Grateful critical care staff in Walsall were over the moon to receive a real pick me up from Hampers for Heroes.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Fundraising Manager Georgie Westley made contact with its founder Victoria Hanson to see whether a donation could be made at the Manor Hospital and Victoria was only too happy to oblige. This not for profit, Community Interest Company, has now taken care packages to more than 30,000 healthcare workers, carers and frontline workers.

Last week Victoria delivered donations to the hospital and was met by Critical Care Unit Matron Angie Dixon. Global, the media company that owns radio stations that include Capital, Heart and Smooth also attended to cover the handover as a news story.

The hampers are designed to look after the health and wellbeing of staff currently feeling the pressures of working in critical care and they included kettles, toasters, hairdryers, coffee machines, snacks, toiletries, mental health and wellbeing literature and other items to create a relaxing atmosphere in the staff room.

Matron Angie explained: “Staff can’t see any end to the pandemic when they’re working flat out with so many very sick patients and to know that the public is thinking of them really lifts their morale.”

Fundraising Manager Georgie said the donation was “fantastic.” She added: “To bring a smile to the faces of our staff at such a difficult time is worth so much and we’re really grateful to Hampers for Heroes.”

Hampers for Heroes was founded in March 2020’s lockdown. It was sparked by a post on social media from the partner of Solihull nurse Rebecca Marie, highlighting her hard work as she was late home from a shift. Rebecca said that she and her colleagues were suffering with sore hands and arms due to constant scrubbing and could not find hand cream on supermarket shelves. Victoria began gathering hand cream donations from the local community, along with help from any more volunteers have joined the Hampers for Heroes effort.

Victoria said: “We just want to say thank you to all those NHS staff for everything they’re doing and for them to know that we are thinking of them.”