Fundraising

QE Charity – at the heart of the Gateshead community

Just Giving, Just Giving, Just Giving, Just Giving.

My mum was Nathalie Rocca. She worked here, she was an auxiliary nurse. She worked in this hospital for 7 years and before that she was in Dunston Hill. It’s about two weeks before she passed away she decided that she wanted to go out for a stroll. So at St Bede’s, they said, “Come on, let’s go. We’ll pop you in a wheelchair”, and off they went. They ordered the taxi. Went down to Tesco, gave her all the medication and stuff. Bringing a dying mum home, I just wouldn’t be able to cope.

When the fundraising stops people aren’t going to get the experience what my mum did.

My gran, Renee Potts was a keep fit instructor at Gateshead Leisure Centre for many years. And she herself raised thousands of pounds for local charities. And we decided to go and fundraise when she died. We wanted to carry on what she did and we decided to do a walk each year in memory of her. All the patients need the money for all the different wards. And we are really excited about what we would do and how we do the fundraising. We got a list of all the different wards that are involved in the charitable funds. Once we’ve collected the money we’re all going to sit down as a family and decide exactly where that money is going to go to, which department or which ward.

I just love interacting with the patients and relatives, keeping them happy and trying to make them more comfortable. Just relax and everything, you know, they come back and the relatives come back. The patients come out into the day room or come into the garden and have a cup of tea. It’s like a homely atmosphere on here as well, you know. The staff, I mean all the staff are wonderful with the patients.

Charity funds helps us to keep up with modern technology. So as new equipment comes out, we’re in a position to get that equipment. Well currently I’ve just put an order in for some recliners and that’s for parents that are wanting to breastfeed or do Kangaroo care. It’s because we want our babies and families to have everything that’s available. If it just makes their visit more comfortable and pleasant and something for them to remember, then we want to do it now.

It’s enhancing the patient experience coming to the QE Hospital Hospital. It’s keeping those services running.

Neonatal Unit uses a lot of equipment with the babies and the technology moves on all the time. And what was very modern 10 years ago, is old now. And we need to keep up with the timesand the care of the babies change.

It allows us to back to buy the little things. It’s to benefit the patients on the ward, the relatives on the ward and also the whole of the Gateshead community.

We just wanted to give something back to the hospital to say thank you for looking after her. They are so easy to communicate, and they’re very grateful.

I love the patients, and I love the relatives. Making people happy, I just love it!

Text this code GHFT01 to 700 70 to donate £5.