Staff from Bowker BMW in Preston have joined forces to donate presents to this year’s ‘Give a Gift’ campaign. The campaign, organised by the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, aims to provide Christmas gifts to patients in hospital during the festive season.
The ‘Give a Gift’ campaign runs every Christmas to ensure that all Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital patients of all ages receive a gift on Christmas Day. The campaign’s primary goal is to offer comfort and a sense of community to those in hospital during a period traditionally spent with family.
Bowker director Jonathan Rogan said: “The ‘Give a Gift’ campaign is a great idea. We were pleased to support hospital patients facing challenging times during the holiday season. It struck a chord with Bowker staff, too. Everyone got involved with many generous donations.”
Stagecoach donated a bus for the charity team to visit Bowker and other workplaces, businesses, and schools to collect gifts from across Preston and beyond. The items they collected included gift sets, toiletries, books, stationery, and children’s toys – a little bit of everything for patients of different ages and needs.
In addition to physical gifts, the charity also welcomed monetary donations, suggesting a contribution of £5.00 to fund a gift for a patient. This aspect of the campaign provided an alternative means for individuals to contribute, broadening the participation base.
From Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, Dan Hill, Head of Charities, said: “Thank you to Bowker BMW and their staff for supporting this year’s ‘Give a Gift’ campaign. The generosity of businesses and the wider community greatly affects our efforts. No one chooses to be in hospital at Christmas. So, a gift can help to let patients know we’re thinking about them. It’s not just about the gifts, but the message of care and compassion.”
Once donated, the charity carefully manages the distribution of gifts in collaboration with clinical staff. This means the right gifts are distributed to the correct wards. Last year’s ‘Give a Gift’ supplied over 800 gifts to patients.
