BUSINESSES are being urged to back a charity scheme aiming to help put a smile on the faces of people in hospital this Christmas.
Colleague Box has partnered with Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity – which also covers the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital – for the initiative.
It was launched by Natalie and Adam Bamford after being touched when their daughter received a present during a stay on a ward in 2021.
Natalie said:
“She was really poorly with a virus that they actually couldn’t treat in the end, but all day she’d been unwell and gradually got worse and worse until it got to Christmas evening and I called 111 because her temperature was not going down.
“They advised us to take her to hospital, then did observations on her for a few hours before letting us go back home in the early hours of the morning.
“She received a unicorn game and I just remember thinking ‘what a lovely touch this is” and we were able to talk about how Santa can even get to hospitals on Christmas Day.
“It was really touching and it managed to put a smile on her face, even though she was very poorly.
“It really made me realise and feel grateful because there would be children and other patients having to stay in for that Christmas period.”
In the past the hospitals charity has tried to give a present to every patient across its hospitals who are spending Christmas Day in hospital – equating to around 2,000 gifts for adults and children.
But this year the campaign has been opened up to the community with Colleague Box working to put together gifts for patients being cared for on 25th December.
Rachael Vowles, head of stakeholder management and marketing at Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity, said:
“Some patients may not have any family or loved ones around them and so it’s really important for our charity to help to spread a little joy on Christmas Day by providing a gift.
“Our charity team work alongside our dedicated hospital teams each year to make sure all the gifts are distributed to every single ward across five hospitals in time for the big day.
“Colleague Box has been brilliant. They really listened to us and have come up with a beautiful list of gifts that we will be very proud to give to our patients at Christmas.
“We hope that businesses will come on board to back our Christmas campaign – and in turn we will repay their generosity through brand awareness in our hospitals.”
For details on how to support the Christmas gifting campaign, visit www.colleaguebox.co.uk/derbyhospitals.