Chesterfield Covid-19 vaccination centre raises over £11,000 for Ashgate Hospicecare

The funds that were volunteers armed with charity buckets at the Winding Wheel Theatre’s vaccination site will go towards the hospice’s specialist end-of-life care for patients and their families.

More than 170,000 jabs have been given out to people at the coronavirus vaccination centre since the rollout first started at the beginning of this year.

The Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust and primary care network said they wanted to show their support for the local communities by helping to raise funds for Ashgate Hospicecare

Marshals, who rallied donation buckets at the Holywell Street site, collected £11,989 in total from visitors which will be used to support patients of the charity.

Local health bosses hailed the public’s response to the fundraiser as “fantastic”, after £800 was raised in two days.

Janet Kirk, who has been volunteering at the Winding Wheel Theatre during the rollout, is one of the marshals to have helped raise the funding.

She said: “I like to bring people’s attention to the fundraising at the Winding Wheel Theatre.

"You don’t know when you might need Ashgate's services and people need to know it’s primarily funded by fundraising.

“The hospice wouldn’t be able to exist if it wasn’t for people being generous and giving what they can; it doesn’t take long before the pennies soon turn into pounds!”

The hospice’s retail staff also helped to support the vaccine rollout by volunteering while they were furloughed during lockdown when the charity’s shops were forced to close.

Ashgate workers stepped forward to help the NHS with the vaccine rollout to keep the community safe and save life.

Staff volunteered to ensure there was a smooth arrival onsite when people turned up for their jabs, an efficient patient flow to the clinical assessment and to maintain overall safety and security.

Dr Peter Flann, GP and Chesterfield and Dronfield primary care network clinical director, said they wanted to support Ashgate because of the “essential care” the hospice provides to patients and families across North Derbyshire.

He added: “We chose Ashgate because of the integral day-to-day work it does in general practice and for patients who need its support across the region.

“The hospice’s skill and support for end-of-life care really is essential and should be funded as such; it offers a fantastic service that we simply cannot be without.”

Fundraising manager at Ashgate Hospicecare Carl Jones commented: “We are so grateful to the staff and volunteers at the Winding Wheel for their support during the vaccination rollout in recent months.

“Not only have they tirelessly fundraised for us, but they’ve done an incredible job in vaccinating the North Derbyshire community against COVID-19.

“A huge thank you to everyone who has dug deep into their pockets to make a donation – your support means we can continue caring for the patients and families who need us most.”

To find out more about how to fundraise for Ashgate, go to www.ashgatehospicecare.org.uk or call 01246 568801.

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