End of Year News

December 2022 Supporters News

Dear Valued Supporter

We hope this newsletter finds you well and have been keeping warm on the frosty yet beautiful days.

The saying “Doesn’t time fly” seems so right this year as it does seem to have gone incredibly fast. Although it does seem to have another meaning for the Friends as we are delighted that we are continuing to fly onwards and upwards with the shop going from strength to strength, despite what all that the previous couple of years had thrown at us. A huge thank you, goes to all the hospital staff teams, patients and visitors who continue to support us.

Chairman of the Trustees, Lesley Myland, sends you seasons greetings on behalf of the Trustees and sends you this message;

“I hope that you enjoy our news from the ‘Friends’.

It hardly seems possible that this time of year is upon us again, but it is a good time for reflection, and I am happy to report that the Friends of St Mary’s is still doing well.

We continue to provide equipment and facilities to make patient experiences better and to help staff to do an even better job. We are ready to continue with our efforts for 2023 and are supporting some interesting initiatives which we look forward to telling you about as they progress.

Still at the heart of much of our fundraising is our retail division and the wonderful team who have made such an effort to ensure the survival of our service. They draw compliments every day about their kindness and efficiency, and it is hard to put in to words how proud we are of every one of them

My best wishes to everyone for a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

Recently we have finalised the 2022 Friends Fund Applications and we are delighted to have agreed funding to the following departments for various items, ranging from information banners for Sevenacres Unit to an Interactive Education Touch Table for the Children’s ward.

Patient Experience - £3636, Seagrove Ward - £2500, Paediatrics Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy £2182, Breast Screening Unit - £307, Sevenacres Care Unit - £122, Adult Speech and Language - £2902, Children’s Ward - £6161, Resuscitation Service - £1295,

All items funded are to support and supplement the services offered by the Isle of Wight NHS Trust through St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight and/or by NHS Community Services on the Isle of Wight, for the benefit of patients and staff through the funding of new equipment and facilities above the standard/level required to be provided by the NHS.

If you would like to see details of all the items funded, we will be publishing posts on our website and Facebook when they arrive in the departments. Keep an eye out and give us a like.

Anne Simmons, Chairman of the Directors of the Company that runs the shop has sent you this message;

“Christmas Greetings. This has been another successful year for everyone involved in Friends of St Mary’s, and that is down to the hard work and commitment of Lisa, our Manager, and the very happy band of volunteers. The variety of goods sold in our shop allows us to cater for a huge range of needs of staff, and visitors. People have made such positive and appreciative comments about our role in the hospital, with many still disappointed by the loss of our very popular cafe. We are delighted to continue to gift the profit from the shop to Friends Charity to meet our aims. Thank you to everybody who is determined to make FOSM a success, and a great place to volunteer. It would be terrific if we could have more volunteers, so if you know of any people willing to join us, please ask them to contact Lisa on 534609 or Lisa.brodie1@nhs.net. Have a peaceful and happy holiday period, and thank you all.”

We have been lucky to have some wonderful people support us again this year with donations, hosting a collection box and organising fundraising events. A particularly yummy one was Jussna from Pathology who, for the second year running, organised a takeaway curry event for her department. Her family run restaurant, Eastern Eye, in Sandown provided the food, that was so delicious. Jussna raised an amazing £1200 to add to the £1000 she raised in 2021. Thank you to all that support the Friends, it is very much appreciated.

We will once again be spreading a little bit of Christmas cheer around the wards this year by delivering a present to all that find themselves in hospital on Christmas Day. A small gift will be given to patients and of course the excellent staff teams who work on Christmas Day.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and our very best wishes to all for 2023.

We thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated.

Take Care

The Trustees and Directors of the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital