Combined Charity, the dedicated charity of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, has recently received a generous donation from the local Morrison’s Foundation.
The Specialist Children’s Short Breaks Service at Dragon Square, a service of Combined Healthcare, was successful in its application for the grant, which will go towards specialist toys and equipment for the children who use the service.
For the 125th birthday of Morrison’s, the supermarket’s foundation was donating extra money in addition to the usual grants. Anne Pustkowski, a Morrison’s Foundation Champion, identified Dragon Square short breaks service, based in Chesterton, as a worthy recipient and helped the team to apply for the grant.
£7,459.11 has now been donated to Dragon Square and will be used to purchase specialist outdoor equipment and toys including trikes, sensory tunnels and lights, water play and messy play stations, and an accessible bench for the garden area at the service.
Around 50 children with learning disabilities and other complex needs access Dragon Square, averaging a stay of three nights per month.
Tracey Flanagan, Service Manager at Dragon Square Short Breaks Service, said: “When the children are here we try and make it fun. The charity money will be spent on outdoor toys, sensory equipment and resources that the children can use when they’re here to make their stay more entertaining and memorable.
“We are grateful to Morrison’s Foundation for such a large donation, which will really benefit the children and we are looking forward to the summer where we can spend even more time out in the garden enjoying the new equipment.”
Buki Adeyemo, Chief Executive at Combined Healthcare, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that we are in receipt of this amount of money from Morrison’s, so I want to say a big thank you because it’s going to make a big difference to the people who access the services. Every little bit extra that we can do to make the care we deliver even better is truly appreciated.”
The supermarket’s foundation, which aims to make a difference to local communities, regularly donates money to charities across the country and since launching in 2015, has donated over £42million.
Combined Charity provides a way for people to give extra funds to the trust for things it wouldn’t normally be able to fund with NHS monies. The funding can improve patient experience while receiving treatment and support.
Find out more about Combined Charity here: combined.nhs.uk/about/combined-charity/
