In December 2020, Cardiff & Vale Health Charity celebrated 10 years of making things better for patients, visitors, staff and the wider community.
The Health Charity had planned to hold a 10-year celebration event, looking back at the major projects it has funded and celebrating the contributions of their donors, fundraisers, volunteers and community partners during the past decade. Unfortunately, due to Coronavirus these plans were cancelled. Instead, the Health Charity will be taking a look back at how its fundraisers, donors, volunteers and community partners have helped to change things for the better over the past ten years.
Here are just some of the activities and events held by the Health Charity supporters and fundraisers in 2018.
NHS @ 70 5K Run Cardiff Bay Bed Push Challenge
Over 300 people came out in the May sunshine to take part in the first ever bed push and 5k and 10k run at Cardiff Bay Barrage to celebrate the NHS at 70. The event raised over £8,500 for the Prop Appeal and was featured on ITV Wales News, Walesonline.
Asda Foundation
The lovely staff and customers at Asda Leckwith kindly donated £200 to the Haematology Day Unit. The Day Unit is where every blood cancer patient in Cardiff and Vale – and from much further around – has their chemotherapy.
Because of the nature of chemotherapy, patients can often be in the unit all day, having tests, receiving blood transfusions and having treatment. Every penny donated to the unit is spent to help make our patients more comfortable while they’re there; every donation making healthcare better.
Len’s Challenge
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS in 2018, Len Richards Chief Executive invited people to join him on Offa’s Dyke for a specific day or the entire walk in order to promote collaboration, teamwork and physical activity by modelling the behaviours that are necessary to promote healthy lifestyles.
Over 100 people supported Len on his challenge of walking 176 miles along Offa’s Dyke Path raising over £6,000 to be divided between two charities close to his heart – Cardiff & Vale Health Charity and Improving Chances. The entire trail has a total ascent of about 28,000 feet, which is the same as the height of Everest!
Blue Tie Ball
The first glittering Blue Tie ball at Cardiff City Stadium with nearly 400 people attending, all with the sole intention of raising money for the Prop Appeal, which supports those suffering from brain injuries at Rookwood Hospital.
Former patients, staff, families and supporters came along, wearing blue ties and blue evening dresses to raise money and show their support to the appeal.
The event opened with a rousing performance from the Superchoir – Superchoir is an upbeat, high energy choir to get the evening off in style.
The evening was compered by two of Cardiff’s finest hosts Nathan Wyburn and Wayne Courtney.
An auction and raffle took place with fabulous prizes donated by generous sponsors and Craig Bellamy kindly hosted a question and answer session.
Guests danced into the night, entertained by the Pip and the Cherries who donated their time for free, the event raised over £14,000.
Ladies’ Day
Jenna Webb and her family and friends raised £1,098 for Paediatric Diabetes Team.
When Jenna and Chay’s son, Blyth, who is four, was diagnosed last year with type 1 diabetes, the family were really keen to fundraise to help raise awareness of type 1 diabetes in children, and to donate funds to the Paediatric Diabetes Team at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW).
Jenna and her friends organised a ‘Ladies’ Day’ which was a huge success, with 190 ladies attending the Barry Island Sports and Social Club. The ladies were treated to a hot and cold buffet, bingo, a drag queen cabaret and disco until the early hours.
Jenna secured 50 raffle prizes from local businesses, including a Kindle, Fitbit, Echo Dot, festival tickets, gym memberships and numerous restaurant and beauty vouchers. By the end of the evening they had raised a whopping £1,098. In addition to this, through Jenna’s contacts with insurance company ‘Legal and General’, the company has very generously contributed a further £500 to help bump up the total.