Thursday 13 December 2012

Some News from the Tow Path Tribe

[caption id="attachment_4550" align="alignleft" width="1024"]The cheque presentation The cheque presentation[/caption]

QEHBCWorcester's Tow Path Tribe have been in touch with news of the presentation they made recently to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity (QEHBC). You may remember they walked over 30 miles along the canal towpath from Birmingham back home to Worcester during the summer.

Here's their official report...

Close-knit colleagues from Smith News in Worcester completed a 31 mile sponsored walk in memory of much-loved colleague Nigel Dean.

The 13-strong team set out at 6am from Gas Street Basin in Birmingham and followed the canal towpath to Diglis Basin in Worcester, which they reached at 6pm.

The sponsored walk raised over £1,000 for the Critical Care Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) which cared for Nigel until he sadly passed away earlier this year after a brain haemorrhage.

Nigel worked for Smith News for 24 years and is greatly missed by his colleagues in the Copy Allocation department and his family, including wife Sharon and sister Jo.

Sharon and Jo both came to QEHB to help present the cheque to Anne Waller from QEHB Charity.

Sharon said: “QEHB is a wonderful hospital and the staff in the Critical Care unit were just fantastic. They were always willing to answer our questions and were always on the go, caring for patients. Although Nige lost his brave fight, the hospital did their absolute best for Nigel and I want to thank them so much. Nigel was a great Dad and husband – he crammed so much into his life. I and my boys waited for the walkers on the finish line to cheer them home - I hope the money they have raised will help other families cope with difficult times.”

As well as the sponsored walk, the team at Smith News also held a cake sale and other fundraising activities. Clare Morgan said: “Nigel was such a character with a big heart. We all miss him and our team walk was a way of remembering Nigel and the great times we had together. Many of Nigel’s clients contributed to the total - we had an amazing response.”

Erica Perkins, Critical Care Manager, added: “On behalf of the team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, I would like to thank Smith News for their fantastic fundraising. We are planning a number of environmental improvements in Critical Care, including making our relatives’ rooms more comfortable by ordering additional furniture and hanging some new artwork. The money they have worked hard to raise will make a difference to the lives of patients and their relatives.”

As well as the pictured Certificate of Appreciation, the team also received a lovely letter of thanks from QEHBC.  NB the £1118 raised is in addition to the £2225 already donated to Acorns Children’s Hospice also on behalf of Nigel.  A fantastic achievement by the team.

1 comment:

  1. Mark Cashmore, Chief Executive20 December 2012 at 12:26

    It's always good to see follow-up stories with the local charities everyone is supporting. Congratulations on such a terrific sum raised, especially in view of the poignant reason for your fundraising.

    ReplyDelete