Fifty strong team to tackle Yorkshire Three Peaks for Bradford Hospitals Charity

An intrepid team of NHS staff and grateful patients are preparing to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise money for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity.

The hikers are made up of staff from Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and members of the public who want to say thank you to the NHS.

Many members of staff are raising money to improve their own services and departments, while some would like to say thank you to Bradford Hospitals’ Charity – the Trust’s official NHS charity partner – for supporting staff throughout the pandemic.

One of the teams taking part on Saturday 25 September is made up of midwives, and led by Matron Jo Beer. Jo explained why her team had chosen to take part. She said: “We want to give something back because Bradford Hospitals’ Charity has really supported our teams during the pandemic.”

She said the charity had provided food and refreshments for her staff during the first wave, as well as refrigerator for a staff area.

She added: “We are always looking at ways to improve facilities for our families who use our service and this is a great way to raise money to do this.” She hoped the money will go towards providing more overnight beds for partners to stay over.

Joanne Hickey, General Manager of Unplanned Care (Haematology, Oncology, Palliative Care and Pathology Services), will be joined by colleagues from the Meadows Suite at Eccleshill Community Hospital. The team members are raising money to create a new transfusion unit at The Meadows, where cancer services are being delivered. She said her team was keen to raise as much money as possible to buy soft furnishings and make the suite as comfortable as possible for patients.

Louise Clarkson, who works with bereaved families at the Trust, is being joined by some of her colleagues from across maternity and paediatric services. She said: “This feels like a nice way to come together as a team and raise money for the benefit of our organisation and our patients.”

“The Yorkshire Three Peaks is very challenging, but it’s great to give back, and we will support each other all the way.”

A team from Radiology – led by Dr LeeAnne Elliot – will also take part for the second year running, following the completion of the department’s successful Rays a Smile appeal. Dr Elliott and her colleagues continue to raise money to provide the very highest standard of care and treatment for their radiology patients.

Staff from the Children and Young People’s Unit will also come together to tackle the 24-mile walk.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge takes on the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough and the challenge is to complete all three in less than 12 hours.

Hayley Collis, Head of Fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “We are overwhelmed by the incredible response we have had from colleagues across Bradford Teaching Hospitals, who want to raise money to say thank you for the support we have provided and to improve facilities for their patients.

“The money they raise will enable us to continue this support we provide to staff and patients long into the future.”

You can find the Just Giving pages for all teams and participants at https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/event/threepeaks/

For more information about Bradford Hospitals’ Charity and how to donate, fundraise or volunteer, visit https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org