International Day of Charity
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
For over a century, Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital have been integral and treasured parts of our city’s landscape. Did you know, for example, that our children’s hospital treats over 90,000 children each year? Or that our women’s hospital provides a range of specialist services to more than 50,000 women, men and families every year?
I’m sure as you read this, your own personal experiences of our hospitals – or that of someone you know – will spring to mind and for that very reason, we are proud collectively to have touched everybody in Birmingham at some point in their lives, especially when they’ve needed us the most.
Each hospital has a much-loved charity and both exist to support the hospitals simultaneously to help them realise their ambitions for treatment and care of women, children and families in the region. Our combined mission is to push boundaries and improve standards of excellence in research, education and treatment, offering all who visit our hospital the best experience possible.
We are proud that the impact of fundraising is much more than purely financial – it makes a real difference to the services our hospitals can provide to patients and their families during difficult times. As a result, every patient and family will have benefited from our charities in some way.
Earlier this year we celebrated the National Health Service’s milestone 70th birthday. It was a fantastic recognition of everything we’ve achieved since 1948 but now as we look to the future, we know that fundraising will become more important to our hospitals than ever before, to allow us to continue to deliver projects that go above and beyond. And it is only through the kindness, generosity and hard work of supporters, like you, that we will be able to do more every year to allow us to continue being a world-class trust providing world-leading care.
Today is the International Day of Charity and so we wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge, huge thank you to all of our wonderful supporters – each and every one of you has impacted on the life of our hospitals and we are constantly inspired by the lengths you go to – whether that’s climbing mountains or running marathons, or simply giving your time, talent and creativity to help us reach our goals.
But we believe the best fundraising partnerships are those that are equally beneficial. It’s not just about what you can do for us, it’s also about what we can give back in return to ensure your staff feel motivated, inspired and more importantly proud of the part they play in making sure Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust remains world-class both today and in the future.
To mark today’s celebrations; we wanted to highlight our children’s hospital’s remarkable partnership with fellow chamber patron, Pinsent Masons, who chose us as their Charity of the Year after a staff vote. Many of their employees had personal connections with the hospital.
A big advocate for our hospital, Pinsent Masons has been working alongside our team for two years now. They continually strive to do more, not only for our patients and families, but for their own staff in their roles as parents and guardians.
As an example of our two-way partnership, earlier this year, our cardiac surgeon, Tim Jones, visited the Pinsent Masons’ office to deliver a CPR training session and offer advice and guidance on how to use a defibrillator in an emergency situation. Around 100 members of staff took part in the optional training sessions including Partner, Simon Laight. He commented: “We are delighted to be working with Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity for a second year as our office charity. As well as taking part in a wide range of fundraising activities together, our partnership has led to some fantastic opportunities for our employees, which has been mutually beneficial for both parties.
“For me and many others, this included taking part in the valuable life support training which really hammered home not only the hospital’s expertise but how we can learn so much from them in return for supporting them financially. The demand for additional life support training has been very high and we’re looking forward to further sessions later this year.”
Our partnership with Pinsent Masons is a true demonstration of how supporting a charity can lead to so much more than just financial benefits. If you already support Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity then today is for you, our opportunity to say thanks and for you to take a moment to feel proud of everything you’ve achieved for us but if you’re interested in working with us and helping us do more for our families, please do get in touch.
Louise McCathie
Director of Fundraising
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust