Bedford Hospital Charity & Friends has started as it means to go on, with an incredible £25,000 donation to kick off its latest £1m fundraising appeal.
The generous donation has been made by the Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara (GGSG) in Kempston and is the single biggest cash donation made by any ethnic group and any faith group of Bedfordshire.
It is the first step towards Bedford Hospital Charity & Friends’ aim to raise £1million to build a new and dedicated A&E for children and provide a state-of-the-art CT scanner within the A&E Department.
The donation by GGSG was raised during the coronavirus lockdown as a way to convey their thanks to NHS staff and the hospital for its amazing work.
Set up by three elders of the Kempston Sikh community, they said, “Our local communities have always received great care by our local hospital and the work and support NHS staff have been giving during Covid19 is commendable.
“We wanted to give something back to our local hospital and decided to support Bedford Hospital Charity & Friend’s appeal, helping them raise £1 million for new equipment and dedicated children’s facilities in the A&E unit.
“We hope this contribution will help to improve A&E facilities for all patients. We would like to thank the Bedford’s entire Sikh community and everyone who donated in response to our appeal.’’
The fundraising appeal is in tandem with government funding of £3.1m committed to Bedford Hospital to update and extend the A&E department.
Read:Govt announces £3m to improve urgent and emergency care at Bedford Hospital
Bedford Hospital Charity & Friends were invited to enhance this provision by creating a brand new dedicated Paediatric A&E department and providing a CT scanner to be situated in the A&E department for shared use by both emergency and general hospital patients.
“We have jumped at this opportunity,” said the charity’s chair, Deborah Inskip.
“It has long been a wish and dream of the charity to have a special A&E provision in the hospital for children. We are already discussing ways in which we can use our creative skills and provide those extra facilities and special touches that will really make the unit child-friendly and welcoming.”
You can help make the new children’s A&E a reality by getting involved in fundraising activities with friends and family. Maybe you could…
• Organise an event
• Run a marathon or set a personal challenge
• Hold a coffee morning (virtual or real)
• Have a collection
• Send a memorial donation
“We can supply you with leaflets and information to help you help us all,” said Debbie.
“Please do get in touch with us at admin@bedhospcharity.org to let us know how we can support you.
“This new paediatric A&E department and, indeed, the entire A&E will give Bedford Hospital the ability to respond to all emergencies and, equally importantly, ensure the continued excellence of the provision of care in Bedford.”