Royal Free Charity Hands UP! campaign to support services

The Royal Free Charity has launched a 'Hands Up! for your hospital' campaign to bolster the support it gives to more than 1.6 million patients and 12,000 members of staff across the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

People can have fun raising money by handmaking goods to sell, donating money - usually spent on take-away coffees or other treats - or taking a hands-on approach with a sponsored physical challenge.

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Jon Spiers, chief executive of the Royal Free Charity, said: “We’re asking our local communities to lend the NHS a helping hand this winter.

Royal Free Charity's Tanya Abrahams supports the Hands Up! For Yor Hospital' campaign (Image: Royal Free Charity)

“An elderly patient could receive an hour of volunteer companionship for £20. A £55 donation could pay for a Christmas hamper for a ward working on Christmas Day. A gift of £1,000 could help our support hub to stop a vulnerable patient from becoming homeless when they leave hospital.”

“However you want to fundraise, you’ll be making a huge difference.”

The charity delivers a range of services across Barnet, Chase Farm and the Royal Free hospitals including offering virtual reality therapy to chemotherapy patients, companionship for patients with dementia, helping patients find their way around busy hospitals, and pet therapy dog sessions.

Its support hub, which is the first of its kind based in a UK hospital, gives patients with life-changing injuries or long-term health conditions housing, financial and welfare advice.

The hub also supports amputee and irritable bowel disease peer support groups.

Complementary massage therapists who provide specialised therapeutic massage, acupuncture, reflexology and scar tissue therapy help staff and more than 11,000 patients last year.

To find out more of get a fundraising pack visit: www.royalfreecharity.org/handsup