Thanks to your generosity, our Christmas Appeal has been a great success. So far, we have raised over £7,000 - and counting... we are still getting donations coming in every day in the post and through the DONATE page of our charity website.
In the first year of our Presents for Patients appeal, we raised £970. This year, we have been privileged to not only provide Christmas gifts for all our patients but in addition, to set aside a 'Samaritan fund' to provide a care package for patients on discharge from Mildmay - and we will be able to do this for the whole of 2022. This is all thanks to your wonderful generosity.
Many of our patients have few social connections, and Christmas can be a very difficult, lonely and isolating time for them. COVID restrictions affect the number of visitors we can allow into the hospital, so even those with families may not get a chance to see them. With your help, we were able to give them Christmas presents: modest gifts like pyjamas, and little treats like toiletries or nice things to eat.
Our social workers, Beverley and Isobel, know our patients well and they were able to determine what was needed most. In this way, everybody got a little something nice that is also meaningful to each person individually.
The Christmas appeal letter sent to our supporters also asked them to donate towards our new Tuk-tuk ambulance for Mageta Island in Lake Victoria, Kenya. Again, thanks to you, we have been able to put several thousand pounds towards the purchase of the ambulance. With funds secured from elsewhere, we hope to be able to purchase this vehicle very soon.
We are running our Christmas appeal until the end of January, so there is still time to donate!
Your donations will further bolster the 'Samaritan fund' for patients leaving Mildmay and setting up - or returning - home, as well as for our other projects in our UK hospital and in Kenya.
All of us at Mildmay wish you a safe, free and happy New Year. Thank you again.
