Frimley Health Charity receives £427,100 from Captain Sir Tom Moore’s fundraising efforts

The Frimley Health Charity has received a grant of more than £400,000 from Captain Sir Tom Moore and NHS Charities Together’s COVID-19 appeal.

The 100-year-old stole the nation’s hearts by walking laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS at the start of the pandemic.

His efforts saw almost £33 million donated.

Captain Sir Tom passed away on February 2 with coronavirus but the Frimley Health Charity said his legacy will now live on at the hospitals it supports.

The £427,100 it has received will be used to fund a major staff room refurbishment programme which will transform more than 50 rest areas to help staff recharge.

The project is already will underway with 12 rooms completed at Wexham Park Hospital and Frimley Park, Surrey.

The donations from Captain Sir Tom and NHS Charities Together appeal have also funded a range of other projects to support patients, staff and visitors. These include:

• 40 android tablets for hospital wards – an invaluable communications tool which have allowed patients to keep in touch with their families during Covid.
• A Mental Health First Aid training programme, which will see at least 10% of staff trained as mental health first aiders
• Picnic benches for staff to give them fresh air and an outdoor space to relax
• Two specialist -80 degree freezers for the Trust’s research team
• Additional online remote learning programmes for clinical managers during covid

Andrew House, Director, Frimley Health Charity said: “We all paid our private respects to Captain Sir Tom on the day of his funeral. He truly was a one-off and he leaves the world a better place thanks to his inspirational fundraising.

“As a charity, it has been a complete privilege to be associated with him. And it is testament to his heroic efforts that his legacy will be felt for years to come here at Frimley Health by patients, staff and visitors. We wish his family all the very best for the future.”

In total, the NHS Charities Together’s COVID-19 appeal has raised £150 million.