Hospital donate over £4,700 to several charities last year

During 2024, colleagues at Spire Little Aston Hospital have raised and donated over £4,700 to several charities.

Hospital colleagues started the year off by raising £700 for Help for Heroes during their annual staff party. Their donations went towards the Armed Forces community and making sure they have the opportunity to live well after service.

In March, the Spire Eye Centre team took part in a one-mile blindfolded walk raising £600 for Focus Birmingham. The local charity provides high quality, innovative services to blind, visually impaired and those with profound disabilities across the West Midlands. During the walk the team experienced the challenges that blind and partially sighted people overcome each day.

The reception and outpatients team encouraged colleagues in April to guess how many sweets were in a jar. A donation of £167 from staff was made to the National Autistic Society, a charity who run specialist schools, campaign for improved rights and train companies to be more autism-friendly.

Nova Mahon, Supplies Co-ordinator, took on the Jurassic Coast Ultra challenge in May in support of Mind; the challenge consisted of continuous walking for 100-kilometres on the Dorset coastline. Nova raised over £730 for Mind, which will go towards supporting individuals suffering with mental health issues.

In June, Erica Poxon, Theatre Administrator, completed the Tissington Trail for charity, a 20-kilometre walk from Ashbourne to Buxton. Erica raised over £600 for the British Heart Foundation, the biggest independent funder of heart and circulatory research in the United Kingdom. The funds raised will go towards finding cures and treatments.

Further funds were raised in June with Clodagh Moane, Customer Sales Advisor, taking part in the Tough Mudder 5-kilometre obstacle course for Cancer Research UK. A total of £450 was raised for this cause and will help fund scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner and provide cancer information to the public.

Throughout July, Beth Wiles, Catering Assistant ran the 72-mile distance of Damascus to Beirut, to raise money for the British Red Cross supporting people fleeing violence, conflict and climate-related disasters. With the help of her colleagues, Beth raised £250.

Colleagues also raised an additional £485 in September by hosting a Macmillan coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

To mark Remembrance Day in November, poppies were sold in the hospital to support the Royal British Legion. Hospital teams donated over £110 to the cause, supporting members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families.

Over the festive period the Sutton Coldfield-based hospital hosted a range of charitable activities, raising £600 for Midland International Aid Trust (MIAT), an organisation who support underprivileged communities globally. Professor Rashid Gatrad, Consultant Paediatrician at Little Aston and CEO of MIAT hosted a charity book sale in December. This was followed by colleagues at Little Aston made donations and raised further funds by participating in Christmas Jumper Day and a Christmas themed quiz.

Ed Ireland, Hospital Director at Spire Little Aston Hospital, said: “Spire Little Aston Hospital are proud to support a number of charities, and I would personally like to thank colleagues for taking part in the 2024 charity drive. It is inspiring to see so many people giving their time and efforts to raise funds for such a wide range of causes. In addition to working every day to make a positive difference to people’s lives through outstanding personalised care, we at Spire Little Aston also believe in giving back to our local communities and making a positive contribution to society wherever we can.”