Cardiff & Vale Health Charity are delighted to announce that Paul Harrison and the Cardiac Nurses have been crowned Health Charity Stars of the Year.
At a glittering awards ceremony in City Hall, Cardiff, over 350 staff members from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board came together to celebrate the past year’s achievements.
Cardiff & Vale Health Charity has committed funding to support the annual Staff Recognition Awards for the next five years, to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the staff that continue to go the extra mile, year in and year out.
Paul Harrison, Lead for General Podiatric Practice, has been a large part of last year’s fundraising events for Cardiff & Vale Health Charity. He has specifically been involved in raising funds for the PROP Appeal – supporting people with head injuries. He is also an Army Reservist, and whilst he was undertaking race training in November 2016, he was involved in a high speed skiing crash in Austria. As the result of this crash, he sustained a traumatic head injury, which caused frontal lobe damage.
Paul has supported and led the way with Health Board Chief Exec, Len Richards for nine days during Len’s Challenge, where he walked 177 miles along the length of Offa’s Dyke path raising money for our Health Charity and Len’s Charity, Improving Chances. He has also helped out at events such as the PROP Ball, Cardiff City bucket collection and Welsh Rugby Union bucket collection going the extra mile to raise money with enthusiasm, roping in his friends and colleagues to take part in challenges and events.
The Cardiac Nurses ran the Cardiff Half Marathon in memory of a patient, who was an inspirational young man that sadly left this world far too soon.
Said “Hussain” Amiri was born with a complex heart condition and underwent countless heart procedures and operations throughout his life. Hussain was passionate about improving healthcare and standards across the NHS to all patients, not just cardiac patients and he was especially keen to improve the care and facilities offered to young patients when admitted to hospital.
By running the Cardiff Half Marathon the Cardiac team hoped to make Hussain and his family proud of his legacy and raised £1,500 to help provide our cardiology wards with essential items for young people to brighten up their hospital stay, in memory of this special patient.
The Cardiac Team was made up of: Bethan Shiers, Sarah Finch, Dr Helen Wallis, Nicky Thompson and Elizabeth Corris.
Simone Joslyn, Head of Arts and Health Charity said: “Cardiff & Vale Health Charity is so lucky to have so many inspirational members of staff, going the extra mile, day in and day out to raise money and raise the profile of our charity to benefits patients and staff from our hospitals and services.
“It was an absolute pleasure to be able to award Paul Harrison and the Cardiac Nurses as Health Charity Stars of the Year, for their awareness raising and fundraising efforts during the past year – we can’t wait to see the difference it will make to patients on their wards and in the local community.”