The first of at least two wheelchairs to be purchased for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust by a local lodge of Buffaloes has been handed over.
The Wheely Big Appeal – which aims to raise £24,000 to buy 30 new indoor wheelchairs – has had great support from King’s Lynn and District Provincial Grand Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.
Provincial Grand Primo Chris Framingham chose the appeal as his charity of the year following his investiture in January.
Chris is a fervent supporter of The QEH where his late father, Tony, was cared for over a long spell and his daughter, Sarah, is employed as a Senior Healthcare Assistant. One of Chris’s roles with the lodge is hospital visitor to colleagues so he regularly sees the use and importance of Trust wheelchairs.
He said: “When I saw the launch of the Wheely Big Appeal, I decided that I would do my best to support it. This is the first of a minimum of two wheelchairs which we’ll be sponsoring as a lodge and we’re very happy to do so.”
The first wheelchair, which was officially handed over last week, bears a sponsorship panel at the back dedicated to the memory of Tony who was a member of the order for 70 years.
Chris’s son, Mark, is also a member of the lodge and joined his father at the hospital for the official handover, along with Provincial Grand Secretary Walter Rogers.
Claire Roberts, the Trust’s Associate Director of Patient Experience, said: “We’re very grateful to the Buffaloes for their generous donation. The community is continuing to show wonderful support for our Wheely Big Appeal and patients at the hospital are already benefiting as we are able to make more wheelchairs available for daily use.”
The total raised in the Wheely Big Appeal now stands at £19,477.
Anybody wishing to support the Wheely Big Appeal can send a cheque payable to Wheely Big Appeal to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn, Gayton Road, King’s Lynn, PE30 4ET or donate to: www.justgiving.com/qehkl-wheelybigappeal
For further information please contact, Laurence Morlaàs, Fundraising Executive, on 01553 613373 or email laurence.morlaas@qehkl.nhs.uk
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