NHS staff enjoy treat as local mosque provides lunch

Around 20 staff from Walsall Palliative Care Centre tucked into free food and drink, freshly baked samosas and sweet treats, at the Goscote Lane facility to mark Eid al-Adha, a Muslim celebration of sacrifice, which took place on June 16.

The UKIM Aisha Mosque in Walsall, which attracts between 1,000 and 1,500 worshippers to its Palfrey headquarters every Friday, supplied the treats on Wednesday and gave Walsall Healthcare colleagues the chance to take a break and enjoy the refreshments.

Worshipper Nawazish Arif, External Relations-in-Charge at the mosque, helped organise the event via the Union of Muslim Organisations (UMO) and Well Wishers, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s charity.

She said: “We do a lot of outreach community work where we volunteer to help in the community for those who provide a vital services in the wider community.

"Eid is all about sharing food with family, friends and the community and spending time together.

“In terms of palliative care, we need to appreciate the work the staff do because it’s not easy for them.

"What they do is a very important part of the NHS for the community.”

Fellow worshipper Shehla Ziaee said she had a positive experience of the Palliative Care Centre, as her sister-in-law’s sister Shabila Mahmood died in 2017 after being cared for there.

She said: “We do this partly to celebrate Eid but also to acknowledge the staff and the dedication they put into what they do.

“We’ve had a really good response too as staff were peering through the window then joining us so it’s been nice.

“We’ve chatted to them and they’re really grateful for what we have done.

"They have asked when we’re coming back so it’s good to be appreciated and acknowledged.

“I remember Shabila spending her last days at the centre and she looked so calm and at ease.

“We stayed with her on her last day and the staff were so considerate and accommodating.

"They gave us a bed so the siblings could alternate spending time with Shabila and didn’t rush us.”

Katy Menear, deputy Palliative Care Lead, said: “It’s really important to have the local community celebrate the importance of Eid.

"It’s great to have a celebration supported by local people and with some lovely food as well!”

Charlotte Morris, clinical team lead on Fair Oaks Daycare Centre, said: “It’s lovely to have samosas bought for us but also to engage with the community and integrate more with people and to find out how they want to help us.”

Georgie Westley, Well Wishers’ fundraising manager, said: “We have a really good relationship with the mosque and it was lovely of the worshippers to think of our staff and put on a spread for them. Colleagues really appreciate their generosity and we thank them.”