening dedicated to their efforts.

Held at Ashlar House, in Eastern Way, Bury St Edmunds, dozens of people flocked to the location which was organised by the charity.

They were treated to drinks on arrival and later sat down to tea, coffee and cakes along with speeches by four key people linked to the organisation.

It was a chance for them to link up with fellow fundraisers who between them have raised thousands of pounds for the charity, which enhances patient care and support staff working across the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, over the past year.

From those who organise regular bingo sessions to individuals skydiving and road and park runners to cake sellers along with golf days and walkers, there was a myriad of people’s endeavours which were highlighted.

Between them they have helped to purchase equipment and material for both the West Suffolk and Newmarket hospitals plus items for use in the community health care programme.

That includes contribution towards the opening of the Butterfly Garden at the hospital in Bury St Edmunds which provides a tranquil space for end-of-life patients and their families, funding a patient forum day for patients being treated for cancer and hosting the Soapbox Challenge.

The charity has been able to continue to fund the Trust to employ extra staff members and provide items and equipment to support them and their patients including a psychologist for staff support, a counsellor for patients being treated for cancer, activity packs for patients that have suffered a stroke, Accuvein viewing devices for easier cannulation and blood taking, away days for paediatric diabetic patients and their families, items for a comfort pack for end of life patients’ loved ones, CD players for the wards, vascular training aids for staff in the Emergency Department, exercise equipment for patient rehabilitation, rooms that patients are given bad news in more of a calming environment, providing refreshments and provisions for a monthly wellbeing day for patients being treated for cancer, a bladder scanner for Ward G5 and toys in the community for play and rehabilitation.

Joanne Landucci, the charity’s head of fundraising, said that the event was about “celebrating you” the fundraisers.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to show the difference of your support and what it makes and the incredible impact of your fundraising.

“Tonight is about celebrating you; our valued supporters, volunteers and friends of My WiSH.”

The three other speakers all praised and thanked the efforts of those attending the event which took place on Tuesday, 9 September.

Dan Spooner, the chief nurse, said that after attending last year he was keen to return to thank everyone.

“After last year I was really keen to come back and say thank you again to you all because it was a really heartwarming, validating experience to be in a room with so many people who have got West Suffolk Foundation Trust at the heart of what they do.

“What we do every day in healthcare is really hard. It’s hard for our patients that access it, it’s hard for the staff working in healthcare both emotionally and physically and the work that you do makes that a little easier and a little brighter.

“A massive thank you and it’s such a privilege to be in a room with people that have such a positive impact on our staff across our professions and our patients.”

Jules Parker, the Macmillan Information Centre manager, said: “Our aim is to help make a patient a person again so with the help of My WiSH we do activities so we can keep up their fitness, we also have counselling for our patients at a really rough time so that they can speak to someone in a safe space about how they’re feeling.

“We have the lovely Mama B’s where a local hairdresser opens his salon once a month where our patients go in and have full treatment … and these impacts on our patents are massive.

“I see day to day that the lovely fundraising that you do makes them not a patient any more but a real person and brings them back to themselves.

“We put in a six week ‘Hope’ course where people are at the end of their treatment which My WiSH pays for and the feedback we have from that is amazing, it gives people a purpose and how they can move on from cancer.

“This all comes down to the extra things rather than the treatment and all comes from your fundraising and I can’t thank you all enough because I see the impact on how we transform people’s lives.”

And Jo Rackham, paediatric matron, added: “It’s really humbling to see what everyone does to raise funds for us.

“I asked our paediatric diabetes team to feed back to me, give me some info, on how My WiSH has supported them.

“They supported the catering for their parent education events, they’ve had off site engagement events that’s given peer support for young people who have been newly diagnosed or are managing their long-term condition, education materials for the newly diagnosed patients.

“We have also looked this year how we support and care for our young people with mental health issues or learning disabilities and I saw some of the pictures on the ward with the sensory equipment that money’s been raised for, but we’ve also looked at small things like things that can support with managing anxiety.

“Things that just make that difference for young people within our paediatric departments across the trust. They make such a difference to our patients every single day.

“I just want to thank all of you and thank everyone who thinks of us within paediatrics but thinks of the My WiSH Charity as a whole.”