A ward at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) in Winchester has received a generous donation of £3,000 from the Winchester City Flyers football club.
The donation was given to the McGill Ward as a huge thank you to staff for all their hard work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The money will be used to refurbish the staff break room, where the team can enjoy a well-earned break and can take a moment to relax and re-charge.
Laura Osman, clinical matron of the McGill Ward at RHCH, run by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It has been a challenging time but knowing that the entire community has been behind us the whole time has made a real difference. We are so grateful that the Winchester Flyers team were thinking of us and decided to raise money in so many amazing ways - it’s so touching and a real boost to our team.
“There has been lots of excitement about what we are going to spend the money on. We have decided to put it towards refurbishing the staff break area. It is so important that the staff have an area where they can take some well-earned time out of a busy shift.”
Allan Higgs, chairman of Winchester Flyers football club, said: "Our club secretary Natalie Hodge works on the McGill Ward, which was one of the wards caring for COVID-19 patients in Winchester and so it seemed fitting to direct our efforts to them.
“We were so proud of all our club members for rising to the challenge and being able to give something back to our fabulous NHS.”
Girls aged 8-16 who are members of the club completed a range of fun activities to raise money including keepy-ups, walking a set distance, and completing chores that were then rewarded in the form of donations.
Allan added: “To be able to present this cheque gives us enormous pleasure and we are rightly proud of our club for such a community spirited engagement and of course, to the wonderful staff who have endured and coped during a truly awful time."
