Giving back to you: 2023 in review
As the year draws to a close, we take this month to look back at a few highlights of a fantastic 2023.
January saw our 2022 fundraiser, Josh Wright, present an Accuvein to our paediatric community team. Josh spent the previous year running, climbing mountains and swimming amongst other things as he set himself a challenge a month. The result, apart from a tired Josh, was over £3000. The Accuvein helps staff easily see veins meaning taking bloods and cannulating is much easier on their young patients. It’s always amazing to show our fundraisers just what they have achieved and the difference they have made.
February saw us present more items to a variety of teams. From distraction toys to help pregnant mums stop smoking, bladder scanners for our cardiology and stroke wards, nebulisers to help young patients in the community with respiratory problems and pressure sore mirrors which are pocket sized and were given to staff across the Trust to help them spot any patches which could potentially become a sore. The areas we support are incredibly varied which means your donations are vital to help us enhance the care they all give.
March allowed us to welcome donors to our Queens Platinum Jubilee Garden at the Newmarket Community Hospital. Led by fundraiser, James Lay, the donations he gathered allowed us to provide a beautiful space for both staff and visitors. We also buried a time capsule with the help of the Laureate Academy.
April was a little buzzy as we donated two Buzzy4shots to the day surgery unit. These little buzzy bees and ladybirds have proved so successful at distracting young patients when they need to have bloods taken or need to be cannulated, that we have now bought more for another four areas of the hospital.
May was full of sparkle as we told you all about a very special book. When I See A Sparkle was written by the Trust’s associate director of communications and illustrated by local artist, Kim Whittingham. It’s aim is for bereaved parents to ‘see their sparkle’ every where they go. It was a pleasure to work on this project and these books are now in the memory boxes that are given to all parents who sadly need to use the bereavement suite we provided on the maternity unit.
June meant warmer weather and a visit from our adopted horse, Papineau to the patients at the Newmarket Community Hospital. Pappy is a retired racehorse and belongs to the Godolphin Stud in Newmarket. The joy he brings is just fantastic and we can’t wait for more visits in 2024.
July meant celebrating the NHS’ 75 birthday. Schools, tea shops, businesses and friends all held their own NHS Big Tea’s to mark the occasion and to raise money to help us enhance care.
August involved a headshave as our fundraiser, Sharon Hardy, braved the shave. Sharon did this for her close friend Alan Batt who was cared for on the Macmillan unit. Alans wife helped with the task and together over £1250 was raised for our appeal to provide a family counsellor for those supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment.
September saw our fourth, and most successful Soapbox Challenge to date. With 14 teams bringing some fantastic soapboxes to race down Mount Road in Bury, the crowds were certainly entertained.
October finally saw us open the Butterfly Garden. This project has been a passion to the team and to open the doors for all to see it was just wonderful. The aim of the garden and its room is for end-of-life patients to enjoy some time with their loved ones, including pets, as they prepare to say goodbye. The end of the month saw the first guests who used the space for a wedding. We are just so thrilled that our vision is now complete and that we were able to help make this couples day so special.
November allowed us to support staff training with the purchase of a CPR monitor. This device shows staff how to accurately administer CPR, ensuring they are confident in their resuscitation skills if needed.
December… and here we are at the end of an amazing year. We will be working hard this month to ensure each and every patient receives a Christmas present on the big day. We achieve this by our Virtual Christmas Gift Appeal and you can find out more and donate a ‘gift’ at www.mywishcharity.co.uk/event/christmas.
This run down really is just the icing on the cake. We had so many stories to share and it was hard to try and pinpoint one thing for each month. So, finally, we just want to thank everyone who has supported us over the past 12 months. We know you donate to us because the care you or a loved one at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has received has been incredible. We love to show you the difference you’ve made so thank you to you all 💜
WiSHing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year x