The families of two Liverpool NHS workers who lost their lives to coronavirus have welcomed the news that a fundraising appeal set up to support the city’s hospital workers has raised more than double its original target in just over a month.
The Support Our Staff appeal was launched by Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust last month to raise funds for staff working at Aintree, Broadgreen and the Royal Liverpool Hospitals. It has since received hundreds of donations from individuals and businesses, with over £230,000 currently raised, more than double the original fundraising target. The appeal has been so successful that the Trust has now increased its fundraising target to £300,000.
The funds will be used to kit out wellbeing rooms at the hospitals for staff working on the frontline against coronavirus as well as buying essential supplies for those staff who find themselves living in accommodation away from their families so they can support the city’s response to the virus.
Ray Moore, whose late wife, Barbara, worked as a discharge planner at Aintree University Hospital, said: “The NHS response to this pandemic has been awe inspiring and the staff working in our hospitals deserve as much support as we can give them. It is great to see that the Support Our Staff appeal has been so successful in such a short space of time and I am proud that my family were able to play our part in that. My late wife, Barbara, would have been so moved to see how the work of her dear NHS colleagues is being recognised by local people and businesses. This crisis has shown us who the true heroes in our society are and if any good can come from it then I hope it will leave us with a greater appreciation of those who work so tirelessly to keep us safe.”
Annmarie Glanister, whose late mother-in-law, Liz, was a nurse at Aintree, added: “People working in our hospitals do incredible work every day, caring for people in their time of need, and this pandemic has shone a spotlight on that. People have been incredibly generous and I hope the funds raised by this appeal go some way to showing everyone in the NHS just how valued they are. There could not be a better tribute to Liz, and to the colleagues and friends she has left behind.”
Dianne Brown, Chief Nurse at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The response to the Support Our Staff appeal has far exceeded our expectations. The generosity of local people has been overwhelming and we have received some extremely substantial contributions from businesses. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us reach this milestone – these funds will make a real difference to our staff.”
Donors include the family and friends of Barbara Moore and Liz Glanister, Peter and Helen Pang, Ørsted, Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK, NHS Charities Together, IFF Ltd and Stephanie Johnson aka “Scouse Bird”.
For more information and to support the appeal, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/NHSLiverpoolCovid
