Nith Inshore Rescue volunteers "blown away" by fundraising efforts of NHS staff

Nith Inshore Rescue volunteers have been “blown away” with a fundraising venture by NHS workers.

Staff at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary have been raising money for charities through a baton relay challenge that involves at least one member of the team completing 5k by walking or running each day.

The baton has now been passed to the out-patients department which chose Nith Inshore Rescue as the charity they are raising money for.

And the cash-boosting gesture is much appreciated by the inshore rescue team who say they are honoured to be among the charities to benefit from the relay and are grateful that the out-patients’ team is thinking of them during the pandemic which has curtailed fundraising for many organisations.

Secretary Peter Bryden said: “It is amazing. I work for the NHS myself so I know how busy everyone is. For them to do this for us at this time is really uplifting.”

Clinical nurse specialist for dermatology, Laura Holland, is leading the fund raising efforts.

She said: “We took a vote on what charity we would like to raise money for and Nith Inshore Rescue came out on top.”

Donations can be made at: https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/laura-holland17

Other teams at the hospital have already achieved their baton relay stints and have raised a significant amount of money for various charities.

Among them was Dumfries Infirmary’s critical care unit with 35 members raising £810 for the Captain Tom Foundation by taking on the challenge over 30 days and covering 1,076 kilometres

And Laura said there is a healthy competitive spirit with each team hoping to do “a few more steps and raise a bit more money than the last.”

She said the relay has been “a real positive motivator for teams during these difficult times, especially through winter.”

All steps are raised in staff’s own time and not at work.

Ronnie Clark, chairman of the Nith Inshore Rescue, said: “We are really grateful that DGRI out-patients have thought of us as their nominated charity.

"It is quite humbling at this time, during Covid, that NHS staff are raising money for us when we are all aware how difficult things have been and the pressure they are under. This helps us to reflect on just how selfless and caring they are.”

Money raised from the efforts will go towards costs for ongoing training and development of skills and equipment required by the Glencaple-based rescue team.