Beatrice George
Beatrice George is only two-years-old but has raised an absolutely incredible £50,512 and counting, smashing her family’s original target of £50! Inspired by the incredible Captain Tom, little Beatrice has been collecting pebbles with her parents on their daily walks around their local area.
News of her efforts has spread, and Beatrice has received messages of support and encouragement from Stephen Fry, Dame Judi Dench, Call the Midwife stars Miranda Hart and Helen George, actress Miriam Margolyes OBE and footballer Louis Saha.
Beatrice has also been officially recognised in the Scottish Parliament for her fundraising efforts after being put forward by local MSP Oliver Mundell, receiving support from all political parties. She also received a letter of congratulations from Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
Kind supporters have been donating to her JustGiving page to sponsor her pebble hunts for over a year now, racking up a hugely impressive total of £50,512. On her JustGiving page Beatrice says: “I love pretty pebbles but I also love our NHS so I thought this was the perfect challenge for me!”
And Matthew George, Beatrice’s father, says they chose to
support NHS Charities Together to thank NHS midwives in particular and support their
friends who are NHS staff.
Beatrice is continuing her pebble hunt until lockdown eases. Click here to donate to her JustGiving page.
Margaret Payne
Also inspired by Captain Tom Moore, great-grandmother Margaret Payne has challenged herself to climb the equivalent height of Highland mountain Suilven on her stairs at home in Ardvar. This challenge is to raise money for NHS Charities Together as well as Highland Health Board Endowment Fund, Highland Hospice and the RNLI. She plans to climb 282 flights of stairs which she estimates will take roughly two months. So far she has raised over an incredible £400,000!
Margaret has received messages of support from mountaineering legend Sir Chris Bonington and Sheila Hancock OBE and she said she is supporting NHS Charities Together as she wanted to express her gratitude, especially to the NHS staff who helped take care of her late husband Jim, who sadly passed away on Christmas Day last year.
Speaking of her progress so far, Margaret said: “I am
completely overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of everyone who has
donated to this amazing cause. I would like to thank each and every one for
their heart-warming messages of support and generous donations.”
To help Margaret raise even more money, donate via her Virgin Money Giving page.
Urgent Appeal Grants
Grants given to NHS charities are used to meet the immediate and urgent needs of patients, staff and volunteers. Funding is also going towards helping partnerships outside hospitals, such as hospices, community healthcare and social care, making sure patients leaving hospital have access to the care they need to recover. In the longer term it will also fund programmes to help staff and volunteers recover fully once the crisis has abated, reducing the long-term impact on them and the people they care about.
About the Urgent Appeal
The NHS Charities Together Urgent Appeal acknowledges and supports NHS staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients. It has been put together in liaison with NHS England and national bodies, our member NHS charities and national giving platforms. Click here to donate.
