This Christmas more than 860 people are expected to spend the holiday as patients in St George’s and Queen Mary’s Hospitals, meaning that they won’t be able to celebrate this family holiday with their loved ones at home. St George’s Hospital Charity has launched its Christmas campaign, Time for Joy, to raise essential funds to give inpatients and their loved ones a more festive stay over the holiday season.
The hospital estimates, based on the figures from Christmas 2021, that around one in eight of the in-patients will be children and babies (that’s nearly 50 babies and more than 60 children under 18). The Charity is seeking to raise £50,000 which could help to provide gifts for patients; arts, crafts and toys for young people; Christmas trees and decorations for the wards; entertainment and musicians over the festive season, helping to reduce the stress levels of seriously ill children and adults. This year, around 3,500 staff are also expected to be working over the festive season, providing the “outstanding” care and support that St George’s and Queen Mary’s Hospitals have become known for. Some of the funds raised could go towards providing a traditional Christmas breakfast or dinner for those staff members who are working and on site on Christmas day.
Christmas is a time for joy even when staying on a hospital ward. Join the St George’s community this Christmas by making it a time to give and help bring seasonal joy to patients in hospital. Please donate today.
