Hundreds of people have been saying thank you to heroic NHS staff by making donations and sending in presents.
From Easter eggs to personal care items, sweets and treats to personal protective equipment, wards are being inundated with contributions that have been gratefully received.
It has been a tough time for health workers as the pressure of the coronavirus crisis causes increased stress and difficulty but staff say the gifts they have received have helped to keep morale up and bring some cheer.
In a bid to make it easier for members of the public and local businesses to donate, the team at Fairfield Hospital have set up dedicated drop off points where people can leave anything they want to give to staff.
There are also special instructions to help people who have raise money for the hospital, although any fundraisers are being asked not to use cash if possible and instead donate via cheques or online banking.
Steve Brooks is from the Northern Care Alliance, which runs Fairfield Hospital.
He said: “We have received an unprecedented number of donations since the start of the Covid19 crisis, demonstrating how kind, generous and thoughtful our local communities and businesses are.
"It’s fantastic that people want to help us in this way, and so we want to make it easier for people to donate, and for our staff to receive and distribute the goods, so we’ve created space on each site for donations to be dropped, received, collated and distributed.
“I would like to say a personal thank you to everyone who has donated so far, and to those who continue to donate, your generosity is appreciated and we are so very grateful.”
Cash donations
Fundraisers across the country are doing incredible work at the moment, from the wonderful Captain Tom Moore to local projects like Bury nurse Leona Harris.
For either individuals or businesses wanting to make a financial contribution, details of how to donate can be found on the Pennine Acute Hospitals charity page, here: www.pat.nhs.uk/get-involved/trust-charity.htm.
Currently, all cash donations are currently being used primarily to help with Covid19 requirements, however if anyone would prefer to dedicate their cash contribution to a separate appeal or fund they should contact charity@pat.nhs.uk.
Gifts
Non-cash donations are being split into two groups: personal protective equipment (PPE) - such as face masks - and food, drink and toiletries.
All PPE donations are being collected and distributed across hospitals run by Salford NHS Trust and Pennine Acute Trust.
If you have any equipment you would like to hand over, drop it off at the Resilience Centre, Westhulme Street, Oldham.
There is also a list of information that staff will need when the PPE is handed in which can be found here.
For other items, such as food, drink and toiletries, donations can be made at the Beech Room, Broad Oak Suite, Fairfield Hospital.
If you have any questions, contact Rachael Graham on Rachael.graham@pat.nhs.uk.
