Over 70 hospices and care homes as far apart as Fakenham, Hunstanton, Essex, London (North and South) and Northolt have expressed grateful thanks for free personal protection equipment, (PPE) donated by a lighting firm from Finchingfield.
Over 70 hospices and care homes as far apart as Fakenham, Hunstanton, Essex, London (North and South) and Northolt have expressed grateful thanks for personal protection equipment, (PPE) donated by a lighting firm from Finchingfield.
Armadillo Lighting, owned by David Bide, has used international contacts to import masks, gloves, goggles and plastic seat covers - and is continuing to give them away, free of charge, where needed.
Said Damian Lizak, designer and photographer for the company: “There is an emergency and we are in a position to help.”
Thank you messages have flooded social media.
Samantha Brown, a responder for NHS Carecall 247, in Colchester, said: “Thank you for the masks and gloves. We respond to OAPs and vulnerable people throughout Essex going into their homes in emergencies. I will be able to share the masks with my colleagues.”
At East Anglia Children’s Hospice in Milton near Cambridge, Victoria Matthews said: “Thank you on behalf of all the staff at The Treehouse for the items you donated to us yesterday. We really appreciate you thinking of us.
“We are providing relief to the NHS by allowing patients early discharge from hospital.
“This is either to their family home or one of our hospices, so the child can be cared for by our staff, freeing up hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.
“We are very much in need of the items you have donated.”
At St Elizabeth’s Centre in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, a school for children and young people with disabilities, a thank you message said: “It’s been no secret that over the past few weeks, at Dorking House we haven’t always had access to the right amount of PPE.
“As a result, we have had to be really careful with the amount we are giving out to staff and we have tried to limit our supplies so our nursing team are fully protected. “However, as always, our team of incredible supporters across the community have heard our plea and have made sure we aren’t going without. So we really want to thank you all.”
Sarah Goldsmith from Blackthorns Care Home in Halstead, which received two deliveries, said: “Just to say fantastic, you are a star, shining bright for us!
“We are so grateful for these items. We are all working very hard, and we will come through this, and be better people for it.
“We will value our families and friends differently and never take anything for granted. Thank you so much.”
Katie Beament, from Forest Home Care, said: “I wanted to say a very big thank you for supplying me with 50 masks yesterday. I shed some tears driving home. This is incredible what you are all doing.”
The message from Jessica Mann at Mid-Essex Hospital was simply: “You guys are wonderful!”
Claire Meyer, senior healthcare assistant at Eltham Hospice in South London, said: “We have just received a donation of PPE from a wonderful member of your team.
We just wanted to say a huge thank you. Take Care.”
Emma Bray, corporate fundraiser at the Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge said: “Thank you so much for your amazing generosity.
“This PPE will make a huge difference in protecting our clinical team when they are caring for our patients. We really can’t thank you enough.”
Armadillo Lighting is continuing to supply PPE free of charge and with free delivery.
If you are a care home, hospice or other facililty in need, Contact: David.bide@armark.com.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here