Shortly before the holidays, staff and members of the public were invited to take part in a ‘12 Days of Christmas’ raffle which offered a range of prizes, from a cookery course with Hunters Academy of Food, a cinema pass for two and a visit to Sandringham Estate alongside eight hampers packed with a selection of seasonal goodies.
Tickets were sold for £1 each at the main reception, restaurant and ward areas, with proceeds going to Age UK Norfolk, which is focused on helping make Norfolk a great place to grow older, and King’s Lynn-based The Pandora Project, which provides emotional and practical support to women affected by domestic abuse as well as children and young people.
Following a successful draw, the proceeds have now been collected and presented to our worthy recipients, with Chief Executive Alice Webster and staff handing over cheques for £402 each to our good causes.
Alice commented: “This hospital is very lucky to have so many people and organisations supporting us and the work we do, as well as fundraising for our QEHKL Charity. So at Christmas, we all felt it was really important to give something back to the community we serve and show our TeamQEH support for some really wonderful causes.
“I’d like to thank all those who worked so hard to offer raffle and hamper prizes and to our staff and patients who gave so generously. It was wonderful to finally be able to hand over the proceeds to Pandora Project and Age UK Norfolk, with the final presentation taking place on Valentine’s Day.”
For Surjait Singh, who accepted a cheque as Vice Chair of Age UK Norfolk, his visit was a return to familiar territory. Surjait has worked as a doctor in Norfolk for 26 years, the last 23 as a consultant surgeon at The QEH. Caring for a predominantly elderly population in West Norfolk has provided valuable insight into their specific needs. He has been an advocate for the provision of accessible surgical services in rural areas.
He said: “This money will help us immensely, we know that there is more now we can do than ever before. With the rising cost of living, including energy prices we are hearing of people who are choosing between heating and eating which is very sad. The UK average population of over 65’s is 19% but here in Norfolk it is 25%.
“Our services support older people with information and advice, a befriending service, companionship, and digital inclusion. Thank you to The QEH for raising money to help provide these services for Age UK Norfolk.”
In accepting their cheque, the Pandora Project’s CEO said: “We are extremely grateful to the QEH team for fundraising for our charity and raising awareness of domestic abuse, in addition to the fantastic work they already do. One in four women will experience abuse in their lifetime from a loved one or a family member, the people they should be able to trust.
We rely on donations and fundraising to keep our services running, to enable us to support around 600 women and children a year, and help them to move forward with their lives. We will use this money for resources for our adult team.”
Ends.
Notes to editors;
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