Author: inlife

Kind-hearted people from across Leicester and Leicestershire have raised a huge £39,000 for a new neonatal ventilator and other equipment that will save countless lives.

More than 360 people from 15 local and national businesses came together with NHS staff at Leicester Hospitals Charity’s first ever Heroes Ball on Saturday 27 November to raise money for life-saving equipment.

The event, hosted by BBC Radio Leicester presenter Ady Dayman at Winstanley House in Leicester, also focussed heart and minds on the impact of Covid over the last 18 months, remembering those whose lives had been lost and paying tribute to the heroic NHS staff who have worked tirelessly to protect their patients throughout the pandemic.

Money was raised through a live and silent auction with prizes ranging from Nevill Holt Opera tickets to furniture from Charles Bentley Furniture, match day hospitality tickets at Leicester City FC and a round of golf with Foxes legend Gerry Taggart.

The ventilator will mean that the neonatal team at Leicester Royal Infirmary will be able to care for its 1,600 babies a year with the most up-to-date equipment. The money will also be used to fund other desperately needed equipment across the hospital.

Dr Jonathan Cusack, Consultant Neonatologist and Deputy Clinical Director for Children’s Services said:

“We are hugely grateful for such a generous donation. The Leicester neonatal services has around 1,600 admissions a year and cares for some of the smallest and sickest babies. This equipment will help to save the lives of many babies that are unable to breathe on their own.

“The neonatal unit in Leicester is expanding as part of the hospital’s plans for a new maternity hospital and this donation could not have come at a better time. On behalf of the babies we look after – a big thank you to all who donated.”

Corporate sponsors BVM Medical, Berkeley Insurance Group and the Thakrar Foundation also kindly funded tables for 90 hospital staff to join in the celebrations, in thanks for all they’ve done to care for the people of Leicestershire.

A key corporate sponsor was Leicester wholesaler, Anand International. Vic Sethi, said:

“It was an excellent event with great entertainment, speeches and food. We, the Anand and Sethi family, are honoured to be sponsoring the NHS as we owe it to them. This is the least we can do to show our appreciation for their hard work. We are so grateful and proud of everyone working directly or indirectly for the NHS. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the NHS at all times.”

Lisa Davies, Director of Leicester Hospitals Charity, said:

“To see so many businesses get involved and give so generously was incredibly heart-warming and we cannot thank them enough. The difference this will make to the lives of so many babies and their families when they are most in need is huge.”

The bells at Leicester’s historic cathedral were rung yesterday in honour of people across Leicestershire & Rutland living with cancer and to mark the launch of Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Chemotherapy Suite Christmas Appeal.

Canon Emma Davies and Chemotherapy Suite nurse Rachael Purves rang the bells to symbolise the end-of-treatment bell that patients who receive chemotherapy at the Osborne Building of the Leicester Royal Infirmary ring upon completion of their treatment programme.

Leicester Hospitals Charity is raising £600,000 over the coming year to provide six brand-new chemotherapy treatment chairs and also transform a currently unused balcony into a new treatment area The charity’s Christmas Appeal is hoping to raise £5,000 – enough for one of these important new treatment chairs.

Hinckley resident Jon Wright, 53, is one of the patients currently making regular visits to the Chemotherapy Suite after he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer on Christmas Eve in 2020.

“After Christmas last year, I had the heartbreak of telling my sons that, in my early 50s, I have terminal lung cancer,” says Jon.

“I told them that the doctors will try to keep me alive for as long as possible. It was the hardest moment of my life and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I had to admit to my boys that I would not live to see them grow up and reach important milestones.”

Jon is urging the public to help patients like him to live longer and have a chance of living cancer-free by donating to Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Chemotherapy Suite Christmas Appeal this Christmas.

“Every three weeks I have treatment at the chemotherapy suite to boost my immune system,” says Jon. “I still use one of those chairs, but there are not enough of them for everyone. Waiting times are long and Covid has only made this worse.

“With your support, Leicester Hospitals Charity will help to allow an extra six patients to receive treatment at any one time. It may not sound a lot, but it will mean that more patients like me will have a chance to live longer, or unlike me, have a chance to ring that bell.”

Jon’s consultant, Professor Samreen Ahmed, says people will help to save lives by supporting the charity’s appeal.

“What we need urgently is more chairs to treat more patients and save more lives. Please, if you can, make a gift to Leicester Hospitals Charity this Christmas, to secure a new chair for the chemotherapy suite.

“This chair will help save the lives of many people living with cancer in our area and we look forward to more bells being rung, directly as a result of the generosity of people across our community.”

Canon Emma Davies said it was an “honour” to ring the Cathedral bells in support of the appeal.

“I hope that our bells will sound a note of hope for people living with cancer and their families across this city and county, and that many people will be helped through the money which will be raised,” Canon Davies said.

Last year, 7,600 people were diagnosed with cancer in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland. The Chemotherapy Suite at the Osborne Building at the Leicester Royal Infirmary has been in operation for over 20 years.

Over the past two decades, many new cancer treatments have been developed and delivered through immunotherapy and chemotherapy. While this has been excellent news for cancer patients, it means that the Leicester Royal Infirmary does not have the space to treat the number of patients in a timely manner. Therefore, patients have to wait longer for treatment, with delays impacting their quality of life.

The success of the Chemotherapy Suite Appeal will allow almost 4,000 more treatments to be given each year and reduce waiting times.

Anyone wanting to make a gift to Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Chemotherapy Suite Christmas Appeal can do so now at LHCharity.org.uk/Christmas, or by calling 0116 258 8709.

The successful major step towards giving Leicester and the East Midlands its first ever stand-alone children’s hospital was marked today with a special event held at King Power Stadium.

Fundraisers and supporters of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal joined staff from Leicester’s Hospitals at the home ground of Leicester City Football Club to celebrate the completion of the £7.5million fundraising appeal and the impact it will have on the region’s children for decades to come.

Reaching the target has allowed the first Phase for the new Leicester Children’s Hospital to be completed – moving the world-renowned East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre (EMCHC) to its state-of-the-art new home in the Kensington Building at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The new facilities will enable more patients to be seen under one roof, reducing waiting times, providing faster diagnosis, treatment and discharge and eliminate the need for delicate patients to be routinely transferred between multiple hospital sites.

Over the coming years, the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will continue to support University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) to relocate all remaining children’s services to the Kensington Building, giving the East Midlands its first ever single-site children’s hospital.

Chair of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, Stephen Woolfe, hailed the completion of Phase One of the project as a ‘fantastic achievement’.

“All of us involved with this landmark project are delighted that we’ve reached this remarkable milestone,” says Stephen.

“To have raised £7.5million shows how much the people of Leicester care about giving our children the new hospital they deserve. We are deeply grateful to all of the families, businesses and community groups who contributed towards helping to make this achievement possible.”

Lisa Davies, director of Leicester Hospitals Charity who runs the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal, says the charity are ‘in awe’ of the support the appeal has received.

“This is, by far, the single biggest project that our charity has ever been involved with and we are overjoyed to see Phase One completed on schedule,” says Lisa.

“We’ve been truly in awe of the support shown by our community to help us do our children proud – not just the volume of people, but the lengths many of them have gone to help. We are delighted to celebrate all of them here today and say a heartfelt thank you to all who showed such unwavering support – even during the midst of a pandemic.”

The moving story of Leicester resident and appeal fundraiser Asiya Parekh’s young son, Yahya, inspired the Muslim community to raise over £250,000 for the campaign. After living years beyond expectations despite being born with multiple complex heart conditions, Yahya sadly died last year.

“When my husband and I saw the new children’s heart facilities, I cried tears of sadness and joy all at once,” says Asiya.

“This new hospital is now the beginning of so many journeys. So many new days will rise from here for so many mothers just like me, and babies just like mine. Everyone here today has played their part in making this dream a reality for the city of Leicester.”

Anyone wanting to contribute towards the future efforts of the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal can visit DoThemProud.com to donate, sign up as a supporter or learn more about the appeal, or can follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud.

A £1,000 donation from charity Welfare for Humanity to the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal has been hailed as “amazing” by Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth.

Local charity Welfare for Humanity – set up by British Muslims with shared cultural heritage from the Daman region of India – has donated £1,000 to help support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal’s efforts to create a dedicated, single-site children’s hospital in Leicester.

The generous sum of £1,000 was presented to hospital staff at the Leicester Royal Infirmary this morning by Welfare For Humanity representatives Riyazzuddin Ramjanali, Ramzan Ibraimo and Shabaz Nurmamado.

The donation was made in the presence of Leicester South MP and Shadow Health Secretary, The Rt Hon Jon Ashworth MP, who was in attendance at the Infirmary for the presentation.

Mr Ashworth said he wanted to show his appreciation for the community’s support of the city’s NHS Trust hospitals and the efforts to develop the East Midlands’ first-ever dedicated children’s hospital.

“I congratulate the Daman Community here in Leicester for raising this amazing sum for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal,” Ashworth said.

“This very kind donation will help to make the hospitals here in Leicester even better.”

Welfare For Humanity’s Shabaz Nurmamado said the Daman community were proud to show their appreciation for the hard-working NHS staff in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland.

“We have decided to offer this donation for the Children’s Hospital project in Leicester in saying a big thank you to the Hospital and their committed staff for their dedicated services,” said Shabaz. “The community is pleased to contribute to this project, which is an exciting development that will be a valuable addition for our children.”

Lisa Davies, director of Leicester Hospitals Charity – who run the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal – expressed her gratitude to Welfare For Humanity for their generosity.

“We are incredibly grateful to the entire Daman community here in Leicester for wanting to show how much they value our hospitals and the staff who work in them,” said Lisa.

“Having recently completed phase one of our children’s hospital project and successfully moved our world-renowned children’s heart services to their new home at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, this donation helps us as we look forward to bringing all our children’s services together under one roof in a state-of-the-art facility.”

The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal is run by Leicester Hospitals Charity and has successfully raised £7.5million to support the relocation of the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre from Glenfield Hospital to its new home at the Kensington Building at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal will continue to fundraise to help consolidate all of the children’s services at Leicester’s Hospitals together at the Kensington Building, giving the East Midlands its very first dedicated children’s hospital.

A 101-year-old Leicester woman will be the oldest person in England to host a NHS Big Tea party to celebrate 73 years of the National Health Service today.

Gladys Taylor, 101 from Anstey, was the honorary host of an NHS Big Tea held at George Hythe House Residential Home in Leicester to celebrate the NHS’s official birthday.

Raising money for NHS Charities Together – specifically for Leicester Hospitals Charity – NHS Big Tea events are being held across the UK today as people show their appreciation for the health service and the staff who work within it.

Natasha Cunningham, care home manager at George Hythe House, says residents have been looking forward to the event ever since a member of staff suggested that the home should hold one.

All of our residents and staff here at George Hythe House have been excited about our Big Tea today to show our appreciation for the NHS,” says Natasha.

“As our oldest resident, Gladys is especially appreciative for the NHS and particularly our local hospitals here in Leicester after she spent ten days in hospital being treated for covid and pneumonia last year.

“It’s been such a tough time for our residents and our staff with lockdown restrictions meaning that our residents have been unable to have visits from their families and loved ones and even unable to socialise with each other. So being able to come together to throw a tea party like this to say thank you to the NHS is something that means the world to all of our residents here at the House.”

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Head of Fundraising, Claire Campbell, thanked the residents and staff of George Hythe House for their show of support.

“We’re deeply thankful to everyone at George Hythe House for holding a Big Tea to raise money for our charity,” says Claire. “We are especially proud to boast the oldest NHS Big Tea host in the nation with the lovely Gladys still enjoying a celebratory cuppa at 101-years-young!

“The NHS birthday is always a special time for us at Leicester Hospitals Charity and we massively appreciate everyone at the House and across Leicestershire & Rutland who’ll be raising a mug in gratitude to our amazing hospital staff who have worked so hard over the last 18 months on the front line.”

George Hythe House care operators Midlands Care have pledged to match donations to Leicester Hospitals Charity if they reach £250.

To donate to the House’s fundraising efforts, visit their fundraising page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GeorgeHytheHouse

Seven community projects in Leicester supporting local people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic will be boosted by a share of £490,000 thanks to a Community Partnership Grant from NHS Charities Together.

Delivered through a partnership between the three local NHS Charities, Leicester Hospitals Charity, Raising Health (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust) and East Midlands Ambulance Charitable Fund, seven grants were made to support communities affected by the highest levels of deprivation and greatest health inequalities.

The grants are a first step in a combined desire between the partnership groups to help ‘level up’ NHS services for the most vulnerable people in our communities as the region emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 40 local charities and projects applied to receive a grant, with the seven recipients chosen for their focus on supporting vulnerable and marginalised people in our communities.

Leicester Hospitals Charity Director, Lisa Davies, says the group of the three local NHS charities are proud to support these important local projects through these grant awards.

“The pandemic has impacted all of us, but people in our community who are vulnerable and the community charities who support them have been hit particularly hard,” says Lisa.

“Through this funding from NHS Charities Together, we are delighted to lend a helping hand to these seven important projects as they support people in our communities. As we emerge from the pandemic over the coming years, we’re proud that these grants will help our communities to recover.

“For us at Leicester Hospitals Charity and our partners at Raising Health and East Midlands Ambulance Charitable Fund, we all see this moment in time as an important opportunity to create a positive legacy from Covid. Nothing can undo the difficulties and hurt the pandemic has caused, but we are all determined to help make our health services even better for those who need them most.”

The charities and community projects named as beneficiaries of this NHS Charities Together grant are:

– Enrych – empowering adults living with a disability, particularly who are socially isolated, to live active and independent lives.

– Reaching People – supporting older vulnerable people with mental health, wellbeing, housing, benefits and money advice.

– Centre for Fun & Families –supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing through 121s and groupwork programmes covering anxiety, low-mood, low confidence and self-harm.

– Home Start Horizons – providing one-to-one family support and post-natal illness specialist support for families in BAME communities

– Leicester City in the Community – “United Leicester”, supporting adult mental health through sport, offering activities around education, community engagement, and health and wellbeing.

– Rural Community Council – supporting adult mental health across Melton Mowbray and Rutland by providing intensive one-to-one support individuals considered ‘high intensity’

– Leicester Academic Health Partnership – supporting research into health inequalities pertaining to NHS trusts. Working to understand the inequalities in health care that affect those who experience poorer outcomes as service users.

Two grateful fathers who feel a personal debt of gratitude to Leicester’s Hospitals are stepping up to support the Trust by becoming Leicester Hospitals Charity’s first ever Community Champions.

As the nation celebrates Volunteers’ Week, Leicester Hospitals Charity proudly announces that John Nowell of Leicester and Jason Howling of Peterborough will be the charity’s inaugural fundraising figureheads.

By raising awareness as well as funds for the charity, Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Community Champions will play a vital role in supporting all three of Leicester’s Hospitals.

Veteran helicopter pilot John Nowell says he felt compelled to give back after Leicester’s Hospitals helped to save his son’s life back in the 1980s.

“My third son, Nicholas, was born at 26 weeks,” explains John. “Without doubt, the staff of the Leicester Children’s Hospital saved his life during his year-long stay in hospital.

“At one point, he was transported to Glenfield Hospital for a major operation to have the upper part of one lung removed. Today he is a great big strapping chap with a terrific sense of humour!

To give back, John will be raising funds for Leicester Hospitals Charity by collecting and recycling metal cans and tins at Glenfield Hospital.

“As we have all seen over the past 18 months, our NHS has faced perhaps the most challenging situation this century and it is to their credit that they are winning,” says John.

“We, the people of Leicestershire & Rutland, can support Leicester Hospitals Charity by simply donating your used aluminium cans to generate funds to enable the NHS to become even more efficient and save even more lives.”

The charity’s second Community Champion, Jason Howling, is determined to give back to Leicester’s Hospitals as their continue to provide treatment to his newborn son.

“Back in December, we had our third child, Arthur,” Jason explains.

“A few days after he was born, he became very unwell and was quickly transferred to the Leicester Royal Infirmary with what turned out to be a hole in his stomach. He had surgery and was taken to the Children’s Intensive Care Unit for a few days before being well enough to move to Ward 10. Arthur underwent two further surgeries and spent nearly nine weeks in total on the ward.

“We were really impressed by the level of care we received over those weeks – Arthur was so well looked after, but they looked after us as parents, too! His surgeons did an incredible job of making him better. He spent four weeks with a stoma in the hospital during the second lockdown which we were supported in caring for. The nurses were exceptional given what they were going through at the time. We’ve never met such a kind group of people.”

Jason says he’ll be taking part in Leicester Hospitals Charity events and encouraging others to join him to help other families like his.

“We know that the NHS will do what they need to do for their patients, but there’s a whole host of things around that care which Leicester Hospitals Charity help with. There’s a whole load of things the NHS does to support parents and people who are going through what is, potentially, the worst time of their lives and support them – especially during COVID too.

“For myself and my partner, who wanted to be involved with this all the way through, we’re definitely going to be taking part in some of the charity’s fundraising events. I particularly fancy doing the Firewalk in October – something a little bit different I think! And when we can, we’d love to visit the staff on Ward 10 and show them how well Arthur is doing and how big he is now!”

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Head of Fundraising, Claire Campbell, thanked John and Jason for their efforts and encouraged others to put themselves forward to support their local hospitals.

“On this Volunteers’ Week, we’re delighted to have both John and Jason agree to become our first ever Community Champions,” says Claire.

“We want to create a movement of passionate local people who want to support our hospitals. Volunteering as a community champion is such a fulfilling way to help patients and staff across our three Leicester hospitals. John and Jason are fantastic role models for those who want to join them in benefiting the wider community.

“Anyone willing to give up some of their time to fundraise, volunteer or help spread the world about our work can become a Community Champion and help us make the care our hospitals’ patients receive even better into the future.”

To learn more about the Community Champions programme or for more information about Leicester Hospitals Charity, visit www.LHCharity.org.uk or call 0116 258 8709.

The blockbuster T20 Vitality Blast clash between Leicestershire Foxes and Notts Outlaws at the Uptonsteel County Ground on Friday 16 July will take on an even greater meaning as the event is held in aid of Leicester Hospitals Charity.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club will be showing their appreciation to the county’s NHS heroes by designating the match as an ‘NHS Thank You’ event.

The Running Foxes will host their East Midlands rivals and defending Vitality T20 Blast champions Notts Outlaws in a highly anticipated fixture of the summer for Leicestershire cricket fans.

A proportion of each ticket sold to the game will be donated to Leicester Hospitals Charity, to support their efforts to enhance all three of Leicester’s Hospitals.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club CEO, Sean Jarvis, explained: ”We have all faced difficult and unprecedented times and we felt it was important as a Club to acknowledge the incredible work the NHS has provided to help so many people through it. We are hopeful our supporters and supporters of the NHS will help us achieve a complete sell-out to help raise funds for Leicester Hospitals Charity”.

Leicester Hospitals Charity’s Head of Fundraising, Claire Campbell, says the charity are “deeply grateful” to have the support of the club.

“We are touched and deeply grateful to Leicestershire County Cricket Club for choosing to raise money for our hospitals during one of the biggest games of the season,” says Claire.

“We know how appreciative people across Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland are of our hospital heroes who have worked so hard during this pandemic and how they will want to celebrate that during this T20 derby match. We all look forward to this match being a sell out and watching the Running Foxes smash Notts for six!”

Tickets to the match on Friday 16 July start from just £15 for adults at £7 for under-16s and are available to buy now at https://tinyurl.com/NHSLCCC.

While the event will be open to the public, Leicestershire County Cricket Club will take all necessary steps to ensure that all government guidelines are followed to allow spectators to enjoy the game safely.

The club will issue updates regarding the fixture closer to the time and encourage all spectators and fans looking to attend to keep a close eye on the club’s website and social media channels.

People in need of emergency hospital care across Leicestershire & Rutland will benefit from shorter waiting times and more efficient care thanks to the opening of the new Same Day Emergency Care unit (SDEC) at Glenfield Hospital.

Funded entirely through generous donations to Leicester Hospitals Charity by grateful patients and their loved ones, the brand new SDEC will be officially opened on Monday 29 March at Glenfield Hospital.

The opening of the £409,000 project marks a major development in how patients will receive emergency care, as low-risk patients will be seen faster, receive immediate diagnosis and a treatment plan before being discharged the same day.

Images courtesy Beth Walsh Photography

Consultant Respiratory Physician and clinical lead on the project, Dr Daniela Cristea-Nicoara, says the new SDEC unit will improve care for patients, free up hospital beds and help make better use of staff expertise.

“The new SDEC unit will redirect low-risk patients who present to the Clinical decision unit from the Emergency Department or the 111 NHS service to receive high quality same-day emergency care, rather than admitting them to hospital and putting them in a bed,” says Dr Cristea-Nicoara.

“This is all about improving the quality of care for patients and the ‘flow’ of patients through the hospital. It means more rapid assessments for these patients so they don’t have extended waits at the Emergency Department, they can be diagnosed almost immediately by a multidisciplinary team made up of doctors or other trained cardio-respiratory clinical staff. Then they get a treatment plan and can go home in a matter of hours.”

Work on the project was temporarily halted due to the clinical challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, but resumed shortly after following the efforts of the clinical staff involved in the project.

“We realised ‘wait a second, we have to keep going with this project,’ because having an operational SDEC unit would help so much during really difficult times like these,” explains Dr Daniela Cristea-Nicoara.

“So we resumed work on it and while it’s been a challenging year, we have finally reached a point where we can open the new unit, which is incredibly satisfying.

“For staff, the new SDEC is really beneficial, especially under the current pandemic. This will help to release beds, means patients can be out of the hospital faster and helps to reduce the risk of overcrowding in these important areas.”

The project was funded entirely through donations to Leicester Hospitals Charity by donors grateful for the care they received. The charity’s Head of Fundraising, Claire Campbell hailed the opening of the new SDEC as a moment of celebration for everyone involved.

“We are absolutely thrilled to see the new SDEC becoming fully operational and are deeply proud that Leicester Hospitals Charity has been able to fund this important project in its entirety,” says Claire.

“We have been blown away by the outpouring of support for our hospitals during this pandemic, but seeing the SDEC unit opening after work was originally halted is a true story of teamwork from the general public and our colleagues on the front line making this still happen despite the hardship of the pandemic.

“This achievement, so close to the anniversary of the start of the lockdown, is entirely down to the generosity of patients and their family and friends who have chosen to give a gift out of pure gratitude to our amazing hospital staff. I’d like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed particularly during this uncertain period”.

The new SDEC will be located near the South entrance of Glenfield Hospital and is expected to be fully operational from Monday 29 March.

Anyone who would like to make a donation to help support similar improvements to Leicester’s Hospitals can do so online at LHCharity.org.uk or by calling 0116 258 8709.

An inspiring new initiative from Pukaar News to show support and solidarity for keyworkers and those who affected by Covid-19 is helping to raise money for our Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

From 23 March – the first anniversary of national lockdown – you can pick up a beautiful ‘Always in our Thoughts’ badge with all proceeds shared between our appeal and fellow charity, Care Of Police Survivors (COPS).

Romail Gulzar, founder of Pukaar Group and the Always in our Thoughts campaign, says he wanted to pay tribute to all those who have fought to help those in need during the pandemic.

“Covid-19 has affected millions of people worldwide,” says Romail. The UK experienced a huge impact which has been met with an incredible effort by our key workers.

“This has put people under huge stress. Many have lost their lives, many are suffering with the long-term effects of the virus, and many have been left alone after their loved ones were taken from them.

“People have lost jobs or a portion of their income after being furloughed. Yet they have often staunchly continued to work to help others – despite the risks to their own health and wellbeing.

“I wanted to find some way to encourage all of us to repay the kindness of these workers. The Always In Our Thoughts campaign will provide donations to charities that support those in need during this crucial period.”

Lord Lieutenant Mike Kapur OBE, patron of Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal says he is thrilled that the Always in Our Thoughts campaign has chosen to support the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

“The difference this support will make to the lives of local children over the next five years will be felt by the communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for a long time to come,” says Mr Kapur.

“Despite the appalling impact Covid-19 has had, and will continue to have on many peoples’ lives, the development of the East Midlands first ever dedicated children’s hospital, here in Leicester, is such an optimistic project to get behind. The NHS has never been more in the forefront of all our minds and I look forward to wearing my flower with pride.”

Anyone who wants to get their own badge can do so online at www.alwaysinourthoughts.com

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