Airedale Hospital and Community Charity has just published its 2020/2021 annual report which contains news from the charity between April 2020 and March 2021.
Airedale Hospital & Community Charity is the official charity of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. It cares for the patients, staff and communities across 700 square miles of West and North Yorkshire and East Lancashire.
The annual report details the notable events, fundraisers, donations and appeals that took place during the year, key statistics about the charity’s income and spend, how the charity has been able to support patients and staff at Airedale, as well as messages from the charity’s Chair Rhys Davies and Director of Corporate Affairs Victoria Pickles.
Thanks to the support and generous donations from the community, the charity raised a brilliant £485,000 in the year 2020/21. This included £159,000 in grant funding from NHS Charities Together, the charity that represents all of the NHS charities from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There were lots of young fundraisers that got involved to support the charity including Emilia Bailey who raised £800 litter picking, Ronnie Hearnshaw who raised £250 by walking 50km with his dog Frank, and St Anne’s Primary School in Keighley who raised over £2,500 during the school’s Health Week.
The charity also saw donations from local companies including Meritec, The Dog & Gun, Asda in Keighley and many more.
Through donations, fundraising and grants, the charity was able to fund important items and projects to improve patient experience and staff wellbeing.
This included creating a peaceful wellbeing garden for Airedale staff to enjoy breaks outdoors; protective AirFlow hoods for intensive care staff; iPads to allow virtual visiting; and activity boxes for patients to use on all wards. In total, the charity spent £62,000 on staff welfare, £50,000 on patient welfare, and £86,000 on medical equipment.
Victoria Pickles, Director of Corporate Affairs at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We launched the new look and name for Airedale Hospital and Community Charity in early 2020, with a new Strategy setting out our ambition of how the Charity would support our patients and our colleagues working in the Trust. We had no idea just how impactful it was going to be.
“The Covid-19 pandemic, while incredibly challenging for individuals and communities both in and out of hospital, brought a love and support for the NHS and the people who work within it that has, at times, been overwhelming. Our newly relaunched Charity has enabled us to ensure that our patients and colleagues within the Trust really see the benefit of the kindness and generosity of our local community, our patients, and their families.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported both the Trust and its Charity over the last 12 months from the bottom of my heart. Together we have been able to make a real difference for those who use and provide our services. From these very strong foundations, I look forward to the possibilities that the future will bring.”
You can find our annual report on the Charity Commission website: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/1050730/accounts-and-annual-returns.
(Photographed: Hayley and Lucy, Members of staff from Airedale’s Emergency Department – Photograph taken by Amina Abu El Hawa, Healthcare Support Worker at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust) )
