Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year nomination – Blythe Bridge High School fundraisers

Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year nomination – Blythe Bridge High School fundraisers

Blythe Bridge High School pupils organised a series of fundraisers to help improve the hospital stays of patients at the Royal Stoke University Hospital’s Older Adults wards.

They put together Hug in a Bag care packages including toiletries, puzzles and sweets and also donated more than £1,000 raised with an afternoon tea, disco and raffle in school.

As well as delivering the care packages to patients in person the students were able to find out more about how the wards are run and how UHNM Charity-funded projects have helped make a difference to patient care and experience.

The fundraising was the idea of teacher Laura Pheasey following a stay in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Laura said: “We have absolutely loved the opportunity to deliver the Hug in a Bag packages in person and see the impact it’s had on patients. It has been the most powerful, inspiring and humbling opportunity and the students are so grateful for this.

“Our fundraising has gone really well. As a school everybody is so involved with this and so on board it’s great. Money.”

Jane Havard, Senior Sister for Ward 80, said: “As they walked around you could see the patients warming to having younger people on the wards. It brought tears to the eyes of some of them, as it showed people care and think of them. It’s great to see people of this age group care for older members of the community.”

Amanda Jayne Woolley, Lead Diversional Therapist for Ward 81, added: “It gave me goosebumps. Some of our patients can get quite lonely but they loved seeing the young people and you can’t put a price on seeing the smiles on their faces. We’re all so grateful.”

The Blythe Bridge High School fundraising team has been nominated in the Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.