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← The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity

2025-03-31-accounts

The registered charity of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust going above and beyond Registered Charity No: 1054679

Charity Annual Report and Accounts 2024/25

• Page
Foreword – message from our Chair
3
• About The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity
4
• Financial Review
6
• Annual Summary
8
Our work
• Corporate and External Donations
10
• Arts and Heritage
42
• Spend
53
• Volunteering at RWT
61
• NHS Charities Together Grant
65
• How you can support us
72
• Objectives of the Charity
73
• Looking Ahead
74
Finance
• Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
82
• Independent Auditors report
83
• Charity Accounts 2024/25
86

Your RWTC going above and beyond

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As the Chair of what is now Your RWTC – as chosen by our patients, staff and local communities - I am proud to share our Annual Report 2024/25.

It gives us a moment to stop and reflect on what has been achieved over the last 12 months before igniting our plans to make 2025/26 even bigger and better!

In my statement last year, I mentioned that “the numbers of volunteers were falling relentlessly downhill reaching an historic low,” so I am delighted that we were chosen to receive the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS).

This national accolade recognises the extraordinary contributions of our volunteers, whose hard work and commitment embody our mission. It serves not only as a testament to their exemplary efforts but also as a powerful endorsement of the vital role that volunteering plays in our community.

In addition to the above honour, we celebrated another accolade – a Health Service Journal (HSJ) Award for digital innovation.

Teams in our Digital Innovation Unit developed the Proactive Risk-Based Data-Driven Assessment of Patients at End of Life initiative (PRADA) to address the critical inefficiencies in this type of care, particularly the inconsistent registration of patients on to the Gold Standard Framework, an evidence-based service improvement programme.

The digital tool aimed to drive earlier intervention, avoid disjointed multiple sources of information and house all vital patient details in one place, while ensuring patients can access the most appropriate services.

It was co-designed and created by the Digital Innovation Unit, Specialist Palliative Care Team, Adult Community Service Group and GP representation. This has ensured all potential aspects of a patient’s journey have been looked at to assure inclusion and integrated ways of working. And it was given a £126,420 funding boost thanks to Your RWTC.

This work has been published in the Lancet and BMJ and illustrates how working in partnership with our Charity can deliver significant benefits.

Another tremendous boost has come from Your RWTC being one of the Mayor of Wolverhampton’s chosen charities for his term and I know Councillor Craig Collingswood, Mayoress Abby Collingswood and our Charity team have had some really positive discussions about the opportunities this affords us.

Like all organisations, we must look ahead and recognise the vital need to adapt and evolve. We are currently developing a bold, five-year Fundraising Strategy, which is underpinned by the importance of continued engagement and promotion with our patients, staff, communities and businesses. At the core of this strategy will be alignment with the government’s 10 Year Health Plan as Your RWTC can be a key driver in the transformational aims detailed in this document.

Our strategy will not only refine our focus but also build on our foundations to foster deeper collaborations with our donors and stakeholders.

Finally, I’d like to thank our volunteers, staff, donors, and community partners for their unwavering support. I know we will continue to work together to strive for excellence, drive meaningful change, and champion the health needs of our communities.

Martin Levermore

Chair of the Charitable Funds Committee

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At Your RWTC, we are dedicated to improving the experience and outcomes for our staff, patients, and our local community. The people and patients of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust are at the heart of what we do.

Our Charity mission is that...

Every patient deserves the best care possible. We are here to make a real difference to over half a million patients treated at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, along with their families and the staff who deliver their care.

We will go ‘above and beyond’, that provided by the NHS enhancing the experience through additional facilities and an improved environment, additional equipment that can make a real difference to patient care, opportunities for staff training and to further medical knowledge through research.

Whether people come to hospital for routine procedures, medical investigations, or for lifesaving, cutting edge treatment we understand that needing NHS care can be a worrying time. Every day the fundraising of Your RWTC helps to ensure that visits to our hospitals and our services are as comfortable, reassuring, friendly and positive as possible

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest acute and community providers in the West Midlands – providing care at New Cross, West Park, and Cannock Chase hospitals – as well as at over 20 community sites.

As the largest employer in Wolverhampton, our workforce is made up of more than 11,000 staff, who cover a range of clinical and non-clinical roles and reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the communities we serve.

We provide services from the following locations:

The Trust also successfully host Black Country Pathology Services (BCPS) and the West Midlands Local Clinical Research Network (WMCRN) and have done since its establishment in April 2014.

Our Trust strategy and vision for the future was launched alongside Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust in 2022 and will run until 2027.

We have agreed four strategic aims, referred to as the ‘four Cs’. Everything we do across both organisations should contribute towards achieving goals within at least one of these priority areas:

Excel in the delivery of Care

We will deliver exceptional care by putting patients at the heart of everything we do, embedding a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

Support our Colleagues

We will be inclusive employers of choice in the Black Country that attract, engage and retain the best colleagues reflecting diversity of our populations.

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Improve the health of our Communities

We will positively contribute to the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve.

Effective Collaboration

We will provide sustainable healthcare services that maximise efficiency by effective collaboration with our partners.

They are also aligned to our overall vision which is: ‘To deliver exceptional care together to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities’.

A vision is more than a few words – it reflects our aspirations, helps to guide our planning, supports our decision-making, prioritises our resources, and attracts new colleagues.

The four Cs and joint vision reflect the closer working relationship between the two Trusts under the leadership of Group Chair, Sir David Nicholson KBC CBE, and Group Chief Executive, Joe Chadwick-Bell.

The mission of the Charity is to make a real difference to the patients of RWT, their families and the staff that treat them, above and beyond what is provided by the NHS. We support the Trust to realise its vision to be an NHS organisation that continually strives to improve the outcomes and experiences for the communities it serves.

Public Benefit

In planning the Charity’s activities, careful

Charity funds are used to provide the following:

Getting involved and supporting your local hospital and patients of the Trust couldn’t be easier. Simply call the Fundraising Team on 01902 447293 or contact us on social media:

The RWT Charity f

@therwtcharity (0) The RWT Charity |

consideration is given to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. We must also comply with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011. We support the work of the Trust, however there is a clear distinction between what the Trust is required to provide as an NHS organisation and what is additional public benefit. The application of charitable funds leads to the enhancement of patient care and experience – regardless of our patients’ background or personal circumstances.

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The Statement of Financial Activities can be found below as at 31 March 2025 with comparatives to the previous year. The complete set of Accounts can be found on pages 86-101.

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|||| |---|---|---| |Total Incoming Resources|Unrestricted|Restricted| |£000|£000| |Donations and Legacies - £461k|351|110| |Grants - £187k|0|187| |Fundraising - £103k|97|6| |Investment income - £105k|68|37| |Total - £856k|516|340|

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Statement of Financial Activities

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||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|2024/25|2023/24| |£000|£000|£000|£000|£000| |Total incoming resources|516|340|0|856|817| |Total expenditure|(677)|(361)|0|(1,038)|(841)| |Net gains/(losses) on| |11|5|0|16|121| |investment| |Net income/| |(151)|(15)|0|(166)|97| |(expenditure)| |Transfer between funds|(3)|3|0|0|0| |Total brought forward|1,950|790|82|2,822|2,725| |Total at 31 March 2025|1,796|778|82|2,656|2,822|

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|||| |---|---|---| |Raising funds - (£211k)|(204)|(7)| |Charitable activities - (£825k)|(471)|(354)| |Other expenditure - (£2k)|(2)|(0)| |Total - (£1,038k)|(677)|(361)|

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Did you know you can also increase your donation without having to pay more? Included in the Donations and Legacies and Fundraising income above, is an additional £11k which has been raised through the Gift Aid scheme in 2024/25.

How does Gift Aid work?

Gift Aid is a scheme run by the government that enables charities to increase the value of donations made by reclaiming basic rate tax that has been paid on the gift. At the moment, we can claim 25p per £1 donated, so on a gift of £100, we will actually receive an extra £25, at no cost to the donor.

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The Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025 can be found below with the comparatives to the previous year.

Fixed Asset Investments 2,587 2,571 82 82 Restricted funds 778 790 Debtors & Prepayments 148 50 Unrestricted funds Cash 218 372 1,796 1,604 - Designated Creditors (298) (171) - Non-designated 295 346 Net Assets 2,656 2,822 Total Funds 2,656 2,822 ~~————~~ A few helpful definitions: Throughout this report you may see some terminology you aren’t familiar with. Hopefully these next few paragraphs will help you understand the Charity’s financial position.

Fixed asset investments - investments held in Shorter (low risk) or Longer (higher risk) Term Investment Portfolios.

Current assets - cash held plus debtors. Debtors is money owed to the Charity at the end of the year. It is made up of accrued income, whereby money is due in for activities taken place in year as well as prepayments. These are payments made in year relating to the next year and so have been removed from the Statement of Financial Activities expenditure.

Current liabilities - creditors falling due within one year for money owed to others for expenses chargeable in the year.

Liabilities - creditors falling due after more than one year for money owed to others for expenses chargeable for previous years.

Net assets - Total assets minus total liabilities.

Endowment funds - represent funds that are held as capital in perpetuity so that only the income is available for distribution.

Restricted income funds - represent money which is held by the Trustees which can only be used for specified purposes. These funds are supervised either by the Fund Advisors within the ward, department or specialty concerned or the Group Chief Executive and Group Chief Financial Officer for more generic purposes.

Unrestricted income funds - are funds available to be spent within the objects of the Charity which can legally be spent wholly at the discretion of the Trustees. In practice, respecting the non-binding preferences expressed by donors, the Trustees have sub categorised the unrestricted income funds under two headings.

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Our Charity mission is that every patient deserves the best care possible. We are here to make a real difference to more than half a million patients treated at RWT, along with their families and the staff who care for them. We aim to go ‘above and beyond’ what is provided by the NHS enhancing experience through additional facilities and an improved environment, additional equipment that can make a real difference to patient care, opportunities for staff training and to further medical knowledge through research.

The last 12 months have once again been very different to the previous year for various reasons, with the main one being the continuing cost-of-living crisis. Fundraisers have been able to participate in events again which is great news, but sadly people have also found times physically, emotionally, and financially tough. Not only has this impacted our fundraisers but our patients and staff.

In 2024/25 the Charity raised £855,954 in voluntary income, which, including investment income earned from the careful stewardship of our Trust Funds, saw it spend £1,038,068 this year.

Below is a small snapshot of the many ways donations have allowed us to make a significant impact.

For patient comfort and welfare, we provided:

We bought lifesaving and state of the art equipment:

We supported staff training and welfare through:

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We have been able to support patients and staff over the last 12 months with the following:

The Charity actively supports projects that enhance the delivery and experience of care for all patients and their families. This includes the provision of additional equipment or equipment that is of a higher specification than NHS funding can provide, supporting projects that enhance the healing environment, provide additional training and any other resources that will help make a real difference.

We are grateful for all the support we receive; however, we have further aspirations to enhance patient care and experiences that require us to be ambitious in our income generation activities. We will strive to increase the value of monetary and non-monetary donations we receive year upon year.

We will support our NHS colleagues’ commitment to ensuring everyone has equal access to our services, saving lives and improving health outcomes for our diverse community with a key focus on:

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Your RWTC was thrilled to announce that it is one of the Mayor of Wolverhampton’s chosen causes for his year-long term.

Councillor Craig Collingswood was officially appointed the city’s 166th Mayor at an inauguration during May’s Annual Council Meeting.

His daughter Abby, a Cardiothoracic Nurse at New Cross Hospital’s Heart and Lung Centre, is Mayoress.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “We were over the moon to have been chosen and thank the Mayor and Mayoress for doing so.

“Your RWTC is working hard to raise its profile and promote itself among our communities and those who use healthcare services in our New Cross, West Park and Cannock Chase Hospitals and this invaluable partnership will really boost our efforts to do so. We are looking forward to a busy fundraising year with the Mayor and Mayoress and can’t wait to start planning our activities!”

He added: “Abby will be a wonderful Mayoress and, together, we promise to act with integrity and put the interests of our city and Wulfrunians first and foremost. Let us work together to make Wolverhampton an even better place for future generations, guided by the light that our motto so brilliantly embodies.”

Councillor Collingswood’s other charities during his Mayoral year are:

SAFFA , Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association

Compton Care , which provides specialist palliative care to adults with life-limiting illnesses

Acorns Children’s Hospice , which provides specialist care for children and young people with lifethreatening conditions, along with support for their families

Councillor Collingswood, who has served the Park Ward since 2012 said: “I am immensely proud and deeply grateful to become the First Citizen of our great city.

“Wolverhampton has a rich and proud history. It has witnessed remarkable changes and transformations and has long been a place where innovation and industry have thrived – and today it continues to be a city which embraces diversity, progress and opportunity.

“Our city’s motto, out of darkness cometh light, serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration. It reminds us that, even in the face of adversity, we have the power to advance, innovate and shine brightly, and this resonates today more than ever as we continue to work together to bring light to every corner of our city.”

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Wolverhampton NHS colleagues have raised more than £3000 to improve patients’ experience after taking on a half marathon.

Brothers Deepak and Pardeep Chand, Suzanne Giles and Michelle Wilding took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon (LLHM) after securing places via Your RWTC.

Along with almost 19,000 other runners, they set off on the 13.1-mile (21km) course, which took in sightseer favourites including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and Trafalgar Square.

The fab four took on the challenge in April 2024 and were all thrilled to have completed the course.

Deepak Chand, Directorate Manager Cardiology said: “It was an amazing experience and very fulfilling after so much training. I enjoyed the crowds and atmosphere. I would say the most difficult thing about the marathon was running whilst feeling unwell, I was struggling from mile one. I feel happy to have raised money for Your RWTC and that it will support those most in need and improve our services.”

Pardeep Chand said: “Completing a half marathon for the first ever time has given me confidence to try for another knowing I’m capable of doing anything if I put my mind to it. I enjoyed seeing my older brother pushing me to go faster and the mile long crowds cheering was a massive confidence booster. The most difficult thing about the marathon was knowing I had another 10 miles to go after completing three. I feel great knowing that the money I raised will help and change someone’s life somewhere along the line.”

as I had trained very hard and didn’t quite know what to expect. I felt exhilarated at the end. There was plenty to see around London; each landmark was another mile and there were plenty of choir’s drums to keep me energised. The crowds and the marshals were there to shout your name if I were flagging and plenty of water and jelly babies provided throughout. It was such an honour to raise monies for Your RWTC to support patients, relatives and staff who need it.”

Michelle Wilding, Senior Sister, said: “Running the LLHM was an amazing experience! At the start, I remember feeling so nervous as it was my first half marathon experience and I did not know what to expect. But once I started running, the support of the crowds and all the entertainment along the way made it so enjoyable. The last three miles were the toughest as I felt so tired at this point, but the supporters gave me the incentive to carry on. The sense of achievement I felt when I crossed that finish line was amazing and made it all worth it. The money we have raised for Your RWTC is an unbelievable amount and knowing it is going to such a special charity makes it all worth the hard work and I can’t wait to take part in future events to raise even more.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “Our colleagues did so well – we’re proud of their achievement. The money raised will us create the best experience possible for patients and their families.”

A father will have taken on four gruelling triathlons to raise funds for an ‘exceptional’ Wolverhampton Neonatal department.

Anthony Baker, a senior recruitment consultant, said his twin daughters, Lucy and Olivia, had fantastic care during their time on New Cross Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

For Suzanne Giles, Staff Nurse (Adult), this was her first half marathon. She said: “It was very emotional

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They were born on August 21 2020 weighing about 4 pounds.

Anthony said: “We were told the girls were Monochorionic Monoamniotic twins (MCMA) which is a rare type of identical twins who not only share a placenta but also share the same amniotic sac (pocket of fluid).

A bereaved couple have donated a specialised cot that allows parents to spend time with their stillborn babies to New Cross Hospital’s Neonatal Unit.

“They carry a higher risk of complications so were born at 32 weeks and spent close to a month on NICU.

“The care and dedication of the team who looked after them was exceptional.

“They were born in the middle of the pandemic so things were very different in the hospital but still staff were amazing. They supported my wife Rachel and answered all her questions. They let us have our own room so we could stay with the twins before they were discharged home and they really looked after us and the girls.”

Anthony completed his first triathlon in April in Wombourne. This consisted of a 400m swim, 20k cycle and 5k run.

He said: “I always like to challenge myself so I thought I would take part in some triathlons and raise some money for the Neonatal Unit to say thank you for the amazing care they provided.

“I am training while I can and my biggest challenge will take place on 8 September where I will be doing a half ironman distance triathlon.

“I have never really done anything like this before so I am pushing myself.”

Anthony also took on:

Ellesmere Olympic Triathlon – 30 June (1500m swim, 40k cycle, 10k run)

The Big Welsh swim, Llyn Padarn – 6 July (6k swim)

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “We are very grateful for Anthony’s support and wish him all the best with his fundraising adventures. We know our Neonatal teams offer incredible support to our families and are always touched when people want to give something back in this way.”

Satveer Kaur Binning, and her husband Shanghara Singh Binning, lost their baby daughter Siaan Kaur Binning on 16 October 2023.

Siaan was stillborn and the couple were able to spend two nights and three days with her thanks to the provision of a cold cot at University of Coventry Hospital.

Despite their grief, Satveer and Shanghara decided to raise money for cold cots in four other local hospitals so other people could be close to their stillborn babies.

A gofundme page they set up raised more than £10,000 – allowing them to buy four of the £2,500 cots. They also plan to set up a registered charity, called the Siaan Kaur Foundation.

“The thought of parents having to rush their time with their babies hurts our hearts,” they said.

“When Siaan was born, the conversation soon turned to her funeral and sending her to the hospital morgue.

“We want to be a light in each parent’s journey who sadly have to say goodbye to their babies.”

Each cold cot will have a plaque with Siaan Kaur’s name on so she can be remembered for helping others.

“This did not sit right with us as we had spent nine months dreaming of our first moments with our baby, her funeral not being one of them.

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While no time is enough, having access to a cold cot gives bereaved parents the opportunity to spend more time with their baby.

Kate Horton, Family Support/Bereavement Nurse at RWT, said: “This donation is going to make a massive difference – it means parents can spend time with their babies after they pass away rather than having to go to the chapel of rest. We have one on the Neonatal Unit already but this means if the parents want to go home, they can borrow one and take it with them.”

Poundland Stadium before finishing at Molineux, home of Wolves, some eight and a half hours later.

They were all joined by former Birmingham and Wolves full back Kevin Ashley, who walked 13 miles from St. Andrew’s to Walsall before succumbing to an old knee injury.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “We are so thankful to Satveer and Shanghara for providing a cold cot to support other bereaved families at such a difficult time for them.

Former Birmingham forward Paul Devlin cheered the walkers off at the start, and at Poundland Stadium they were greeted by Martin O’Connor – ex-skipper of Birmingham and Walsall – former Walsall player Mark Taylor, and one-time British light-welterweight Walsall boxing champion Martin Gethin.

To promote the walk, Jason and Gav even swapped shirts to wear the jerseys of their arch rivals as they neared the finish.

“Having the cold cot will support families at their most difficult time and help with the grieving process.”

West Midlands football fans – and ex-players – put their rivalries aside and their best feet forward to raise £4,000 to fund the revamp of a garden used by young Wolverhampton patients.

Jude Aston, an Aston Villa fanatic, joined Wolves diehard Jason Guy and his friend Gav Ingles – a supporter of arch rivals West Bromwich Albion – on the 21.6-mile Rivalries Aside walk. Their efforts were to raise money for the Children’s Ward garden at New Cross Hospital.

Starting at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park at 8am, 14 people walked to Villa Park, then on to Albion’s The Hawthorns and Walsall’s

Jude, who has cerebral palsy, spent a lot of time in the Children’s Ward with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome where his right leg was doubled up after he suffered a reaction to treatment.

“It felt to finish the walk – it was a great challenge and I enjoyed being in the company of great people,” said Jude. There were lots of football fans who came together for this great cause – to create the best garden we can for the Children’s Ward at New Cross Hospital. It was a long, tough day and everyone was tired at the end, but it was all worth it.”

Since taking the brave decision to have his lower leg amputated, Jude now has a prosthetic limb which means he can walk unaided.

A blister meant Jude had to use his wheelchair on the walk, but he managed to hop the final 100 yards with physio Andre King to the Billy Wright statue outside Molineux.

The walkers braved early showers in Birmingham to finish in bright sunshine. Gav’s wife Sarah kept

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everyone hydrated with drinks and snacks en route, and Wolves fan Manny Singh Kang, who has raised more than £260,000 for Dementia UK, surprised everyone by handing out samosas.

Shortly after the walk, Jude had raised £2,057.99, Jason and Gav added £1,414.38 and another walker, schoolteacher Robbie Meakin, had contributed £460.

Jason and wife Aimee previously raised £14,171.08 from fundraising runs and Jason and former footballer Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock having tattoos.

Their daughter Olivia spent six weeks in the Neonatal Unit at New Cross and has 1pc36, an intellectual disorder.

Kirsty Lewis, Senior Matron for Acute Children’s Services at RWT, said: “Well done and thank you to everyone who took part.”

The money will go towards a piece of equipment the team will use to monitor stroke patients with more intensity and precision. This will reduce lifethreatening complications as well as increasing the opportunity to identify Atrial Fibrillation (AF). This is the biggest cause of ischeamic strokes, leading to better interventions and treatments for patients.

The inpatient ward area (C21) currently treats about 1,200 patients per year and the clinicians see around 1,000 more in the Emergency Department (ED) that prove to be non-strokes.

They provide a 24/7 thrombolysis service and have direct access to the thrombectomy service at University Hospitals of North Midlands in Stoke. All stroke patients are seen in ED by a specialist stroke team which provides 24/7 cover.

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “We are so proud of colleagues’ commitment to making a difference for our patients. “

A team of dedicated staff cycled more than 1,000 miles to raise money for specialist equipment to be used in New Cross Hospital’s Stroke Department.

Staff from C21 (Stroke Ward) clocked up 1,416 miles in May to mark one mile for every inpatient they treated last year.

A dedicated charity supporter raised another £4,000 to help Wolverhampton cancer patients have a more comfortable stay in hospital.

Carol Beddow was treated for lung cancer at New Cross Hospital after being diagnosed in 2020 and wanted to raise money for the Snowdrop Unit as a thank you for the care she received.

The money raised for Your RWTC will fund a piece of advanced heart monitoring software.

She has since held three fundraising events for Your RWTC – raising more than £5,000 in total.

The latest event she held was a family charity fun day in March at The Grapes Bar and Grill in Bilston. Helped again by grandsons Trent and Myles Beddow,

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Carol put on the fun day with a bouncy castle, bingo, a raffle and competitions which raised £4,000.

This paid for 34 iPads for cancer patients to use while they are having chemotherapy.

She said: “My plan is to keep on fundraising until all 52 beds across both Snowdrop Unit and Durnall Unit at The Deanesly Centre have a device. Having chemotherapy can be so long, lonely and boring so having access to an IPad or Kindle will help take their mind off things. I hope the devises help lift their spirits. When I was having my treatment, I was sat there for six hours and this time went very slowly as I didn’t have any access to entertainment so knowing I can make a difference and help others going through the same process really inspires me.”

Carol said she had received a lot of support from her grandsons and the community. She said: “Everyone has been so generous and I am so proud of how much we have raised. My boys are my rocks and I’m very proud of them – they’ve even sold raffle tickets to their friends. I also want to thank my friends Deborah Jackson and Barry Jones for helping on the fun day and helping me raise the funds. Without their help I couldn’t have raised the amount I did.”

Lindsey Wagstaff, Community and Events Fundraising Officer, said: “It’s amazing what Carol and her grandsons have done and we thank them for once again raising such a fantastic amount of money. This will really benefit our cancer patients while they are receiving their treatment.”

Joe wanted to improve the balcony/courtyard area off the ward where patients relax and exercise between their treatments.

Joe, who was on the books of Wolves, West Bromwich Albion and Walsall as a youngster, said: “Patients can’t leave the area because of the infection risk and it could do with improving, so it would be good to pay for some nicer garden furniture and some plants.”

Joe, who works as a bathroom salesman, achieved splits of 43 minutes, 35 seconds for the swim, 3.57 for the cycling and 2.33 for the run to place 1,362nd out of 1,435 finishers after 1,900 started.

“It was the best day of my life and there were quite a few tears at the end,” said Joe. With 10k to go, all my family were there and I was really struggling, but I tried to show them I wasn’t tearful knowing there was one more loop.

A former footballing prodigy raised more than £2,000 to support Wolverhampton cancer patients in their recovery by completing a gruelling endurance event.

Joe Hartshorne, 25, tackled the Ironman 70.3 Bolton – a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike ride and a half marathon (13.1-mile) run.

The ex-England schoolboy international crossed the finish line in seven and a half hours, including transitions.

Joe raised £2,070 for Ward C35 Acute Chemotherapy at New Cross Hospital – part of RWT – where his aunt, Lorraine Haynes, received treatment.

Aunty Ray had been tracking me on the Ironman app and she shed a tear.”

Joe trained by swimming, cycling and running three or four times a week of distances of around 1.5km, 45km and 10km respectively.

Lorraine,– known as Ray by her family – was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in January 2024.

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Lorraine said: “I’m very proud of Joe. While receiving chemo I spent a lot of time in the garden area. The fresh air helped me remain positive. I’m sure the new furniture will help patients and their visitors enjoy the area as much as I did.”

Kayleigh Morgan, Guest Acting Ward Manager for C35 Chemotherapy Ward, said: “Joe’s fundraising is fantastic. All the staff are very grateful for his hard work.

“Lots of our patients have extended stays, so they’ll all appreciate the garden being revamped. Thank you for your efforts.”

Big-hearted hospital staff got down and dirty for a good cause and raised £2,500 for equipment for a new facility in Wolverhampton.

Twenty-two colleagues from the Children’s Ward at New Cross Hospital completed the Wolf Run, a mud event in rural Leicestershire involving wading through water and negotiating 15 obstacles.

Sarah Lewis, Matron, Children’s Specialities and Outpatients, took part and said: “We were all at different levels of ability but on average completed the course in around two to two and half hours.

“There were 15 obstacles as well as river swims and mud pits – it was so slippy we had to pull each other out of the mud and swim through water. If any of us were struggling the others pulled them through it, so we helped each other and it was really good for teamwork and morale. At the end, those who finished earlier were all waiting at the finish line cheering us on. I didn’t think I would enjoy it but it was really good fun and we said we’re going to do it again next year.”

Amanda Winwood, RWT Charity Development Manager, said: “This was a really big effort by so many colleagues and the money will make a huge difference .”

Staff Nurses, Sisters, Senior Sisters, a Matron, Doctors in training and Consultants waded through chest-high water and thick mud to raise £2,550.

The money will go towards funding extra equipment on the Children’s Ward.

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A kind-hearted teacher completed a fun run and raised money to put smiles on children’s faces while they’re being treated at New Cross Hospital.

Theo Price took part in the Great Midlands Fun Run which saw runners set off on an 8.5-mile course in Sutton Coldfield.

He raised £490 for Your RWTC’s Singing Medicine appeal which sees group – Ex Cathedra Singing Medicine – bring songs and games to poorly youngsters in hospital to improve their health and wellbeing.

“What I enjoyed most about the run was seeing the whole community out to support the 6000 participants. Especially, those individuals who had their garden hoses out to cool you down as you passed. People were electric. Everyone was in positive spirits with lots of support for all the participants. At times they were motivating everyone throughout the run by sharing positive thoughts or giving a high five. The most difficult part was the heat! It was a blistering hot day and the sun was relentless. I was so thankful for the volunteers who were handing out water at checkpoints.”

The father-of-one added: “I felt delighted to finish a run of that nature and to beat the personal time target I set myself. It felt amazing to sprint the last 100metres in front of a packed high street and to do it under 57 minutes. I was lost for words as I expected to complete the run around the hour mark. And not to mention raising £562 – a number I never expected to achieve. I appreciate all those who donated.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “Watching the joy on children’s faces when Singing Medicine has visited has been priceless. We would like to thank Theo for supporting us and helping to raise awareness.”

Kind-hearted former Goodyear factory workers, whose donations to support patients at Wolverhampton’s New Cross and West Park Hospitals total almost £500,000, ended an impressive run with their final handover.

Thanks to the efforts of members of the 5/344 Branch of the Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund, anaesthetic machines have been bought for RWT’s Theatres, wheelchair accessible exercise bikes are being used by those undergoing rehabilitation and rooms have been transformed for young cancer patients.

The fund also donated £50,150 for machines to help skin cancer patients in the Black Country.

The Hallmoor School teacher said: “I did this fundraiser because my work colleague wanted to raise awareness of Singing Medicine as they have provided a lot of smiles to his daughter while in hospital. I wanted to help out in any way I could.

And these are just a few examples of members’ generosity over the last seven years – with them visiting New Cross Hospital in July 2024 to make their final donation before the fund is wound down. The fund’s total spend – including across Birmingham – is more than £3.4 million.

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“Cyril has spoken a lot about a love for the NHS and the desire of members to leave a legacy now the fund is coming to an end. Rest assured – what you have done over the years has absolutely provided a legacy. A legacy that shows the very best of our communities and gives us all an example of what true dedication looks like.

Chair and Trustee Cyril Barrett joined supporters to see an ECG machine for paediatric patients handed over on the Children’s Ward.

“On behalf of everyone whose care and treatment has been improved as a direct result of your thoughtfulness, thank you.”

The final donation of the ECG machine means children and young people won’t have to leave the Paediatric Unit and go to the Heart and Lung Centre at New Cross Hospital as this equipment will be on hand.”

Cyril added his thanks to trustees Mark Jenkins, Paul Baugh , Roy Dudley and Barrie Malia for their help and support over the years.

Motivated by a passion for the NHS and a desire to leave a meaningful legacy to bring benefits to both patients and the staff who treat them, Cyril said he was proud of everything the fund had achieved.

“Over the years we’ve been able to see for ourselves just how vital equipment donations are or how much of a difference our fundraising efforts have made to patients of all ages,” he said.

Breast Care Nurses in Wolverhampton can now use a new training aid to help educate women on how to do self-checks thanks to a cancer support group.

Stafford-based Terrible Titties and Other Bitties donated the new training aid, called Bertha, to the Breast Care Team at RWT.

Debbie Dickson, Clinical Nurse Specialist – Breast Care, said the demonstration model will be used for staff training as well as patient education.

“We have raised just shy of £650,000 for worthy causes across the Black Country since 2016 and the lion’s share has come here to Wolverhampton’s hospitals. We believe passionately in the NHS and are proud to have supported Wolverhampton to the tune of almost £500,000.

“We have been part of a special presentation today to mark our final donation as the fund is wound down and it has been fantastic to get people together and reflect on everything we’ve been able to achieve.”

Gwen Nuttall, who was Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at RWT at that time, said: “To hear that almost £500,000 in total has been so kindly donated to our hospitals and services is phenomenal, although there don’t seem adequate words to describe just how fantastic this gesture is.

She said: “New members within the team will be able to use the model as a training aid so it will be multiuse. We will also use it for patient education on how to self-examine when we do awareness roadshows and events. This is the first time we have had a training aid like this, and it is going to be so useful. It

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can be tricky to know how exactly to examine yourself and know what feels normal so this training aid will be so helpful. We are so grateful to Terrible Titties and really appreciate the support from them. They are a fantastic group.”

The group also donates comfort boxes for patients having chemotherapy. The boxes contain lip balm, a stress ball, notepad, water bottle and other self-care goodies.

Rachel Millar, a committee member of Terrible Titties, said the breast care team asked for the crucial training aid as one of its wish list items.

She said: “Supporting our local hospitals and making a real difference in our community has always been at the heart of our mission.

“Bertha is no ordinary training aid. She’s designed to be taken out into the community to educate women on how to do breast self-checks, raise awareness, and shatter the stigma around getting those all-important breast exams from medical professionals. With Bertha, we hope to break down barriers and encourage more women to take charge of their health. We have also bought one ourselves for when we do community awareness events.

“Thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of our supporters, we are extremely proud to support our local hospitals with essential projects like this. It’s moments like these that remind us of the power of community and the amazing things we can achieve together.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, added: “This kind donation will help support the importance of education to women around breast self-checks and raising awareness. Their generous donation will help the Breast Care team support our local community even further.”

Group A streptococcus, also called group A strep, is a bacterium that can cause many different infections, including sepsis, a life-threatening emergency.

Simon managed to climb the notorious 3,000-feet ascent “knife-edged” Crib Goch, the 3,494-feet Garnedd Ugain – the second highest-peak in Wales – followed by the tallest, Snowdon (3,558-feet).

He raised the money for the ICCU, through Your RWTC, after a fight to save his life.

Wife Lucie, 46 who is Supervisor at the café in the Heart and Lung Centre at New Cross Hospital, mounted a daily bedside vigil, prepared for the worst.

“I was at death’s door,” said Simon. “There were a few days when I wasn’t expected to pull through. A couple of times my wife was told to come into hospital to put my affairs in order.”

In hospital he had the idea of giving back. “I kept dreaming about walking,” he said. “So I thought about doing a fundraising walk because the ICCU staff saved my life. I didn’t think walking up Snowdon was enough, so I thought I needed to make it more dangerous, so I decided to do Crib Gogh. They call it Razor Edge – there are sheer drops on either side.”

Simon undertook the daredevil walk with close friend Morgan Taylor.

A grateful patient whose life was saved by intensive care staff has scaled three of Britain’s most dangerous climbs to raise £3,000 for Wolverhampton’s Integrated Critical Care Unit.

Father-of-two Simon Burke was placed in a coma for 10 days with sepsis group A streptococcal invasive tropical toxic syndrome. He spent two weeks on a ventilator, 39 days in New Cross Hospital and lost nearly three stone.

“The ICCU staff were fantastic. One Nurse always phoned Lucie when she wasn’t at my bedside,” he added.

Gerardine Hardisty, Matron, ICCU, said: “Well done and a huge thank you to Simon. What an outstanding effort from Simon after all he has been through.”

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Wayne had ignored a couple of bowel screening tests that came through the post – something he describes as “a typical male response.”

Generous neighbours – all of whom have some experience of cancer –held a fundraising get-together to benefit patients being treated at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

“Men are generally uncomfortable talking about health issues,” he said. “But I did the third test when it came, and I was contacted for a follow up which then led to my diagnosis. I was lucky to be offered robotic resection surgery. It just goes to show how important early diagnosis is and also that we do talk about these things. I have since had conversations with people who have also put things off, and some for whom a diagnosis came too late which is a very sobering thought.

“Striking up conversations in our street and wider community you realise just how many of us are affected by cancer, either personally, or through someone we know and love.”

Organised by Wayne Edwards and Ray Quinn, people of all ages living in the same street in Codsall, created a party atmosphere where everyone was encouraged to seek each other out for a chat, a drink and cake. And their efforts raised £650 for RWT with a further £110 for Cancer Research UK.

Through early detection of cancer cells, Wayne elected to have preventative surgery to avoid possible further health problems.

He admits it wasn’t until he opened up more about his own story that he realised how many others within the community are either going through a similar experience or know family members or friends who are.

“Ray and I wanted to recapture the support for the NHS that we’d all seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone would come out on their doorsteps and clap for our NHS workers,” said Wayne, a father of one. “When you go through a cancer diagnosis it really brings home to you just how amazing our NHS is. My surgeon at New Cross and all the Nursing staff who supported and cared for me after my operation have been fantastic. I can’t thank them enough.”

Wayne, who works for ADT Fire & Security, added the neighbourly get together brought different generations closer and recreated a real community spirit whilst also raising money for a worthy cause.

“To see some our elderly neighbours out and about and enjoying a chat and a laugh was great, and I think it’s something we’ll do again. The most important thing is we all wanted to say thank you to everyone who came along and supported the day.”

A total of £650 was raised which will be split three ways with £220 going to both Bowel Cancer and Breast Cancer teams at the Trust and £210 going towards childhood leukaemia.

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, added: “It was a pleasure to meet Wayne and hear all about what turned out to be not only a popular fundraiser but also a lovely community gesture. We’d like to thank him, Ray, and all the kind-hearted neighbours who raised this money to help other cancer patients in our care.”

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the scalp, reducing the amount of chemotherapy medicine that reaches the hair follicles. With less chemotherapy medicine in the follicles, the hair is less likely to fall out.”

A £40,000 fundraising appeal has been launched for a new set of scalp cooling caps to help more cancer patients reduce hair loss while undergoing chemotherapy at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

Scalp cooling caps have been shown to reduce hair loss, with 50 per cent of patients retaining at least half of their hair.

The Deanesly Centre at the hospital launched the fundraising campaign, supported by Your RWTC.

The campaign kicked off with a fun day held in the Deanesly Centre which included a tombola, raffle, cake sale, name the bear game and guess the number of sweets.

An impressive £1,383.29 was raised and got the appeal off to a good start.

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “We are very proud of the Deanesly team for making such an amazing effort to kickstart their fundraising appeal. The cooling caps will provide much-needed support for our patients. It’s wonderful to see such dedication to fundraising and improving patient care. Best of luck to everyone involved in reaching that target.”

A generous widow has made a donation from the heart to Wolverhampton’s Cardiology Unit after the “exemplary” care her late husband received.

Kim Bradburn visited Your RWTC with a donation of £1055.04 as a thank you after her husband Paul died.

Helen Boyce, Group Manager, for Haematology, Oncology and Specialist Palliative Care, said the event was a huge success.

She said: “We were overwhelmed with how well our launch event went. It was really well supported by staff, patients and our Charity Team. We had lots of fantastic prizes which were donated by local businesses such as the Grand Theatre, Monmore Green Stadium and M.G Timber Products. It has been a fantastic start and we are planning more activities to raise the money for the cooling caps.

“Hair loss can be one of the most upsetting side effects of chemotherapy. It is the most visible sign a person is having treatment for cancer and can affect self-confidence and sense of identity. The caps work by narrowing the blood vessels beneath the skin of

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Paul had been under the care of Dr Sanjiv Petkar (Consultant Cardiologist/Lead for Electrophysiology and Devices) and Lydia Bradley (Cardiac Rhythm Management Service Lead Physiologist), at New Cross Hospital for the past 18 years.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager said: “Thank you to Kim for this donation. It was so lovely to hear how loved Paul was and that he received great care at our Trust.”

He had a lifesaving defibrillator fitted in 2013 and an additional wire added in 2014.

He had some challenging times with his health and started to receive palliative care at one stage – before managing to pull through.

Paul had received several procedures whilst being a patient including cauterisation on three occasions.

Kim said: “Paul changed over the years with his illness, and he was frustrated that he could no longer work as a roofer.

“However, no one ever gave up on him at the hospital. Even the day he died on the Respiratory Ward, he had a hole in two chambers of his heart and pneumonia. The team told him they would do everything to get him through and close the hole in his heart; the care was exemplary.”

Dr Petkar said: “It was a privilege looking after Paul. He was such a lovely gentleman who had a great personality and would brighten up your day even when he was so poorly. He always had a joke to share. I have a lot of admiration for Kim also for supporting him through the difficult times she’s faced.”

Lydia added: “It has been a privilege to look after Paul. I will miss him in clinic, he always made me laugh and I can remember being part of the team undertaking his first implant 18 years ago, a lovely man”.

More than 200 people attended Paul’s funeral which included family, friends and colleagues he had worked with over the years.

The collections raised from the funeral were donated to the Cardiology Unit as a ‘thank you’ from the family.

A donation of post it notes for nurses to use was also made by Paul’s niece Kelly who owns Rainbow Office Supplies in Wolverhampton with her husband. Kelly also wrote a poem which was included at the funeral.

A bereaved couple whose first baby sadly died, after being born prematurely and extremely poorly, are determined to help other families who need the support of the Neonatal Unit at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

Spencer and Kelly Cree lost their son Freddie when he was three days old in May 2016. He was born just under 24 weeks and weighed 1.2 pounds.

Freddie was born at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital but was transferred to New Cross for the Neonatal Intensive Care he needed.

Kelly said: “He was cared for by wonderful Doctors and Nurses – they didn’t just look after him, they looked after us too.

“New Cross staff were absolutely amazing, we could not fault any second they looked after our boy and they also provided us with a room to sleep in, showers and three meals a day without question.

“Lindsey was our main Nurse who was so friendly and supportive. Our little boy fought on but we were told Freddie was not improving and there was nothing more that could be done. He was suffering and we had to make the decision for Freddie to be taken off his machines. He passed away on 22 May which destroyed us mentally and emotionally.”

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Kelly and Spencer requested donations at their son’s funeral and raised £500 in his memory.

They raised £3,000 back in 2018 after Spencer and two friends Phil Coleman and Rob Salter walked up Mount Snowdon in Wales and the couple held a charity night at Dudley Ex-servicemen’s Club.

Spencer, a van driver for Mitie, where Kelly is an account manager, said: “We were going to do more events to mark Freddie’s 10th birthday but we have the attitude of “Why wait?” so we are carrying on now.”

“This was the worst time of our lives and we couldn’t have got through it without the care and compassion shown to us.”

Amanda Winwood, RWT Charity Development Manager, said: “I can’t believe how dedicated this family is to helping others after going through such tragedy themselves.

“Their selflessness will help so many other families and our Neonatal Team is so grateful for their generosity.”

A self-styled ‘Halloween Queen’ got into the spirit of the season to raise more than £1,000 for poorly children in Wolverhampton.

They raised £1700 from a charity darts match, supported by West Midlands Air Ambulance and their daughter Ruby-Mae sold bracelets and keyrings she made.

The couple also want to thank Nicci Sutton from Dudley Ex-Servicemen’s Club for all her support with their fundraising.

Civil servant Surinder Mann raises money every year for charity and this time chose the Children’s Ward at New Cross Hospital.

The mum of two has so far raised £1,095 – her biggest amount and more than double last year’s total – following a Halloween event she held at her workplace.

She organised several Halloween-themed activities such as Bhangra dancing, a bake off, and origami activity.

Local businesses generously donated a driving experience in a Porsche, go-karting, a Merrythought Bear, a trip to West Midlands Safari Park, and a spa day, among the highlights.

“We just want to do what we can to help other families – whether that’s money for extra milk warmers or more equipment for Neonatal,” added Kelly.

The money has been used to buy pens, colouring books, games, puzzles and toys for sick children in hospital.

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Surinder has spent much of her spare time over many weeks organising the event and is grateful for the help she has had from her work colleagues, and her husband Suky Mann.

“I just like to give back to the community and do my bit,” said Surinder.

“It will be great to see the children’s faces.

“I’ve had a lot of support from work colleagues, so special thanks to Sarah Johnson and Amie Fewtrell for their tireless work and fantastic support promoting and selling raffle tickets, and Amie for helping with obtaining the prizes.

“I could not have done it without these wonderful colleagues. A huge shoutout too to our local Indian food suppliers who supplied more than 300 samosas, onion bhajis, and eggless cakes which added a boost to our fundraising success.”

Suky contributed towards food supplies, as well as collecting and delivering them.

“It was hard work, but it paid off as we had a lot more prizes this year – and people have said they are the best prizes they have seen,” added Surinder.

Two Staff Nurses at New Cross Hospital have been entertaining people by playing a baby grand piano in the foyer of the Heart and Lung Centre, where they both work.

Nikko Phodaca, who is based in the Integrated Critical Care Unit (ICCU), and Daniel Aboyeji, who works on B15 Catheter Suite, tinkle the ivories before or after their shifts, or during breaks.

The piano was donated by the family of Cecil Billing, the father of Dr Stephen Billing, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at RWT.

And its arrival is the start of a vision of Your RWTC to improve the health and wellbeing of patients, staff and visitors.

Amanda Winwood Charity Development Manager, said:

“We wanted to enhance the environment for our patients and staff by creating a soothing atmosphere. We have found staff enjoy playing the piano during their breaks to entertain patients, visitors and colleagues – we also have two Porters interested, one of whom has done his piano grades.

Sarah Lewis, Matron, Acute Paediatrics at RWT, said: “It’s a lovely way to celebrate Halloween and bring some joy, so we’re very grateful to Surinder.”

Piano-playing Nurses are hitting the right notes for staff and patients alike at Wolverhampton’s Heart and Lung Centre.

“But we also want it to be a magnet for musicians of the future. We want to have a rota of students from universities and musical groups to coming in to play it to continue the positive effect of health and wellbeing on everyone who comes into the Heart and Lung Centre.”

The piano has some history in healthcare too as Cecil, who died aged 87 last November, used to entertain residents at Compton Care, where he volunteered as a driver after retiring.

Nikko arrived in the UK from The Philippines at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Growing up in a musical household, he has played the violin for 28 years and is self-taught with the piano.

“When we were growing up, we didn’t have a TV and were only allowed to play on our computer for as long as we had practised on our instruments,”

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recalled Nikko. “Our house was filled with music.

“I can play 60 or 70 songs. I like to cover pop songs – I love Lionel Richie, Born For You by Daniel Pomeranz, Shallow by Lady GaGa, a couple from Adele and Sam Smith, plus Coldplay, Bruno Mars and songs from Disney.

Wolverhampton’s Diabetes Centre received a £1,000 boost after an IT team generously donated its national award prize money.

“But I also like to play old love ballads from The Philippines – they remind me of home.

“The first time I played in the Heart and Lung lobby, my line manager videoed me and put it on the ICCU Facebook page.

“When I play the piano, I get totally immersed in the music and I’m lost in what I’m doing and the melody of the piano.

“Sometimes I get goosebumps from playing, and when I hear people clapping on the stairs I get shy!” After posting his violin playing on Facebook during lockdown, Nikko was asked to perform for colleagues during staff handover at shift change, and he played an emotional version of Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’.

Daniel has been playing piano for a decade after teaching himself on YouTube at home in Nigeria.

He prefers classical music but loves ‘Let Her Go’ by Passenger and Oceans’ ‘Where Feet May Fail’ and also plays at the Dominion City Church in Wolverhampton City Centre.

“I saw the piano in the lobby for a while before playing it, and when I did start, it was the first time I’d played since I was in Nigeria,” he said.

“I listen to a lot of music and play whatever inspires me – I just love playing.

“I’ve received a lot of positive comments and hearing them makes me want to play.”

Mr Billing said: “My dad loved playing the piano and to donate it just seemed like a nice thing to do, just like they have pianos in railway stations.

“It raises spirits when people play it – the music spreads through the Heart and Lung Centre and you can hear it down the corridors. I think it makes the atrium a less aseptic place.”

The Charity supported with costs for the piano to be dismantled and removed from Mr Billing senior’s house and re-assembled, along with a donation plaque.

The Software Development Team at RWT won the Evolve Project of the Year Award in NDL’s Community Awards for developing a diabetes podiatry system tool.

Diabetes can reduce the blood supply to feet and cause a loss of feeling. These problems can lead to ulcers and infections.

The replacement tool screens data from some 100,000 patients across Wolverhampton, Walsall and South Staffordshire from GPs and Pathology as well as retinas so the condition can be identified quicker in those who might be more susceptible to it.

It also provides a full summary care record to manage all identified Diabetes and Podiatry patients on an ongoing basis.

This includes referrals, test requests recording medications, observations (BMI etc) and diagnoses (e.g. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes) data. It integrates with Pathology retinal and regional data sets to provide users with the care record. This is also able to show key data visually, using historical trend graphs for each metric, such as height, weight and cholesterol.

Both the Software Development Team and the Diabetes Centre – which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary – are based at New Cross Hospital.

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Poorly children from Wolverhampton and Walsall enjoyed a magical trip on board the Santa Express thanks to the generosity of a volunteer-run railway.

And it was a real example of cross-team working over two years, with the Software Development Team liaising closely with Professor Baldev Singh, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at RWT.

Richard Hough, who leads the 10-strong team as Software Development Manager at RWT, said: “We were delighted to win this award, and it only seemed fair and right to donate it to our own Diabetes Centre, so diabetes patients can benefit.

“Prof. Singh was very involved in helping to design the tool, and through close dealings with him over time we have become aware of how big a problem diabetes is in this region.

“A lot of people don’t know they have diabetes and this tool should identify patients with the condition quicker.”

Based in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, NDL is a national company which enables digital transformation across the public sector.

Declan Grogan, Chief Executive Officer of NDL, said: “To create something that is so helpful to patient research is both very impressive and very rewarding. “Congratulations and well done on this fantastic achievement.”

The trip, organised by Your RWTC and Walsall Healthcare’s Well Wishers charity, whisked youngsters on a festive train trip around Chasewater Country Park in Burntwood.

Sophia was one of the special VIPs onboard. She said:

“I love Christmas – it is my favourite time of year. It was so exciting to meet Santa.”

Her mum Michelle Bowdler said it was fantastic to go on the train together as a family with her husband Tom and daughter Paige.

She said:

“Due to Sophia’s treatment it is really hard to get together and do something as a family. It is a really special start to Christmas.”

Thanks to Chasewater Railway, families who use the hospital services at RWT and Walsall Healthcare were able to ride on the train for free.

Those on board were able to take in the beautiful scenery whilst also meeting Santa and his elves.

Another special passenger was Olivia and her younger brother Jonas. Olivia has 1p36 deletion syndrome, a disorder that typically causes severe intellectual disability and spent last Christmas day in hospital.

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Her mum Aimee said:

“It is such a lovely event to be part of, thank you. Olivia really loves all the festive lights and tinsel, so it has been a magical ride.”

Verity was on the train with her twin sisters Sienna and Sofia, and brother Joseph. Verity has CDKL5 deficiency which is a rare neurodevelopmental condition.

Andy Mould, Director of Chasewater Railway, said:

“We wanted to put on these special NHS Santa Express Trains free of charge to give something back to the community.

“It is important to us to support the local communities, and it was a privilege to welcome the families abroad the Santa Express and see all the children’s smiling faces.

“We hope that everyone had a magical experience which will stay with them for years to come.”

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, added:

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“Christmas can be a difficult time of year when you have a poorly child, so we are grateful to Chasewater Railway for gifting such an amazing experience.

“We have loved organising this magical trip for all our young patients and their families who are dealing with complex medical conditions.

Her mum Sarah said: “ It is really lovely and nice to come out and celebrate Christmas as a family.” wes

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“Each child has also been given a Christmas story book from Santa, so they can read that in the run-up to Christmas which we hope will bring some more magic and festive cheer.”

To find out more about the railway visit Chasewater Railway

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Children and young people in hospital will benefit from a generous £1,700 donation from a school which boosted a garden appeal.

Patients, visitors and staff at New Cross Hospital were able to have themsELVES a Merry Little Christmas when broadcaster and journalist Suzi Perry switched on the festive lights after a fun Friday of seasonal treats.

The Friends of Birchfield School in Albrighton chose Your RWTC as its cause to support from the proceeds of a raffle at its annual summer ball, with the theme masquerade.

The Friends is a group of parents which raises funds for the school and charities to enhance children’s time at school by delivering fun experiences and complement their learning.

Money raised went towards the £30,000 appeal to transform the Children’s Ward garden at New Cross Hospital into a bright and beautiful space.

Rebecca Hewitt, Transition Clinical Nurse Specialist at RWT, whose son attends Birchfield School, said: “The Friends decided to choose this charity as being in hospital can be a scary place for anyone, but being a child it can be especially hard.”

The proceeds from the raffle at the summer ball were donated by Penny Simkin, The Friends of Birchfield chair.

Penny said: “We are so pleased to support the development of the garden at New Cross which will hopefully provide an outside sanctuary for children to play and also a place of reflection for parents.”

Kirsty Lewis, Senior Matron for Acute Children’s Services, said: “We’re very grateful to Birchfield School. This will really help in our quest to give children a place to play and relax at an otherwise stressful time for them.”

Members of the Your RWTC had been busy swapping texts and emails with Santa Claus to ask him to support the annual Christmas Fayre and lights switch-on in the marquee outside the Emergency Department.

And the jolly gent proved a popular crowd pleaser for visitors prior to the big magical moment.

A host of stalls ran through the day offering gift ideas for all ages and interests and Arts and Heritage Group volunteers gave people an opportunity to create a piece of artwork using their thumbprints.

Prior to the magical moment Motorsports presenter Suzi switched on the lights, the RWT Singers delighted everyone with carols including Mary’s Boy Child and O Little Town of Bethlehem.

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Following a prayer by Joe Fielder, Chaplaincy Team Leader, and before she did the honours, Suzi reminded the crowd that “togetherness” was important at Christmas.

“It’s lovely to be here, which is a funny thing to say about being at a hospital! I’m happy to be turning on the Christmas lights but Christmas can be a very difficult time of year for many people, and this is where being together to share love and memories is important. Togetherness is important. I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas.” r xX = coW no

Mandy Bains, Healthcare Assistant, was among visitors.

She said: “This is a lovely event, and it does get you feeling all Christmassy. Thank you to our Charity for organising it all.”

Richard Woodhouse, Estates Officer, and Neil Arrowsmith, Supervisor, are part of the Trust’s Estates Management Team which arranged for the lights to be installed so the winter wonderland could be created.

“We had donations from William Gough, Eyre and Ellison and Brykol for the lights and the displays we have on our Children’s Ward,” explained Richard. “As soon as Suzi switched on the Christmas tree lights we went round the site to switch on all the others.”

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “We thank Suzi for supporting the event – along with our stall holders and our colleagues from Estates who worked so hard getting the site ready for us.”

Talented pupils donated crocheted items for premature babies on a Wolverhampton Neonatal Unit to help keep them warm and offer comfort.

Inspired by their Head of Year Ella Underhill and Associate Assistant Principal Hardeep Toor-Hamrahi, who had her son Hector Singh Toor-Hamrahi at 32 weeks, students from St Edmund’s Catholic Academy have made hats, blankets and mittens for New Cross Hospital’s youngest patients.

Hector was born in October 2016 and weighed just 1lb 7 oz. He spent six weeks on New Cross Hospital’s Neonatal Unit.

His mum Hardeep, Associate Assistant Principal, said: “The care we received at New Cross Hospital was second to none. He was my first born and it was a really daunting time for us. I spent the first three days of his life on ICU and my husband and staff helped with collecting my colostrum and tube fed Hector. “Staff were so friendly, helpful and caring I couldn’t have done it without them.

“They gave us so much support with skin to skin, breastfeeding and how to care for Hector.

“I was given a blanket to take home that smelt of Hector when I wasn’t with him and this offered so much comfort. Hector also had one that smelt like me so we didn’t feel like we were apart.

“I am so glad we could come and thank staff as well as give them our donations.

“I really hope they help like they helped me.”

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The students crocheted the items in their spare time and during study breaks.

Stelle was one of the pupils.

She said: “It has been really lovely to come here and give staff our donations.

“Crochet can be very therapeutic and also help during the stress of the exam period.

She said: “The Grinch was really funny and even though he wasn’t here for a long time, he brightened up our day and made things fun for us.”

Sarah Lewis, Matron for Acute Paediatrics, said: “It’s been great to see the children, parents and staff have a laugh on the ward. It’s nice to give the children a distraction from being in hospital and enjoy some Christmas festivities.”

“To go out into the community and help is really important and it is great we can provide these knitted items for the babies.”

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “These items will be welcomed by families who often are not prepared with items when their little one decides to make an early appearance.”

Grumpy Grinch showed he really does have a heart by spending time laughing and joking with children at a Wolverhampton hospital.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, added: “Being in hospital can be difficult for adult patients but being a child in hospital at Christmas can be even more daunting.

“We wanted to try and bring some festive cheer and what better way than with the Grinch! There were lots of giggles and insults from him and children and staff loved it.”

There were lots of very bad jokes and a few grumpy insults along the way, with nobody safe from the cheeky character when he visited New Cross Hospital’s Children Ward.

Played by Bernard Moseley, The Grinch said: “I love seeing people smile, especially the kids and the staff. “I really enjoy coming back every year, especially in these hard times.”

Hema Mistry’s son Viraaj was one of the ‘unlucky’ children to meet to Grinch. She said he wasn’t sure to start with but the jokes made them both laugh.

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More than 500 gifts were donated for New Cross Hospital patients to receive over the festive period thanks to the generosity of customers and staff at Dunelm Wolverhampton.

A grateful mum went on the run to raise more than £500 to buy toys and equipment for a Children Ward.

The presents were given to Your RWTC as part of the store’s ‘Deliver Joy this Christmas’ appeal which saw customers taking tags from a Christmas tree and buying a present that suited the description.

Lily Page, Store Manager, at the Bilston Road store, said it was the best response the store had had.

She said: “We run the campaign every year and each year we are overwhelmed by the generosity of our community. This year we have exceeded our target again which we are so pleased about.

“Everyone has been so kind.”

The gifts were donated to Your RWTC for distribution and taken to Paediatrics, Gem Centre, C18/C19, Cannock Hospital, West Park Hospital, Fracture Clinic, Dermatology, Urgent Care and Phoenix Centre.

Amanda Winwood Charity Development Manager, said: “We were able to support so many more areas with this year’s donations.”

Michelle Bridgwater raised £525 by running the Stafford 10k and used the money to donate items for the younger patients at New Cross Hospital to give children a happier Christmas.

Michelle, who runs 2 Step Dance Academy which has classes around the area and two local schools, was inspired by the treatment her children received at RWT but noticed some of the toys had seen better days.

Her son had cellulitis of the arm, spending a week in hospital and was put on intravenous drugs.

Her daughter had two stays in New Cross – on oxygen for a week after having RSV, then suffering facial cellulitis. Both have fully recovered.

“The last time I went I’d noticed that the toys were broken, and the outdoor space was tired, so I decided to do the 10k race to raise money for it,” said Michelle.

She dances six days a week and hosts evening classes but started running from scratch.

“Working so much and with a family, I don’t have time to run when I’m at home, so I did most of the training on holiday every day before breakfast, and

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I went from nothing to 10k in four weeks,” added Michelle.

Despite her lack of previous experience, she completed the race in one hour three minutes.

Among the items she bought or the ward were a giant Jenga, a scooter, trikes, ride-in toy cars and inter-active books, but she still has £35 left and plans on buying more.

“It’s a tough time for children and their loved ones when they’re in hospital, so for them to have things to do and play with is important because they need to be stimulated,” she said.

“The children I teach are all of the same age as those on the ward and the same could happen to them, and I’d want them to have good toys and equipment to play with.

“My experience from seeing my kids in hospital has made me want to do more, and if I can do that, I will.”

Kirsty Lewis, Senior Matron for Children’s Services, said: “The items Michelle has bought will make a massive difference to our younger patients, so we thank her very much.”

Mum of three Anita Platt dressed for a week as the 1990 film character Edward – or Edwina as she called herself – at Nic Russell’s Hair Studio in Pendeford, raising £250.

The money has bought equipment for The Maltings Mobility Centre in Wolverhampton, including two agility ladders and hurdles, an adjustable height workout step, dumbbells, footprint markers and resistance bands.

The equipment will help patients improve their mobility by enabling them to take part in exercises to strengthen their limbs.

Anita’s partner Matthew Miller, a double amputee, noticed when he completed in agility events that some equipment wasn’t available to patients at The Maltings.

So the Wolverhampton couple decided to raise money to buy it.

“I had some strange looks when I went to buy lunch at the local shops, but it was good fun and we’re very thankful to our clients who gave generously,” said Anita. “I wanted to help because it’s a cause close to my heart.

“We see these as essential items but the NHS can only so much, so we decided to do something to support people.”

A Wolverhampton hairdresser proved she is a cut above by dressing as Edward Scissorhands to raise money for equipment that will benefit up to 900 patients with prosthetics.

Lou Tisdale, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Amputee Rehabilitation at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: “Some of these items were missing in our toolbox when the patient and I did a running training course earlier this year – items the trainer had but we didn’t.

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“All the items will be useful to support people to gain confidence in the use of their prosthetic limbs through improving balance and control of the leg.

“We are really grateful to Anita and Matthew for thinking of our service in their fundraising.

“Matthew wanted to ensure we could support others in their rehab and Anita wanted to support that wish.”

More than 1100 ‘chemo comfort bags’ and 1000 radiotherapy water bottles have been provided for patients having cancer treatment after Inco Contracts smashed its fundraising target for 2024.

The principal contractor, which has its headquarters in Cannock, pledged to support cancer patients in the Midlands as its charity of the year.

Father of five Matthew lost both legs below the knee due to sepsis in 2018 after contracting septic pneumonia (blood poisoning).

The former Grenadier Guard had to go on an Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine which removes blood from the body, cleans it and restores it to the body.

In a coma for three weeks, he had his heart restarted three times and was in hospital for three months.

Matthew, who wears his prosthetic limbs all the time outdoors, is so thankful to Anita.

He said: “She’s great – she even drove to work in costume and she takes me to all my appointments. The equipment is a real boost.”

It has successfully generated more than £20,000 through a series of golf days, a ‘Miles in March’ competition and a one-off £4000 donation from integrated healthcare specialist Phoenix Medical Supplies.

Staff busily filled the hypoallergenic bags with contents to assist patients while undergoing chemotherapy, including wet wipes, lavender oil, tissues, activity books, a handheld fan, lip balm, colouring pencils and, following a local campaign, different coloured knitted hearts made by craft groups in the area.

Inco Contracts also handed over more than 1000 radiotherapy water bottles as part of its campaign, doubling the number it initially pledged when starting the drive.

West Midlands Contracts Manager Tim Lewis, who has had cancer himself, said: “There has been a fantastic response to this year’s charity drive, with every single member of staff and many companies in our supply chain getting behind it. After all, nearly every person in the UK will know someone who has experienced a battle with cancer.

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“Having successfully gone through chemotherapy myself, I know how important the ‘chemo comfort bags’ are to you – it’s the little things that make a big difference and we have raised enough money to ensure 1100 people get one!”

Tim said: “Working with our supply chain partners, we’ve agreed to provide all the painting and electrics for the lights and cinema for free. Families are going through a very difficult time and this outdoor space can provide some welcome relief and distraction – it was a no brainer for us to take part.”

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “Local businesses play such a big role in helping us improve the experience of patients we are looking after, and this is another fantastic example of that in action.

He added: “A massive thank you to everyone who gave money and their time, especially to Phoenix Medical Supplies, which has given us £4000. That is the single largest donation this year.

“Inco Contracts set out an ambitious target at the start of 2024 and not only hit it but actually surpassed it. The ‘chemo comfort bags and water bottles are really appreciated by individuals going through some tough times and we can’t wait to start handing them out next year.

“The ‘knit a heart’ campaign also proved what a fantastic group of local crafters we have. Albrighton Craft Group, Brewood Women’s Institute and Wednesfield in Bloom played a huge role, with the latter knitting 200 hearts on her own!”

Nigel Swift, Phoenix UK’s Deputy Chief Executive, added his support.

“This is a cause very close to my own heart and fits perfectly with the company’s desire to support the good causes and local communities we operate in.

“We were delighted to have made our contribution and helped Inco Contracts smash its targets on chemo comfort bags and radiotherapy water bottles. The difference these will make is huge.”

Inco Contracts also added its name to the refurbishment of the children’s garden at New Cross Hospital.

“Tim and the company have not stopped there, throwing their weight behind the children’s garden DIY SOS, which will start in earnest in February.”

For further information, please visit www. incocontracts.co.uk or follow @incocontracts on Twitter.

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“Not just that, but also by how much people say New Cross Hospital is a credit to the city.

A generous mum and daughter have helped raised £1,000 for Wolverhampton’s Children’s Ward and donated a host of toys and equipment to give young patients a happy Christmas.

Debbie Stanesby and Hayley Parsons, who own the Dress Store Boutique in Claregate, decided to devote their annual charity collection to poorly children through Your RWTC.

They appealed on social media to fellow local businesses in Claregate, Codsall and Tettenhall for raffle prizes, held a bake sale and invited customers to donate items, and were overwhelmed by people’s generosity.

“The feedback about the Trust was constantly positive – no one had a bad word to say about it.”

Hayley’s sons were both born at New Cross, while Debbie had to attend the Heart and Lung Centre for investigations, another reason for giving back.

“We held a bake sale in the store and it was a lovely day. It brought up a lot of people’s experiences of being in hospital,” added Hayley.

“I’ve got a friend with a son who has leukaemia and she said the children get bored in hospital so we asked people to collect toys.

“As part of that we wanted to raise some money, with a target of £500 to begin with.

“My mum has worked so hard on this, working into the evenings and ringing loads of people.”

Kirsty Lewis, Senior Matron for Children’s Services, said: “Thanks so much to Hayley, Debbie and everyone who has donated.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “Hayley and Debbie have really pushed the boat out with their amazing donations of money and toys – we’re extremely grateful.”

Valued volunteers who were involved in a project to support vulnerable residents across Wolverhampton have been thanked for “the big difference” they have made to people’s lives.

People also bought bed socks and blankets, to ensure teenage patients can receive a gift too.

“Mum said she wanted to take Christmas back to what it’s about, which is being kind, considerate and giving,” said mum of two Hayley.

“We spoke to hundreds of people and we were blown away by how much people donated.

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The Holistic Opportunities Preventing Exclusion (HOPE) Project was a partnership between Your RWTC and Wolverhampton Voluntary and Community Action (WVCA).

The Charity was awarded £220,000 from NHS Charities Together to addresses issues around the support needs of people of Wolverhampton affected by mental health due to social isolation or other factors as a long-term consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included patients, their carers and their other family and friends.

Volunteers were invited to an event to share their personal experiences of supporting people, gain an insight into the progress of the project and enjoy lunch with others.

Alison Dowling, Associate Director of Patient Relations at RWT, said this initiative was the first time the Trust had partnered with a voluntary organisation in this way.

there for us – now I can return that kindness,” he said.

Idris supported a wheelchair user and has been able to accompany him outdoors as well as spend time visiting him.”

The HOPE project worked alongside the city’s Social Prescribing Service, run by WVCA, to help tackle loneliness, isolation, depression and anxiety.

Sarah Harris, WVCA link worker, attended the celebration event and said: “We couldn’t do what we do without you, thank you so much.”

Christmas came early for young cancer patients in Wolverhampton, thanks to a generous donation from a kind-hearted company.

“We wanted to take a moment to really thank you for everything you’ve done so far,” she told the volunteers. “We really do appreciate the impact of what you do.”

Geoff Griffin, HOPE Project Volunteer Co-ordinator, said: “We get feedback from our clients who tell us they look forward to your visits and what a big difference it makes to their lives.

“We have supported around 100 vulnerable people in Wolverhampton and who knows where they would be if you hadn’t provided that support.”

Volunteer Adesuwa Sandra Usonegbu supported a widow who was struggling with loneliness.

“We talk and we watch TV together and we learn from and support each other. She looks forward to my visits and I look forward to spending time with her.”

Paul Edmonds supported a woman whose husband has dementia.

“We have built up a good trust now and it is so lovely that she can take some time for herself when I visit to sit with her husband and have some respite as she is her husband’s main carer,” he said. “We had to build up gradually to this but now it is working well.”

Idris Azeez, like many HOPE volunteers, felt he was “giving something back” to his community through his role.

“My son Abdul has cerebral palsy and over the years he has needed healthcare which has always been

Capital Group of Kingswinford supplied an individual sack of toys and goodies to each of the children who were receiving treatment for the disease when staff visited New Cross Hospital.

Each sack of goodies contained a Capital-branded teddy bear and sweets but the rest of the presents were age appropriate for the patients.

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Dean Bell, Head of Utilities at Capital, which employs around 150 people across the sectors of utilities, shopfitting, warehousing and road sweeping, said: “As a father, it truly hit home to hear about these children and their ages.

“We decided to do what we could to bring a little joy to their day and remind them that even strangers in their community are thinking of them during this festive period.

Generous pub customers raised a glass to cancer patients and their families by organising a huge haul of gifts to be given out at Christmas time.

“Our hope is this small gesture brings a smile to their faces and helps them feel the warmth and care of the wider community this Christmas season.

“Christmas is a time of joy and giving, and we firmly believe it should be special for everyone, especially for children who are facing such challenging circumstances.

“If we have the opportunity to bring even a small amount of happiness and support to these children during this festive season, we are truly honoured and grateful to do so.”

Duncan Evans, Capital’s managing director, said: “It’s truly lovely to be in a position to help bring even a small bit of happiness during these tough times.

“With two young children of my own, it really brings things home and highlights how meaningful it is to make a positive difference.”

Regulars at the Broadway pub in Lichfield Road, Wednesfield, rallied round to show the community’s support for patients having chemotherapy treatment at the Snowdrop Suite at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

Broadway staff members came up with the idea and spread the word amongst colleagues and customers. A Christmas tree was put up and tags added with gift ideas to be bought. They were overwhelmed at the support their appeal received.

Steph Friedl, CNS Oncology at RWT’s Hospital at Home service, said “It’s not nice for children being in hospital over Christmas. For their families having extra gifts is lovely as a lot of families can’t work due to their child having chemo so will help them at such a magical time.

“Patients will be overwhelmed that the community has such a big heart. Patients will be in up to the 24th of December receiving treatment.”

Kirsty Lewis, Senior Matron for Children’s Services at RWT, said: “It’s so thoughtful of Capital to recognise the needs of each patient at what is a difficult time for them, so we thank them very much.”

Amanda Winwood, RWT Charity Development Manager, said: “Capital has been really generous with its donation and the children’s faces lit up when they received their presents.”

Joanne O’Sullivan, Living with and Beyond Cancer Support Manager with Macmillan at the hospital, added: “I want to thank all of the customers and staff for their generosity and for including all patients on their cancer journey”.

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “We have such a generous community who always pull together and make a difference for our patients and – at such a magical time of year – lets our patients know that they are not alone”.

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“We had a great turnout – even people who aren’t pub goers dropped by to help their local hospital, which is really heartwarming.”

A triple fundraiser which attracted two reality TV stars helped raise more than £4,500 to help young hospital patients in Wolverhampton.

“I’m excited to see what the Charity can do with the money – it’s nice just knowing you’re able to make a difference.”

Stephen added: “A big thank you to the Rainbow Inn for hosting us – it’s a real community pub and we were welcomed with open arms.”

Sarah Lewis, Matron on the Children’s Ward, said: “We’re so grateful for any donation and we know the hard work that goes into the events.

“The money will go towards two TV/DVD combinations and refurbishing a parent room on the ward, as well as the kitchen space, to support families to have somewhere to go and take a break and have some quiet time, should they need it.”

Andy Pearce and his daughter Issy – who featured in the popular ITV show My Mum, Your Dad – were among the guests at a charity quiz night at The Rainbow pub in Coven.

Their presence helped smash the fundraisers’ target of £2,500, and the celebrity theme continued as winners took home prizes such as Olly Murs VIP tickets.

Fundraisers Mark Hands and Stephen Cooper hosted darts and pool competitions alongside the quiz, attended by Andy and Issy.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “We are overwhelmed at this donation. It is lovely to see the community spirit and everyone coming together to make a difference.”

A walking football club boasting the UK’s oldest striker scored for charity by raising hundreds of pounds as one of its players was treated for cancer.

Mark was diagnosed with a rare blood condition in 2022 and is monitored at Cannock Chase Hospital.

A friend’s child was a patient on the RWT Children’s Ward, so the duo decided to raise money to help young patients at the Trust that has been supporting Mark.

Stephen said: “When young people are in hospital there is a limit to how much there is to do to keep occupied.

“We wanted to be able to do something that helped to ensure the children were able to have some fun.”

In the darts, Stephen was pipped by a regular player, while Mark played the part of quiz host.

The quiz was won by a team from Mr Fish, a new mobile fish van owned by Jenson Shore and George Hague, who made a large donation.

Mark said: “There was a right buzz on the night. It was just great fun to do something for a good cause.

Mike Stevenson, received treatment for bladder cancer at New Cross Hospital.

He organised a raffle through his team Old Corinthians Walking Football Club which raised £350 for Your RWTC to thank staff for his treatment.

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Nicola Turuel, Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “The fact we’re able to offer treatment that can prevent the cancer from returning offers patients hope. It’s been a pleasure to offer this to Mike.

“I was delighted to learn he’d like to donate the money to the Urology department.

“It would be great if this could be used for equipment to enhance patient experience, but also that will improve efficiency for staff.”

A champion fundraiser who has handed thousands of pounds to Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital over the years has added another £4,320 to her impressive tally.

Mike said: “When you’re told you’ve got cancer, it’s devastating but everyone I’ve dealt with at New Cross have been absolutely fabulous, so we decided to raise some money. The Trust is very lucky to have such great staff.

Throughout Mike’s treatment, he played walking football three or four times a week.

Old Corinthians, based at Rushall Olympic FC, plays in the Birmingham League and faced Aston Villa legend and European Cup winner Des Bremner, now in his seventies and playing for Shard End.

It also boasts 90-year-old Mike ‘Ninja’ Fisher, who made national headlines for being the oldest striker in the UK.

“Walking football is generally for over 50s and at that age people get ailments,” added grandfather Mike, a West Bromwich Albion supporter who also plays walking football for Central England.

“We lost a player to heart disease and held a charity match recently, raising £2,000. We have players with pacemakers and those who have had prostate cancer.

“We feel we’re doing the NHS a good turn by keeping people out of hospital.”

Amanda Winwood, RWT Charity Development Manager, said: “We’re delighted with Old Corinthians’ donation. This will help with care for our cancer patients.”

McKala Harrold runs Celebrity Random Raffles on her Facebook page and has persuaded some of TV’s best loved soap characters to support her including former Emmerdale actor Danny Miller, Jamie Lomas from Hollyoaks, Samia Longchambon from Coronation Street, and Eastenders’ Scott Maslen, to make celebrity appearances.

Her Celebrity Random Raffle initiative sees her host a twice-weekly raffle with people paying 20p or a £1 a go and every year she raises money for causes that are important to her. She has previously supported Wolverhampton’s Diabetes Centre as her dad Keith has diabetes, the Neonatal Unit and Integrated Critical Care Unit.

And the grandmother’s latest fundraiser saw her host an event at Willenhall’s Gilbert’s Bar just before Christmas, once again with star-studded support from Mikey North and Sam Aston who play Gary and Chesney in Coronation Street.

McKala explained: “I was originally going to buy Christmas presents for children in hospital over the festive period, but we couldn’t quite make this work out, so I decided to donate the cash to Paediatric Oncology for the staff to use in any way that makes things better for children having treatment.

“The raffles have grown over time and over the six years we’ve been doing this New Cross Hospital has thousands of pounds from our events which does

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make me feel proud. My friend Janine Oakley needs a mention as she has been a fantastic help with it all and I don’t think I could have done it without her. We’ve been able to hand over £4,320 this time and it was great to see how pleased staff were.”

Dr Julie Brent, Consultant Paediatrician at RWT, said McKala’s donation would help improve “bland” cubicles for children having chemotherapy and other treatment.

“We’d like to brighten the spaces up with artwork as children can spend considerable periods of time here having treatment and the cubicles are bland at the moment,” she said. “And this donation means we can also look at other distractions for them so thank you to McKala and all who have helped raise this money.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, added: “The many thousands Mykala has raised over the years are incredible and this latest donation will clearly make a big difference to the children we care for.”

A grateful patient who lost both legs has donated a vital piece of equipment to say thank you to Wolverhampton NHS staff for helping him learn to walk again, and to help others.

and intensive physiotherapy.

The machine is used to adjust materials for the manufacture and fitting of prosthetic legs and rehabilitation after lower-limb amputation.

Stuart was rushed to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital but unfortunately his lower legs could not be saved.

Through his determination and the support of staff such as Lou Tisdale, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Amputee Rehabilitation at RWT, and Dawn Crofts, Clinical Lead, he has learned to walk again, with sticks and prosthetics.

Stuart has been in the gym several times each week with Lou and Dawn, plus swimming and walking.

He passed a driving test to drive an automatic car and hopes to drive a lorry again one day.

“I decided to make a donation because I wanted to thank the staff and show my appreciation for their support,” said Stuart.

“The staff and patients of The Maltings will benefit as the machine is an essential piece of equipment used on a regular basis.

“I have been attending appointments at The Maltings for the last 22 months, receiving support from Physiotherapists, Prosthetists and other support staff.

“I dread to think where I’d be without them and I couldn’t wish for better support.

“So I wanted to gift them an item needed to support people in similar situations to myself.

“It’s a privilege to give a little back to a deserving team, with the added bonus of knowing it will help others.”

Lou said: “The limb absence and prosthetic rehabilitation service would like to thank Stuart, his family and friends for raising money and then gifting our service with a sewing machine.

Stuart Horobin lost his left leg just above the knee and his right leg from the middle of his calf in a motorbike accident.

The former lorry driver has bought a £240 sewing machine to show his gratitude to staff at The Maltings Mobility Centre in Wolverhampton after learning to walk again with prosthetic limbs following surgery

“It will be put to good use in the prosthetic workshop preparing materials for when individuals have a prosthetic socket made, sewing straps to adjust them to individual needs and making off-the-shelf items fit better.”

Lindsey Wagstaff, Community and Events Fundraising Officer, said: “Stuart’s donation will ensure patients will have comfortable prosthetics to wear.

“We’re also bowled over by his determination to get back to leading a normal life again. Well done!”

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Over the past 18months, the Arts and Heritage Group (A&HG) has delivered upon its aims to enhance the healing environment, develop community connections, and explore and exhibit the history of healthcare in Wolverhampton . The A&HG has brought about real change by engaging with patients, visitors, and the wider community through a range of projects and activities.

A museum charting the history of Wolverhampton’s healthcare with fascinating exhibitions and creative community opportunities was developed in the city centre, thanks to a grant of almost £140,000 awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The ‘Care, Create, Conserve’ programme was pioneered by the A&HG, beginning in 2023 during the 75th year of the NHS. At the heart of the project was the creation of Wolverhampton’s first healthcare museum and co-creation centre.

The Healthcare Heritage Centre featured an exhibition of medical artefacts, photographs, and memorabilia from RWT’s collection while healthcare stories of today have been showcased through community cocreation projects and a vibrant programme of talks and events.

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, said: “We were thrilled to have been successful in our bid and grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for seeing the value in our vision.

“Health is universal and something we can all relate to, no matter our age, identity, belief, or circumstances, but it can also be uniquely personal. Care, Create, Conserve seeks to tell a story which acknowledges many different experiences and perspectives – a story from our history, but also from our present day.”

The programme has also created opportunities for Arts and Heritage Volunteers to help manage the Healthcare Heritage Centre, as well as gaining unique opportunities for training in collections care and curation.

The collection is now housed within Wolverhampton City Archives, Molineux Hotel Building, Whitmore Hill, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SF.

Enthusiastic schoolchildren brought the iconic façade of Wolverhampton’s Royal Hospital to life in a colourful collage and 3D sculpture.

The artistic interpretations have shaped part of a creative showcase, focusing on language and identity in healthcare settings, with a spotlight on disability and deafness.

This forms part of the Care, Create, Conserve project being led by the A&HG, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The project has seen schoolchildren and local community groups embark on an artistic collaboration with Real Arts Workshops, led by Alex Vann, graphic designer, artist and musician and Gary O’Dowd, profoundly deaf crafter, and British Sign Language (BSL) tutor, who provide high-quality, tailor-made creative arts workshops.

The artistic duo explored the theme of language in healthcare, through working with community groups to co-create a final artwork.

This creative process began with sessions with pupils from years 7, 8 and 11 at Penn Fields School. They were asked ‘What does the NHS mean to you?’ generating answers including “friendly and hard working”, “helps me when I’m poorly” and “support and protection.”

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Thrilled with the artistic flair coming from the classroom, Shelley Cooper, Arts Lead at Penn Fields School said: “Feedback from children and staff has been very positive and many have expressed how much they have enjoyed it. The model looks amazing.”

The 3D sculpture features the recognisable columns that still stand at the entrance of the Royal Hospital. The triangular roof can be lifted off to view hospital scenes, recreated by the students using plastic figurines.

Kate said: “Our students at the UTC have really engaged with the brief set by the hospital.

“Developing real projects for a client with a real need has encouraged students to not only realise their personal intentions but also develop an insight of how they can apply their knowledge in a context that exists.

“I am certain that our students have taken pride that their work is on display and that others can appreciate their endeavours.”

Gary also delivered some BSL teaching as part of this project.

High school students have helped to brighten up a rest area for doctors at RWT.

Year 9 students from Thomas Telford University Technical College (UTC) in Wolverhampton were tasked with creating artwork to be displayed in the doctors’ mess at New Cross Hospital.

The doctors’ mess is a rest area which provides facilities and refreshments for staff who work round the clock.

The project was proposed by Kate Yardley, Design Teacher at Thomas Telford UTC, and supported by the A&HG.

The project was given the theme of ‘anatomy’, and students were challenged to create artworks inspired by the human form which were also decorative and eye-catching.

Many of the students chose to use laser cutting technology to capture the intricacy of anatomy, while others paired detailed drawings with natural imagery such as flowers and vines.

Nick Grew, maxillo-facial surgeon at RWT, also helped to shape the brief, and gave a talk to the students to fire their imaginations.

The artworks chosen for display in the doctors’ mess were created by Stefania Timcea, Reejh Kooner, Zaineb Hussian and Lily Corbishley.

Stefania said: “I felt very challenged by the brief but it gave me more drive to develop my work to the best of my ability and I am really pleased with the end result.”

Lily added: “I wanted to catch people’s eye with larger scale works that still retain a quality of detail.”

Fotoula Kotsi, Doctors Mess President, said: “The art pieces in our Doctor’s Mess are just incredible!

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“They add a lovely burst of colour and brighten up the space.

“We’re especially grateful for them during those long on-call shifts when we need something to lift our spirits.

“As doctors, we sometimes forget the beauty in the human form and anatomy, and these artworks provide such a refreshing perspective.

“It’s really touching to know that the artists thought of us when they made these. We feel truly appreciated.”

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator at RWT, said: “We are really impressed by how accomplished these artworks are. The students all approached the brief in unique ways, and the resulting pieces are striking and highly detailed.

“The doctors will be able to enjoy these artworks while they take a well-deserved break from providing care.”

A heart-warming memoir written by a former Wolverhampton Nurse has been published to inspire others and highlight changes in the profession over the years.

The memoir, written by Jo Collins, who died in 2020 aged 85, details a reflection of her 40-year career in Nursing, through stories she recalled from her time at the Royal Hospital, New Cross Hospital, and work across the city as an agency Nurse.

It forms part of the A&HG’s ‘Care, Create, Conserve’ project.

Packed with empathy and humour, the account details Jo’s experience between 1953 and 1996 as she reflects on memorable moments.

Jo Collins pictured during her retirement and in 1979

Documenting her journey from Trainee Nurse to Sister, Jo reminisces about friendships, happy memories, drama, and excitement, and how her passion for Nursing was sparked from a young age.

Jo’s daughter, Nicky Gale, said: “My mum would be so thrilled to see the published memoir. She would have loved this project and would have been fully involved in it.

“The memoir documents her unique personal account but is also a fascinating example of healthcare history.”

“It’s also interesting to understand how Nursing has changed over time, through technology, bureaucracy, academia and opportunities for progression.

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Taking place in the children’s section of Wolverhampton Central Library, the series of short activities was hosted through the Care, Create, Conserve project, led by the A&HG. This project was made possible due to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The initiative tied into the library’s Summer Reading Challenge, a national scheme which was following the theme of ‘Marvellous Makers’ this year.

“But I imagine the core motivation remains the same for the vast majority of people going into the profession – that is to care for others.”

Through shining a spotlight on the reality of the Nursing profession over the past 40 years, Jo recalls the swift changes and advances in facilities, servicelevel expectations and rules and regulations – which were particularly prevalent upon her return from a career break to raise her family.

Children were invited to step into the shoes of a Victorian chemist and join in with interactive ‘Marvellous Makers of Medicine’ sessions.

Children aged five and over were tasked with three challenges which included weighing out ‘medicine’ (sweets) using a pair of scales, using a mortar and pestle, and funnelling the powdered ‘medicine’ into a bottle.

This interactive challenge tests simple maths skills, as well as teaching young participants new words.

Youngsters earned a certificate upon completion of each challenge, and free activity sheets were available to take away, including wordsearches and spot the difference.

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, said: “Marvellous Makers of Medicine brings Wolverhampton’s healthcare history to a young audience, through hands-on activities and fun challenges.

“It’s been great to combine the themes of our heritage collection with the summer reading challenge being delivered at Wolverhampton Libraries.”

Preeti Kailey, Arts and Heritage Volunteer, said: “The first session was also my first day as a volunteer, and I really enjoyed it. The activities involved basic maths and problem solving, teaching children how medicine was made in Victorian times while injecting an element of fun – it was a real success.”

The activity was accompanied by a small display of objects from Reade Brothers and Co, Wolverhampton’s manufacturing chemist who made medicines throughout the 1800s.

This display includes old photographs, medicine bottles, and formula books listing the ingredients of Reade’s remedies.

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Get well soon cards created by talented young people as part of a craft activity should prove a real pick me up for oncology patients at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

The A&HG attended the #WvSameDifference festival to focus on the theme of “Creative Kindness.”

The event co-ordinated by Wolverhampton CEP (Cultural Education Partnership offered two activities. The first was to create cards for young people receiving treatment on oncology wards while the second saw participants create Mind Medicine – uplifting messages rolled up inside pill capsules and put into a small pot.

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, said: “This was a valuable opportunity for us to talk to and work with young people who have a wealth of ideas and talent to share.

“Both craft activities were popular with children and young people popping by our stand throughout the day to offer encouraging and hopeful words, and to draw rainbows, hot-air balloons, and teddies emblazoned with the words ‘get well soon’

“We really wanted our activities to promote the importance of showing kindness, to others and to yourself. Young people are capable of such extraordinary empathy, and this was really clear in the meaningful messages we heard and saw throughout the day.”

The festival, at West Park was aimed at 11-18 year olds.

A puppet company has pulled on the heart strings of young patients and staff and prompted thoughts and discussions around inclusivity at two Black Country NHS Trusts.

Nikki Charlesworth Productions visited RWT and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust to perform its semiautobiographical puppetry show called ‘What Happened to You?’

The story follows Little Red, Noodles and Bo, three raggedy puppets, just trying to get through the day. Ahead of them lies a mountain of challenges. They persevere and find creative ways to overcome their impassable surroundings. Each puppet’s story explores preconceptions about disability in a playful and humorous way and showcases the endless opportunities out there once barriers of all kinds are removed.

What Happened to You? also features creative use of Audio Description, embedded into the original score and integrated British Sign Language, introducing children to enhanced access.

Nikki Charlesworth, Puppeteer and Producer said: “The puppets use children’s walking aids or orthotics, some of which I used myself when growing up.

“We wanted to promote the social model of disability and underline the importance of access and inclusion – but most importantly to be proud of yourself no matter what disability you have.”

“We tour hospitals as we believe every little bit matters in here. Children come and go so every interaction is vital.

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Izzy Hollis, Puppeteer said: “We love what we do; there’s nothing like it. It’s very rewarding.”

The crew visited various children’s clinics and wards at both Trusts.

Molly Lockley, Play Leader at RWT, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Nikki Charlesworth and company to the Children’s Ward.

“They were really enthusiastic and so good at engaging with the children. It was lovely to see so many smiling faces. The show was a big highlight of the day and enjoyed by all.”

Experiences of people recovering from mental health and addiction issues have been examined through an artistic perspective as part of a healthcare heritage project in Wolverhampton.

The A&HG worked with city artist Charlotte Webb to explore what healthcare means to people today – while drawing on the past.

Members of Wolverhampton’s Service User Involvement Team (SUIT) shared their personal stories of mental health and addiction, prompted and inspired by the Trust’s heritage collection of artefacts.

They reflected on the importance of care for people’s whole health, as well as examining the stigma that is often associated with mental ill health and addiction issues as part of the Care Create, Conserve project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Medical artefacts dating back as far as 1840 were used as inspiration for discussion and creativity in SUIT workshops with Charlotte.

Charlotte said: “We looked at whether attitudes have changed all that much over the years – treatment and recovery programmes may well have moved with the times but does this apply more broadly to people’s perceptions of healthcare for particular conditions and their perceptions of people living with these?

“Using the heritage collection as our starting point helped prompt some fascinating discussions and I think all of us involved in this important project have gained some real insight into mental health and addiction issues.

“The project also created an opportunity to explore the shared difficulties of conserving heritage and the care of people with mental and physical health conditions.”

At the end of the project, participants produced a multi-media artwork, shaped and influenced by the community and people’s healthcare experiences.

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, added: “We’re really pleased this project proved such a valuable way of gaining more insight into an important area of healthcare and encouraging discussion on past and present attitudes.

“We thank members of SUIT for their openness and their willingness to work on the project in this way. Arts and heritage within healthcare can be a powerful tool within our communities to help drive change and challenge viewpoints.”

More than 200 people flocked to a history fair in Wolverhampton, with many signing up to an oral history project on healthcare.

Items – including an early version of a nasal cannula – were displayed at the fair at the Wolverhampton City Archive in the Molineux Hotel Building.

A stall was hosted by volunteers from the Care, Create, Conserve project, part of the A&HG.

People handled a collection which includes a pair of Tudor Edwards oxygen spectacles from the 1930s, and a medicine bottle from Wolverhampton-based chemist Reade Brothers and Company.

Items were from both the former Royal Hospital which closed in 1997, and New Cross Hospital, part of RWT, where the Royal’s services were transferred to.

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Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, said: “The event went very well. The archive had 250 people through the door despite poor weather, and the volunteers spoke to 60 people, having in-depth conversations with each.

“Folk were very interested in holding the objects – they loved the oxygen spectacles and Nurses’ badges.”

The Care, Create, Conserve display was one of numerous stalls featuring community groups, local history groups and genealogy societies.

Historians, organisations, and individuals shared their knowledge, answered questions and told people about their activities.

benefits “By looking back at the past we learn how to do things better in the future.”

“We got some sign-ups for our oral history project, and a fair few memories shared on our A2 display board – someone even recognised herself in one of our old photographs!

“We also made some lovely connections with other groups and heritage venues, including the Wolves Museum.”

Volunteer Helen Steatham said: “Most people we spoke to had memories of the Royal and a few had worked there.

“It was lovely to hear how much it meant to them. The staff had particularly fond memories, and many had a tale to tell.

A trio of Wolverhampton arts projects considering issues of identity, disability and language within a healthcare context has come to a successful close.

Real Arts Workshops (RAW) teamed up with the A&HG to deliver the projects, which saw school pupils and recovering patients taking part in workshops.

As a result, a 2D collage of The Royal Hospital building in All Saints and a 3D model, complete with a lift off roof, were produced, along with a reproduction painting of Gary O’Dowd’s “Two Worlds” which depicts Deaf and Hearing worlds working together in harmony. And water colour paintings, dot drawings and a 3D model were created using The Weeping Chapel building – part of the original women’s hospital at West Park Hospital.

“Having a small selection of medical objects on display and allowing visitors to handle them was a great conversation starter and engaged even the few visitors who were unfamiliar with the Royal.

“Visitors were fascinated by the oxygen spectacles and baby feeding bottle, while the ear syringe inspired quite a lot of speculation.”

Fellow volunteer Helen Trainer said: “It was brilliant able to talk to people about the history of Wolverhampton hospitals.

“It was also great to be able to sign up people to the oral history project, and to hear their stories, for future generations to listen to.

“Most people had lovely memories of the Royal. A few people worked there, and two described the ‘pebbly’ surface on the floor of the swimming pool!

The workshops sessions formed part of the Care, Create, Conserve project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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RAW is a Wolverhampton-based team led by graphic designer, artist and musician Alex Vann and profoundly Deaf crafter and BSL tutor Gary O’Dowd.

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, said: “We have seen some thought provoking work produced by participants in these workshops – work that really allowed them to immerse themselves in the project.

technology has advanced since I was a pupil myself at a school for deaf children in the North East in the 1980s.

“In recent times there have been huge advances in digital hardware for Deaf people and smartphone technology now features deaf inclusive apps such as instant messaging, SMS texting, video calls and more specifically platforms such as Sign Video, Zoom, Facetime and BSL 999.

“Unfortunately, there are still many inequalities for Deaf and disabled people although BSL has eventually been officially recognised, it’s still not accessible everywhere it’s needed or on the school curriculum. Projects like this are useful to raise awareness of such issues – framed in a creative, fun and interactive way.”

Alex from RAW added: “We found this such a rich and rewarding experience and it was fascinating to see the artworks develop along the way.

“And the resultant artworks will help us to raise further awareness of our heritage and spark greater interest across our communities, as well as prompt reflection.”

RAW worked with Penn Fields School pupils, Warstones Primary School’s Deaf Resource Base and West Park Hospital’s rehabilitation patients.

“But it’s important to appreciate the wider benefits of these projects as we saw people of all ages developing new skills and gaining a real sense of satisfaction. They also benefitted from positive, social interaction with others and enjoyed working as a team.

“Projects like this help to break down barriers and challenge perceptions and remind us all that by looking back at the past we learn how to do things better in the future.”

Gary from RAW said: “It was great to have the opportunity of working with the young people at the Deaf Resource Base at Warstones School.

Residents were taken back to 1849 during a highly anticipated spoken word performance through the Care, Create, Conserve project.

The performance took people through a historical journey of healthcare, exploring themes of gender role stereotyping, facilities and access to healthcare, based on their perspectives.

“We were able to borrow some archive hearing equipment from the Wolverhampton Sensory Team which the pupils had a great time learning about and interacting with. I spoke with the children about how

The event, at the Mander Health Hub, was led by poets Sophina Jagot and Emma Purshouse who shared a potted history of the Royal Hospital followed by a unique soundscape performance collated through listening activities during residency sessions within the health hub.

The poets took inspiration from current and former NHS staff, local historians and residents’ memories

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and experiences of healthcare throughout the years to craft their unique performance.

Sophina said: “It’s been fantastic to talk to so many people and these lived experiences are reflected within our work.”

An artist who worked on a project with Gynaecology staff at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital following her personal cancer experience has handed over two paintings to be displayed in the department.

Alexandra Hatfield wanted to bring some colour into the corridors, appreciating how nervous and frightened patients can be while they’re waiting to be seen, and provide a thought provoking focus at the same time.

“We’ve had a blast uncovering Wolverhampton’s healthcare history and each individual perspective has shaped our performance. People have been excited to talk about their memories and share their thoughts – it’s been a real pleasure to piece this together,” Emma added.

Frances Land, Co-Artistic Director from Black Country Touring, collaborators of the programme, praised the poets for creating two inspiring pieces. She said: “I am so pleased to see the final performance after much development through capturing stories, thoughts, and experiences through listening and engagement exercises. The performances really capture the essence of healthcare history in Wolverhampton in such a fun and accessible way.”

Alex Vann, who lives locally, said: “It’s an ingenious idea to show healthcare history through the voices of local people. I particularly enjoyed reflecting on the archive of photographs – they complement the words, and the combination of sound and visuals helped shape a meaningful representation of history.”

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-Ordinator at RWT Charity, said: “Thank you to all of our communities which contributed to the showcase event – their input was invaluable and really helped us to paint a picture of healthcare in years gone by.

“Sophina and Emma brought people’s experiences and memories to life so vividly for us and I’m sure their interpretation will have enthused the audience and left them keen to find out more.”

She has been working as an artist in residence with the A&HG, as part of the Care, Create, Conserve project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

“I have been in a patient’s shoes and know the department all too well after being diagnosed with cervical cancer when I was 29,” explained Alexandra, a former art teacher who is now co-founder of Saredon Studios in Cannock.

“While I knew something wasn’t right, just hearing the word cancer sent my mind into a dark place where I imagined the worst. But with the support of my family and the staff in Gynaecology I was able to get myself to a place where I wasn’t going to be defined by cancer, and I could make the treatment choices that were right for me.

“I opted against a hysterectomy as I wanted children, and I now have a four year old daughter Fern who means the world to me. My treatment involved lymph node removal and when my Consultant told me the tumour had been removed and there was no cancer in my womb or lymph nodes it was the best news.

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I think my own cancer experience has brought home to me even more how art can help our health and wellbeing and how important it is to do the things we love.”

For the paintings she produced, Alexandra looked at the work of herbologists in gynaecology before medical advances.

“I wanted to incorporate flowers with the speculum and colposcope featured in the paintings which I’ve gilded to show that they are precious items as they are vital for examination, leading to diagnosis and treatment – even though the thought of them can make us anxious” she said.

“I hope the paintings give patients something to focus on when they’re in Gynaecology as I know how nervous and worried they feel, sat there waiting to be seen. I thoroughly enjoyed this project, working with staff as well as the Arts and Heritage Group, and I think it has highlighted how important a creative outlet can be in healthcare.”

Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, said the paintings would provide a focal and talking point in the department.

“It’s so interesting to hear how Alexandra drew inspiration from herbology to produce the works and it does remind us how the past has contributed to healthcare services in the present day,” she said.

“With her personal experience of cancer also shaping her approach, the paintings take on a poignancy and we thank Alexandra for her efforts on this project.”

Helen Rutter, Departmental Manager in Gynaecology Outpatients, added: “The paintings certainly brighten up our walls in Gynaecology and when Alexandra came in to hand them over it was fascinating to hear about the process that went into producing them. We wish her well as she continues to spread her passion for the therapeutic benefits of art.”

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It’s a common myth that only the rich and famous leave money to charity when they die. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. The reality is that without gifts left in Wills by people like you, many of the charities we know, and support wouldn’t even exist.

For many years, people have been remembering our hospital in their Wills. Their gifts have gone on to help future generations and enhance the experience of people of all ages using services at RWT.

Often donors have experienced first-hand the high level of care and expertise on offer at RWT and want to ensure future patients continue to have access to cutting-edge technology and excellent facilities.

We are honoured to receive legacy gifts, both large and small, from people just like you, who have chosen to help us make a difference to our community. Over the years, the legacies left by compassionate donors have been a vital source of funding for Your RWTC. A staggering £299,800 was donated in legacies in the year leading up to 31 March 2024!

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Leaving a legacy allows you to play a supporting role in helping patients, staff and families long into the future. The money that the Charity receives from the Wills of donors is used according to their wishes, to pay for research, fund projects or buy equipment.

Leaving a gift in your Will is a wonderful act of selflessness, and Your RWTC is extremely grateful to all those donors who consider supporting us in this way.

If you choose to leave a gift in your Will to us, you'll need to include our name, address, and registered Charity number:

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity

New Cross Hospital Location A27, OPD Wolverhampton, WV10 0QP Registered Charity no: 1059467

Giving in memory is a distinct way to remember a loved one whilst making a valuable contribution to Your RWTC

You can pay tribute to the memory of someone special in a number of ways. You could make a donation, hold a collection at a funeral or memorial service, set up an online tribute page, collect donations to mark a special date, such as a birthday, or even take part in an event or challenge in their name.

Your courage and kindness will ensure we can provide the best treatments and experience to our patients and their families, all in the name of your loved one.

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Samantha Bullows, Lead Breast Cancer Nurse at RWT, said: “Thanks to the fantastic funding from the former Goodyear workers we can ensure that patients who need them will have two comfy specialist bras to potentially reduce pain and complications.

Patients who have breast surgery and need post operative drains will now receive two bras to wear during their recovery thanks to the generosity of former Goodyear workers.

“We often get asked what kind of bra should be worn after an operation such as a mastectomy. This is often a cause of anxiety and concern for patients before and after their surgery. While we’re on hand to advise about the bras available some patients feel overwhelmed by what to choose and some aren’t able to purchase suitable new bras.

“These bras have a front fastening, are soft and supportive, and include a pocket within the cup for a prosthesis if needed. The bras are also provided with detachable pouches to facilitate any drains and take away the expense and stress of women trying to go out and buy their own.

“It is great to be able to supply two bras and on behalf of our patients we are very grateful.

“A special thank you to Sarah Faulkner, General Surgery Manager and Vicki Fleury, Matron, who put in the Charity bid.”

Members of the 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund donated £6,340.50 to buy an extra bra to support patients through their surgical recovery.

It is hoped around 450 women a year will be supported in this way through RWT and the thoughtful donation will take away the often daunting process of buying a bra post-surgery.

Siobhan Lynch, from Albrighton, had a mastectomy recently and said how comfortable the post-operative bras are.

She said: “I had to have three drains in for a week and a half following my surgery and the bras even had space to facilitate these. They are great and I am really glad all women will now be provided with two.

“All the team have been amazing throughout my treatment. It has been a long and daunting process but the staff are like friends now and have really looked after me.”

Cyril Barrett, Chair of the 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund, said the donation was the latest in a long line to RWT.

He said: “We have been supporting breast care services at New Cross since the late eighties and are very proud to do so.

“I am so glad we could make this donation as it is a proud legacy provided by the kindness of the former Goodyear workers.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, added: “A huge thank you to the former Goodyear workers for the incredible support and for this latest generous donation.

“We are so lucky that due to many years of support from 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund, we have been able to buy some ground-breaking equipment and launch some amazing projects and we really appreciate it.”

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A hospital garden has been overhauled and brought back to life with new planters and colourful decorations thanks to the kindness of the local community.

Employees from The Mander Shopping Centre in Wolverhampton joined forces with patients and staff from RWT to spend the day revamping the green space outside the Neurological Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) at West Park Hospital.

She said: “It has been so lovely to see the difference the Mander Centre has made to the garden. Being able to see it from start to finish, and the transformation of colour, and all the different ornaments that have been put around the garden, has been magical.

“It is going to make such a difference for so many people.

“Hopefully we will be able to come out here with our families and enjoy the sunshine.”

Emma Stewart, Matron for NRU, said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to the Mander Centre team for coming and revamping our garden.

“It is a huge improvement for patients and is somewhere nice for them now to come and sit and enjoy, to help with their recovery.”

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager explained Your RWTC, funded the project through a donation from Willenhall Area Relief Rehabilitation and Nursing Trust (WARRANT),

She said: “It was lovely spending the day at the NRU and helping with this transformation. Getting to meet the patients and hearing first-hand the difference this will make to them is the best part of my job.

They planted new flowers, tidied up the flower beds, built wooden troughs for vegetables to be grown in, painted the pagoda and installed a new table and chairs.

The volunteers also installed new solar lighting so the garden can be enjoyed at all times of the day. The makeover cost £3,000.

Laura Taylor, Marketing Manager at The Mander Shopping Centre, said:

“Our security, cleaning and management staff joined together to revamp the gardens as it is really important for us to give back to the community who shop at and use the Mander Centre.

“A lot of our team have experienced care from the hospital and we know how important the garden is for patients.”

The garden has already been well received by patients, including Sophie Evans-Carey who spent time at West Park receiving treatment for functional neurological disorder (FND).

“A huge thanks to Laura and the teams from the Mander Centre, you truly have made an impact at the NRU and we can’t wait to see the garden flourish and be used by all.

“We also want to thank WARRANT for the donation of funds for this project. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to make the transformation.”

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One of the first mums on the ward to use the new chair was Lucy Gould.

Specialist chairs designed to help new parents feel more comfortable when feeding or caring for their new babies have been donated to Wolverhampton’s Neonatal Unit.

A total of 12 chairs – six electric and six manual – costing £48,000, have been bought by Your RWTC for the unit at New Cross Hospital.

Sarah Crowshaw, Neonatal Ward Manager, said the chairs were a huge upgrade on what was available previously.

She said: “The chairs supplied by the NHS are hard and very upright. The new ones we have had donated by the Charity are so much better.

“A lot of parents like to sleep at the baby’s bedside and can do so in these chairs as they fully recline, so can be used 24 hours if parents wish to.

“They also help with the feeding of the babies and are specially designed to make this easier for the parents.”

The full-time mum of two, gave birth to baby Lenny Mitchell-Gould.

She said: “I think the new chairs are absolutely brilliant. I had a joke going with the other women that I was like a sales rep for them I was singing their praises so much.

“I spent hours and hours on the unit and this chair made my stay a lot more comfortable.

“I had a C section so the fact there is a remote control to recline the chair really helped.

“It is just another part of the amazing care I received. I am so grateful to the staff and the unit.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “We were thrilled to provide the chairs to the Neonatal Unit to enhance the environment and support given to new mums during their stay on the unit.

“Thank you so much to everyone who donates and supports our Charity – it is because of you we are able to make these amazing donations which really lift our patients’ spirits.”

Young patients are now able to feel like Olympic champions when they attend Orthotics appointments in Wolverhampton thanks to a colourful charity makeover.

Children receive a medal and a gift which makes having treatment a treat rather than a chore at New Cross Hospital – and with 100 patients seen a week, that’s a lot of bling!

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From a dinosaur climbing a ladder to dolphins and boats, with elephants and giraffes plus balloons and aeroplanes, Orthotics has never looked as bright, interesting and engaging.

Some children, who come to hospital to have insoles or other items fitted or replaced to support their mobility, have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

And young patients are the main beneficiaries of the transformation which has been organised and funded by Your RWTC.

Sensory packs are also available for Orthotics patients at The Gem Centre in Wednesfield and the Learning Disability Clinic at Cannock Chase Hospital, complete with puzzles with stickers and ear defenders.

Dr Nicky Eddison, Consultant Orthotist/Orthotics Service Manager at RWT, said: “We had plain walls before so the team got in touch with the Charity to see what could be done in terms of a makeover, to make it more inviting for patients.

“When they said they could decorate it, I didn’t realise it could be this good. You can see their expertise in how they have made it so brilliant. A lot of our longterm patients have said they can see the difference straight away.”

Nicky’s PA Sudi Nayyar, and Admin Team Supervisor, said: “The pictures on the walls have helped the patients interact – instead of asking them to walk to a blank wall, we say things like ‘Do you want to go and have a look at that elephant over there?’ It really helps.

“The patients can be agitated but thanks to the knitted items too they have something to fidget with and it means the staff can talk to the patients’ loved ones in a stress-free environment so it’s a better experience for them too.”

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Lindsey Wagstaff, Community and Events Fundraiser, said: “It’s wonderful to see what has been achieved, and hear what a great effect it has had on patients who come in for their appointments.”

Receiving medals for attending appointments to look like successful Olympians has a positive effect, as have knitted items, courtesy of the Crafting for Communities group of knitters.

The newly decorated walls and gifts are the ideal distraction to help ensure a less stressed environment for them, their loved ones and staff.

Heart test results can now be given to young patients instantly after generous former Goodyear workers paid for a £6,400 machine to improve their hospital care as part of a £500,000 legacy.

The Children’s Outpatients department at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton has its first electrocardiogram (ECG) machine, which records the electrical activity of the heart.

It means patients who need their heart tested can have this done there and then, rather than visiting the Heart and Lung Centre in an adult setting.

Sensory and themed activity packs based on the American coming-of-age animation film ‘Inside Out 2’ donated by MediCinema are another tactic which can help things go more smoothly.

Having their own machine means the appointment is also quicker – around 20 minutes rather than an hour and a half.

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Between 15 and 20 patients per week are already benefitting from the new machine, rising to 50 to 100 per week as more staff are trained to use it.

“For what the NHS staff do, we should get down on our knees to them every day – what wonderful human beings they all are,” said Cyril.

“We feel it’s important to create a living legacy and that’s what donations like this have done.”

Cyril’s former colleague Wayne Devaney, who had a pacemaker fitted at New Cross Hospital, added: “My daughter Sylvie has been looked after here on a regular basis with juvenile arthritis as a child. We have been inspired by the staff here many times.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “This fundraising effort has been phenomenal and members can rest assured they have helped patients today as well as helping so many future generations.”

Dr Minoth Kanagaratnam, Consultant Paediatrician at RWT, said: “This vital piece of equipment has become our new best friend!

“Now we have this, children don’t have to go to an adult setting which might be daunting and stressful, and we get the results straightaway rather than having to wait longer – maybe even days.

“This is the first time we’ve had an ECG machine in Children’s Outpatients and I can’t thank the former Goodyear workers enough. It saves huge amounts of time, it improves flow, and it prevents delays in diagnosis.

Rudolf was busy at the North Pole but his reindeer friends Mistletoe and Michael brought miles of smiles to young patients at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital when they visited.

“Results are now instant and we can see if there’s anything abnormal going on, so the patient experience is far better.”

Kirsty Lewis, Senior Matron for Acute Children’s Services, said: “This machine has provided quick reassurance for children and parents because waiting to rule out a heart condition can be quite an anxious time for both.

“Carrying out an ECG can be seen as invasive for our patients. Using the skills of our children’s Nurses, we are able to communicate in a way they understand and ensure they feel at ease throughout.”

Nikki Hewitt, who is RWT’s first Paediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, has trained staff to use the machine.

She said: “It’s been amazing – having this is making life so much easier. Colleagues are very excited about it and patients are comfortable with it too.”

Cyril Barrett, Chair of the 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund (Ex-Goodyear Wolverhampton), was delighted to hand over the cheque.

Organised through Your RWTC, the festive furry friends made themselves at home outside the Children’s Ward and proved a real tonic – for all ages.

Aoife enjoyed watching them. She said: “They were really good.”

Bianca Gambone and Alice Lloyd’s daughter Lorena also enjoyed visiting the pair.

Bianca said: “This was amazing and totally unexpected as well. It’s so good of the Charity to make this happen on the ward. The reindeer were so sweet.”

Harrison said the visit helped put him in the mood for the most magical time of the year.

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“I remember being in hospital with my own grandson and the distress caused when the medics couldn’t find a vein to insert a cannula.”

“It was really fun seeing the reindeer, I’ve never seen such majestic animals,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to Christmas, meeting family and reuniting with everyone.”

Anabell was happy to feed Mistletoe and Michael.

“I’m used to feeding horses so I was fine to give them some food,” she said. “They loved it.”

Families whose babies are on the Neonatal Unit were also invited to enjoy some festive cheer.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said this was one of the busiest times of year for the Charity but one of the most rewarding.

“Seeing so many happy faces makes all of our work so worthwhile.

“The children loved meeting Mistletoe and Michael but this was also a seasonal treat for their parents and carers and our own staff.”

Motivated by this upsetting memory, as well as a desire to recognise the “amazing people who make up our NHS,” former Goodyear factory workers once again supported RWT.

Led by Chair and Trustee Cyril Barrett, members of the 5/344 Branch of the Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund visited the Children’s Ward at New Cross Hospital to see an AccuVein device handed over. This handheld device can help healthcare staff accurately and quickly find veins during blood draws, injections, and other treatments.

Cyril explained that he had seen first-hand how difficult it could be to find a vein to administer treatment after his own grandson needed a cannula to be inserted.

“I remember the distress caused when the medics couldn’t find a vein to insert a cannula,” he said.

“It was a long time ago, but I’ve not forgotten it and know how upsetting it can be for the young patients as well as their families to witness. This device will help reduce that distress and we’re pleased to hand it over.

“We always said we wanted those of us who worked at Goodyear to leave a legacy, I can’t emphasise enough how important that is to us. And we also want to recognise the amazing people who make up our NHS. They are angels and what they have done for many of our members – as well as families across Wolverhampton and the Black Country and Staffordshire – is priceless.”

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Abbie Wood, Senior Sister and HDU Lead at RWT, said the device would make a huge difference to young patients’ experience.

“It can be very difficult to find a vein and this device will help us to do so, reducing the anxiety and fear that our young patients have. We are so grateful for everything the Goodyear workers have done for us in Paediatrics as well as across the wider Trust.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, added: “It’s always a pleasure to catch up with our Goodyear fundraisers and once again we appreciate their efforts to support both our patients and the staff who care for them. The AccuVein, which cost just under £5,000, will definitely benefit patients on the Children’s Ward and help make their treatment easier.”

Each trolley comes with five different coloured drawers – four for parent care for their baby and the other for staff care for each baby.

The parent-led drawers are for their baby’s medication, administration, infant feeding and the baby’s belongings.

Katie Haywood, Matron for Neonatal Services at RWT, said: “Thank you to the Charity for supporting this initiative – we’re delighted with the new trolleys.

“They will help standardise practice and storage of equipment, as well as reduce the risk of infection due to the design and closed drawers system.

“They will also enable us to support parent-led medications administration using the lockable green pharmacy drawer.

“This supports parent education of providing ongoing care needs, and therefore a safer, effective and more efficient discharge.”

Neonatal staff in Wolverhampton have taken delivery of some flashy new wheels to accelerate care for poorly babies thanks to a £38,000 charity donation.

Kate Cheshire, Head of Midwifery and Neonatal Services at RWT, added: “We’re so grateful to be supported by the Charity to enhance care for families. Working closely with the Charity really does make a difference to care.

“These trolleys are functional as well as looking great.”

Feedback for the new trolleys has been positive.

Katie Haywood added: “The team loves them, so they have already brought a positive impact.”

Erica Smith, Sister, said: “The trolleys have brightened up the unit and are a great addition to the area.” First-time mum Aakriti Aakriti’s son Luvyam Kumar was born at 27 weeks, and she found the trolleys really helpful.

She said: “They are lovely and helping with breastfeeding equipment storage and more space for me to store my baby’s belongings.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement Officer, said: “We’re delighted to be able to support with this initiative.

A specialist trolley for each bed in the 26-bedded Neonatal Unit at New Cross Hospital has been bought by Your RWTC, changing and improving the way care is delivered.

“Knowing the trolleys will help staff and ultimately improve care for our youngest patients and their families is so important, plus they brighten up the unit.”

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initially wanted to swim every day.

“But we decided that would be too challenging timewise as she has after-school clubs.

A schoolgirl got on her bike to raise more than £4,200 for charity to help provide a new look for sick young patients.

“She stuck at it, not missing a day, even when it was raining heavily.”

Noah had kidney problems as a baby and had extensive testing for several genetic conditions.

The tests were clear, but he was diagnosed with severe neutropenia.

y; =

This is an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils, which make up most white blood cells – the body’s main defence against infections.

Noah’s condition turned out to be autoimmune which would heal itself in time.

But he was a regular at the Children’s Outpatients Department until being discharged in September 2024.

The amount and speed of the fundraising surprised the family.

“We’re flabbergasted – there are a lot of generous people around,” said Dan, a senior quantity surveyor.

Izzy Foley rode a mile on her bike every day for 28 days, accompanied by dad Dan Foley running alongside.

Albrighton villagers – plus supporters as far away as Cornwall and Singapore – gave generously, raising £4,217.50.

The donations will help fund a £7,000 first virtual reality headset on the Children’s Ward at New Cross Hospital through Your RWTC help relieve anxiety in younger patients facing challenging situations, such as having cannulas inserted.

Izzy wanted to give back after being a patient at New Cross Hospital since 2018, under Dr Sally Edwards, while her brother Noah has also been a long-term patient.

A cystic fibrosis carrier, asthma sufferer Izzy was regularly blue-lighted to hospital as a baby until being discharged in January after Dr Edwards confirmed she is no longer asthmatic.

Mum Vicki Foley said: “Izzy wanted to give back and

Vicki, a business assurance manager, added: “Initially, Izzy wanted to raise £200 to buy some toys for the department but we raised £800 on the first day.

“Posters were put up in The Harp pub in Albrighton. We posted daily updates to the JustGiving page. We even had people knocking our door offering us cash!

“We also got donations from it being displayed in Keith Gibson’s Cars in Albrighton where my dad works. The garage also donated generously.”

Sarah Lewis, Matron on Children’s Ward, said: “Thanks so much to Izzy for her efforts.

“The headset will make so much difference to younger patients. The sets are great for relieving stress and anxiety.”

Amie Rogers, Fundraising and Lead Digital Engagement, said:

“Izzy is such a sweet, thoughtful little girl and her determination to stick to her task and raise so much money is testament to her hard work.”

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Charitable funds from WARRANT have allowed us to provide the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Team with a brand new Careflex Hydrotilt chair.

This specialist chair will aid patients’ rehabilitation and will enhance patient experience. Patients to be able to sit out of bed and potentially be taken off the ward with staff, where they would have likely been nursed in bed otherwise. This will have significant benefits to the patient’s well-being, as well as supporting their physical rehabilitation needs, and preventing complications associated with prolonged bed rest.

A huge thank you to WARRANT for its generous donation which also provided specialist chairs in AMU.

olunteer @RWT

King’s Award honour for Wolverhampton service

Selfless volunteers who support The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust in its hospitals and community were “absolutely thrilled” after receiving The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The accolade is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Your RWTC and Volunteering Service was one of 281 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Its work, along with others from across the UK, highlights all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to support their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Her Majesty The late Queen’s Golden Jubilee and was continued following the accession of His Majesty The King.

Recipients are announced annually on 14 November, The King’s Birthday.

Ashleigh Key, Volunteer Services Co-ordinator at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive the news that our phenomenal volunteers have won a King’s Award for Voluntary Service. It is incredibly well-deserved, and this award really is for each and every single volunteer who has contributed their time to support our patients, staff and wider Trust. Past and present, our volunteers are heroes and continue to make such a significant impact to our local communities in Wolverhampton. Working in volunteering is such a rewarding experience, and nothing is more satisfying than seeing our volunteers win the highest achievement for voluntary service. We’d also like to acknowledge our former colleague Eleanor Morris for all of her support.”

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Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, added: “Huge congratulations to this super group of people who are committed to making a difference to both our patients and our staff through their volunteering roles. Our Charity supporters give up their time to help us with vital fundraising, get involved with events and help us spread the word about all the fantastic projects underway across the service. We couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Professor Martin Levermore MBE DL, RWT Chair of the Charity, added: “The King’s Award for Voluntary Service recognises the outstanding contribution and dedication of our volunteers alongside all the many supporters of the Charity. The award highlights the unwavering commitment the Charity holds in improving our community through our volunteers’ selfless acts and positive impact.

It recognises and demonstrates the importance of volunteering and civic responsibility. I am truly proud and humbled by our volunteers’ collective efforts in expounding the importance of community cohesion and selfless service.”

50 volunteers attended a special event where they were presented with a signed certificate from His Majesty The King and a crystal award , presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Mr Derrick Anderson CBE. The below tables illustrate the volunteer activity for 2024/25. This year the Trust has recruited 149 volunteers, was supported by 411 active volunteers, and returned a combined total of 1,3752 volunteering hours.

The Trust has welcomed the first Volunteering In Education programme, a partnership with Wolverhampton College, supporting our workforce of the future through volunteering opportunities.

Total Volunteer Hours Per Area
Area
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
YTD
New Cross Hospital
2959
2018
2572
2887
10436
Cannock Chase Hospital
469
314
515
531
1829
West Park Hospital
83
71
27
31
212
PIPs
15
11
19
0
45
Community
82
67
87
28
264
The Maltings
x
x
49
48
97
Breastfeeding Support Group
x
x
234
207
441
Arts and Heritage - Charity
x
x
274
154
428
Trust Total
3608
2481
3777
3886
13752
Total cost (B2 equivalent)
£38,777
£27,043
£45,626
£46,943
£157,389
Recruitment Numbers
Q1
4
Q2
41
Q3
23
Q4
81
ee

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The Beat, a new hub within the Heart and Lung Centre at New Cross Hospital opened in November 2024. The Beat offers face-to-face support for patients, staff, and visitors to access essential services and explore new opportunities. This initiative includes a new Customer Access Point, operated by The City of Wolverhampton Council, where the council’s Customer Services Team will be available every Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm.

The hub also provides information on how to get involved with Your RWTC and its Arts and Heritage Group. As The Beat grows, the Trust looks forward to welcoming more partners to showcase their support and services.

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----- Start of picture text -----
● General Enquiry (Wayfinding) 1090
● Patient Enquiry 25
● Wheelchairs 7
● Taxi Booking 28
● Travel Expenses 2
● Bus Services (including Cannock Shuttle Bus) 44
● Car Parking 49
● Other 55
0 500 1,000 1,500
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Now that The Beat is operational, the next step is to create a monthly schedule for visitors from other organisations and internal teams. A promotional and communications plan will be developed to raise awareness both internally and externally about The Beat and it’s partners.

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“Patients are often supported by a variety of services – hospital and community – and we wanted to look at ways in which to make this as smooth a transition as possible. Our teams have been brave in their approach and I have to give credit to them for all their hard work and perseverance.

“This national recognition only serves as a nod to our credibility and leadership in the Digital Innovation and Digital Transformation arena.”

Funding of £126,420 from Your RWTC supported our creative teams to develop a tool to improve end-oflife care for patients – and won them an HSJ Digital Award.

The Digital Innovation Unit which supports RWT and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, developed the Proactive Risk-Based Data-Driven Assessment of Patients at End of Life initiative (PRADA).

This addresses the critical inefficiencies in this type of care, particularly the inconsistent registration of patients on to the Gold Standard Framework, an evidence-based service improvement programme.

The digital tool aimed to drive earlier intervention, avoid disjointed multiple sources of information and house all vital patient details in one place, while ensuring patients are able to access the most appropriate services.

It was co-designed and created by the Digital Innovation Unit, Specialist Palliative Care Team, Adult Community Service Group and GP representation. This has ensured all potential aspects of a patient’s journey have been looked at to assure inclusion and integrated ways of working.

And it was given a £126,420 funding boost which was vital to this work, thanks to Your RWTC.

Professor Baldev Singh, who developed and leads this programme of care, added that any improvement and innovation around such an important area had to be handled sensitively, as around 30 per cent of patients in hospital are in their last year of life. Since COVID-19 more patients have shared their wishes to die at home, rather than in hospital.

“PRADA has drawn on colleagues’ expertise around supporting end-of-life patients and how digitised care can bring about meaningful improvements,” he said.

“We feel we have developed a groundbreaking tool to address the challenges of late identification and the fragmented response that often follows in such circumstances.

“We are proud to have won this prestigious award and it energises us to build on our collective commitment to continue making improvements for our patients and their families.

“The team is also grateful to Your RWTC for its invaluable funding support for this work”.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “This is a brilliant example of the innovative way funds can be used to improve our patients’ experience.

“Your RWTC is extremely supportive of projects that go above and beyond what the NHS can provide, appreciating we can collectively make a difference now and for future generations.”

Alvina Nisbett, Group Director of Digital Innovation at the Trusts, said: “End-of-life-care is such a challenging and difficult area of healthcare which has a significant impact on patients and their families if processes and pathways don’t work well.

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Beacon Centre

Holistic Opportunities Preventing Exclusion (HOPE) project

Our HOPE project started on 25 April 2023 and was a two year project funded by NHS Charities Together, aimed at addressing and reducing social isolation and loneliness as a result of the Covid pandemic, in the community of Wolverhampton. We worked in partnership with Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVCA).

Volunteers were recruited and placed alongside social prescribing teams to receive referrals of people experiencing social isolation. Volunteers received specialist training and visited their referred service users to undertake visits and link them up with suitable activities (social prescription) in their community.

Funding was available in the project for small community organisations with a turnover of less than £50,000, to apply for small grants up to £5,000, to deliver activities which aligned with the HOPE project.

Year two of the project demonstrated strong performance against its key objectives leading to a positive impact, concluding successfully on 31 March 2025.

A total of 113 new volunteers were welcomed to the Trust providing fantastic support to 92 vulnerable people coping with isolation and loneliness in Wolverhampton. Volunteers provided 1652 hours of support, covering all WV post code areas. A Volunteer appreciation event was hold in November attended by 32 volunteers.

Volunteers also assisted the wider community with volunteer support whilst still aligning with the HOPE Project’s aims of working with vulnerable people and reducing social isolation:

Gatis Community space:

ASAN for All Saints

The HOPE Project was finalist for a PENNA (Patient Experience Network National Award) in two categories:

WVCA ran the Commissions Programme known as the HOPE Small Grants Fund. There were six assessment panels which were held jointly with RWT staff. The panel reviewed 58 applications and successfully commissioned 23 projects from 21 different community groups. These projects reached an estimated 2,200 plus beneficiaries. Following an approved extension request by NHS Charities Together, seven of the commissioned projects continued until the agreed extended delivery end date of 18 July 2025.

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----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |Name of|Activity Name|Activity Description| |Organisation| |BME (Black and|Sewing Me,|Participants getting to know each other through the art of ‘Learning’| |Minority Ethnic)|Sewing You|how to sew and knit, and making practical items for themselves to use| |Housing Consortium|or donate to other vulnerable groups in Wolverhampton.| |Mandem Meet Ups|Working/|An intervention to allow men to come together to reduce isolation,| |Wolves|Workout|exercise to improve physical health and to be more present and mindful| |to improve wellbeing.| |Wolverhampton City|Weekly drop in|Provision of a safe and welcoming space where asylum seekers and| |of Sanctuary|refugees can make friends and start to rebuild their lives, also including| |English classes, cooked meals, donations and community information.| |Wolves Play Cafe|Fun and Friendly|Supporting wellbeing of caregivers of children under 5.| |Faces| |Magical MC CIC|Social Meetup|Creating a space where people can socialise and also gain public| |with Public|speaking training.| |Speaking| |Training| |Secret Angels WLV|Java Joy|Bridging hearts over brews- an afternoon of coffee, tea, games and| |CIC|connection.| |Social Steam|Life in Bloom|Flower arranging, arts in photography in library buildings, using experts| |Engine Community|by experience from local mental health charity Hear our Voice.| |Association| |TNB Connect|TNBC Serenity|Wellbeing workshops, social support groups, and creative wellness| |sessions|sessions for people who are transgender or non-binary.| |Mel Jool Women’s|Promoting|To bring women together from all sections of the community and| |Community Group|Healthy Lifestyle|support them to combat isolation, depression, anxiety, other health| |Connect|conditions and improve their linguistic skills.| |Voice4Parents –|Wellbeing|Provide wellbeing workshops, creative activities, and peer support| |Wolverhampton|Activities for|opportunities for parent carers of children with special educational| |Parent Carer Forum|Parent Carers|needs and disabilities (SEND) in Wolverhampton, helping them combat| |of Children|isolation, improve mental health, and build a supportive community.| |with Special| |Educational| |Needs and/| |or Disabilities| |(SEND)| |Wolves Disabled|Accessible Travel|Provide accessible travel and social events for disabled supporters of| |Supporters|and Social|Wolverhampton Wanderers, reducing isolation and improving wellbeing| |Association|Events|by enabling participation in matches and community activities through| |tailored transport and inclusive gatherings.| |BME Housing|The Big Fix…|Hands-on workshops where they will repair, recycle, and upcycle| |Consortium|furniture and upholstery, contributing to Wolverhampton’s green and| |circular economy while supporting vulnerable individuals and families in| |need.| |WCC Compton|Compton|Weekly gardening sessions, fostering friendships, supporting wellbeing,| |Garden Club|Community|and helping individuals. Particularly those experiencing loneliness| |Garden|or bereavement, build community connections while creating and| |maintaining a vibrant outdoor space in Compton.| |Wolverhampton|Respond and|Support older Asian adults by providing social activities, cultural| |Elder Asians and|React|connection opportunities, and wellbeing advice, fostering friendships,| |Disabled group –|improving confidence, and reducing isolation through structured| |WEAD| |—|

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----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |Re-generated|Social Club|A Christmas lunch and entertainment for a 65+ group, helping to| |Teenagers Club|reduce isolation and loneliness by fostering meaningful connections in a| |welcoming environment.| |Positive Activities for|Community|Community engagement trips, participants will gain meaningful| |Young People|engagement|experiences, build confidence, and foster social connections.| |trips| |Re-generated|Pensioners Social|A social meal experience for members of the Regenerated Teenagers| |Teenagers Club|Club|Club who missed the Christmas gathering due to illness or social| |barriers. Helping participants rebuild confidence, reduce isolation, and| |enjoy meaningful social interactions.| |Wild Campers|WV10|Outdoor camping experiences for families, fostering a sense of| |Against Waste|Conscious|community, improving wellbeing, and encouraging responsible| |Camping|engagement with nature through structured activities, environmental| |Community|education, and accessible opportunities.| |EK ONKAR Group|Stay Active,|Wellbeing support for older, vulnerable Asian women, offering a day trip| |Healthy & Well-|and Vaisakhi celebration meal to help reduce isolation, improve mental| |being Support|health, and foster a stronger sense of community.| |Project| |Diversity Music|Music Served|Using music as a tool for social connection, skill development, and| |Community 1st CIC|with Love|intergenerational engagement and reducing isolation among older| |adults through workshops, mentoring, and creative collaboration.| |Open Doors|1. MENS|Bringing together men from the BAME community to reduce loneliness| |Community Space|HEALTH AND|and improve wellbeing through monthly health discussions, social| |WELL-BEING|activities like dominoes, and health awareness talks on conditions.| |GROUP 2. SOUP|Additionally, a soup kitchen will provide nutritious meals to those in| |KITCHEN|need, ensuring access to food and community support.| |Grace2Grace|The B.K Project|Supporting vulnerable women from BAME communities by offering| |a structured six-week empowerment program, including wellbeing| |workshops, emotional support, and confidence-building activities,| |fostering resilience and community connection.| |NICS Winter|Brighter Days|Provide structured mental health support, offering Lunch and Learn| |Wellbeing|sessions to improve emotional resilience and social connections,| |alongside a Parent Support Group for carers of neurodivergent children,| |fostering confidence, wellbeing, and advocacy skills.|

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The HOPE project has strengthened the partnership between RWT and WVCA, laying the groundwork for future collaboration.

Volunteers have gained valuable skills and experience in Social Prescribing and supporting vulnerable individuals, which many are keen to continue using in future roles, with some already moving into employment and many more taking steps closer to where they want to be in their career paths.

Several commisioned community groups have also built new connections and developed projects that are likely to continue beyond the life of the grant, including some exploring additional funding opportunities.

The Social Prescribing service clients who received support from volunteers have benefited from increased connection, personalised assistance, and someone to walk alongside them when needed. Many of them are now further away from isolation and have accessed local services and activities they may not have been able to reach alone.

The commissioned community groups have delivered activities that helped hundreds of people feel more connected, more confident, and less isolated which has helped to build community resilience that will last beyond the project’s formal end.

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Grant - National Lottery Heritage Fund

Project start date April 2023 – Project end date March 2025

In 2022, an Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator was recruited and the group set out to deliver an 18-month long programme of activity which would engage local communities with Wolverhampton’s rich healthcare heritage. This project, titled Care, Create, Conserve, sought to display the medical equipment, memorabilia and photographs of Wolverhampton Hospitals Heritage Collection, which was acquired by the group in July 2023. This exhibition would be supported by a vibrant programme of artist residencies, co-creation projects and events which would increase the relevance and resonance of this heritage with local people. In October 2023, the Arts and Heritage Group was awarded a grant of £139,792 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver Care, Create, Conserve.

Through the project, the heritage collection was exhibited in several local community venues including Wolverhampton Central Library and Wolverhampton Archives. From these central, accessible public locations, it successfully engaged a wide audience which reflected the diversity of the local community. New resources were developed to increase engagement and reach audiences including ex-healthcare staff and children, such as a Nursing memoir, magazine and board game.

Arts and Heritage Volunteers were recruited through the project to act as ambassadors for the heritage collection, and to share knowledge with visitors to the exhibition. Volunteers enhanced the visitor experience by bringing the displays to life, and by enabling local people to contribute their own memories and perspectives to the project. Volunteers had opportunities to participate in training which gave them the skills to begin facilitating reminiscence sessions and oral histories interviews, broadening the scope for engaging audiences. Training also encompassed topics such as collections care, conservation and curation, equipping volunteers to assist with maintenance of the valuable heritage collection.

A wide variety of artworks, developed through four artist residencies and four co-creation projects, examined healthcare through different lenses

and encapsulated local experiences of healthcare both past and present. Performance poems, paintings, illustrations, prints, collages and models were developed through a mixture of community consultation, audience participation, and facilitated workshops. These projects were also successful in reaching a wide range of people, including local primary and secondary schools, patient support networks and adult community groups.

Care, Create, Conserve has been a valuable pilot project, equipping Your RWTC and the Arts and Heritage Group with knowledge and experiences that will inform future work. The ambitious scale of the project has provided opportunities to trial new approaches to engaging local communities with healthcare heritage, but has also revealed areas for development, including the need for new processes with NHS Trust departments to support the delivery of arts and heritage activity.

Through its various delivery strands, the project sought to:

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Care, Create, Conserve comprised of four main strands of work:

  1. The development of exhibition and co-creation facilities in a visible and accessible multi-purpose space in Wolverhampton city centre, with the potential to relocate to other spaces across the city. As part of this, we also delivered family activities during the school holidays, offered writing workshops as part of a poetry competition, and produced literature such as booklets and magazines

  2. The recruitment of a team of Arts and Heritage volunteers and Staff Heritage Champions , who will steward this exhibition and engage the public with the collection. These volunteers engaged in training opportunities which included our own ‘Hands-on Heritage’ series, oral history and reminiscence training

  3. The facilitation of four artist residencies , with artists having developed 2D and 3D artworks which explore healthcare through different perspectives including diversity, identity, gender, and disability/neurodiversity

  4. The delivery of four community co-creation projects , with creative facilitators working with local schools and community groups to develop larger-scale artworks which explore personal experiences of healthcare, the interplay between healthcare and conservation, youth voice, and sustainability and the environment

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The data collected from the exhibition and from participatory activity throughout the project shows that a wide audience was reached. This has increased and widened audiences for the Arts and Heritage Group, and for the collection which has not previously been publicly accessible.

Audience Type

Demographic data for our audiences was collected primarily through the mini survey cards which gathered feedback for the exhibition. Rates of disability amongst visitors to the exhibition were 15%, compared to the 19.4% amongst the Wolverhampton population (Census 2021 data published by Office of National Statistics). Figure 4 shows that data on audience ethnicity collected from exhibition visitors aligns well with the Census 2021 data. This reveals our project has been successful in reaching a wide cross-section of Wolverhampton’s diverse communities.

Audiences across the Care, Create, Conserve project – including visitors and participants, artists and facilitators, and staff and volunteers – benefitted in a number of ways. They learned something new and gained additional skills.

Arts and Heritage Volunteers who managed the exhibition space reported that visitors included:

Ethnicity of Exhibition Visitors vs Census 2021 Data

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There are several ongoing benefits from the Care, Create, Conserve project which the Arts and Heritage Group can carry forward into future work:

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future.

www.heritagefund.org.uk

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund

Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised more than £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.

Your RWTC was fortunate enough to be awarded a £30,000 development grant to support with our marketing and communication strategy. The first stage of the grant was securing a web builder to design and work with us on a standalone charity website. The company identified as best value for money, timeframe and recommendation from other local charities was Platform 81. Work started in January and the website launched in the summer of 2024.

The new website can be found here RWT NHS Charity and has been a labour of love for the Fundraising Team which works with patients, families, carers, businesses and organisations – as well as staff – to raise money for items above and beyond what the NHS can provide. The Charity supports the Trust’s hospitals at New Cross, Cannock and West Park as well as its community services.

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Some of the Charity’s achievements over the last year include:

The website is also a one stop shop for exciting developments within the Charity’s Arts and Heritage Group which was awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund cash.

Visitors can take a step back in time to explore Wolverhampton’s healthcare history, with some of the earliest items in the collection dating back to 1840. The current display features a collection of pharmaceutical items, a doctor’s desk set up, Midwifery memorabilia and an area dedicated to the Eye Infirmary.

Details of the Care, Create, Conserve project can be found along with news of upcoming events and the important work of heritage volunteers.

Amanda Winwood, Charity Development Manager, said: “We are proud of our new website which is jam packed with features to educate, engage and entertain as well as help supporters to get involved with our wide range of fundraising activities.

“There’s something for everyone – no matter how big or small a fundraising project or idea may be – and we’re always open to new ideas and meeting new people to help us carry on out our rewarding work. Our priority is to make a real difference to the lives of patients who use our services, and their families, with the help of our generous and compassionate communities. We hope people find the new website useful and informative and welcome any feedback.”

Your RWTC, the registered Charity for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, has refreshed its commitment to its people, patients and community by launching a new logo and values.

The new look was launched at the 77th NHS birthday event Your RWTC organised in July to give patients, visitors and staff an opportunity to reflect on more than seven decades of the National Health Service.

The new brand came about after we undertook an engagement piece of work across our staff and the local community. The team we listened to you and came up with this new, exciting brand that makes everyone feel proud of our Charity and the work we do.

The registered charity of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust going above and beyond Registered Charity No: 1054679

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Getting involved and supporting your local hospital and community services couldn’t be easier. You might consider attending one of our events or even host your own and help us raise vital funds.

Benefits of becoming a corporate partner

PQ Your going above R and W beyond TC Fundraising Pack Registered Charity No: 1059467

Direct into bank account:

Contact the team on 01902 694473 for details and reference.

By post:

Please make cheques payable to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity.

Please write on the back of the cheque which fund you would like to donate to, e.g. Above and Beyond Trust Fund, cancer services, elderly care, Paediatric services, and contact the team on 01902 694473 for details of where to send to.

By a donation on our ‘Just Giving’ site: https://www.justgiving.com/royalwolvesnhstrust

Please complete a donation form and return it along with your donation to Your RWTC.

Did you know you can also increase your donation without having to pay more? An additional £9,170.30 has been raised through the Gift Aid scheme in 2023/24.

How does Gift Aid work? Gift Aid is a scheme run by the government that enables charities to increase the value of donations made by reclaiming basic rate tax that has been paid on the gift. At the moment, we can claim 25p per £1 donated, so on a gift of £100, we will actually receive an extra £25, at no cost to the donor.

Great! Can I Gift Aid my donations? To qualify for Gift Aid, you need to be a UK taxpayer and have paid enough tax to cover the amount of tax reclaimed by all charities on all your donations for each tax year (6 April one year to 5 April the next). Apart from tax on income from a job or self-employment, other types that are acceptable are:

Other taxes such as VAT and council tax do not qualify, nor does any non-UK tax. When completing your donation form or donating via an online platform, simply complete the gift aid declaration, provide your postal address and we’ll do the rest!

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We will relaunch and increase awareness of the Charity and its brand, with an integrated marketing and communications campaign including website, annual report, and storytelling

We will develop funding bids for external grant makers

We will engage staff in becoming active in a programme of annual fundraising events utilising the partnership with ‘Run For Charities’

We will create strong relationships with corporate supporters across our community

We will actively encourage applications to fund projects that further enhance and improve the health and wellbeing of staff and volunteers

We will actively encourage applications to fund research projects that will further medical knowledge through research

We will actively seek opportunities for collaboration with our colleagues from both statutory and non-statutory organisations and build and strengthen partnerships with key health and voluntary sector organisations to deliver greater impact

We will embrace the digital agenda and utilise opportunities to raise further awareness of the Charity with stakeholders as well as actively support projects that embrace technology and innovative ways of working

We will work closely with clinical teams and how to educate patients and their families on prevention of diseases

We will Simplify the process for fund managers and teams to apply to use their funding

Now the government’s 10 Year Health Plan has been published, we will ensure our charitable activities align, where appropriate, with the three radical shifts it details:

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The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is the Corporate Trustee of the Charitable Funds governed by the law applicable to Trusts, principally the Trustee Act 2000 and the Charities Act 2011.

The Charity has the authority to recruit up to eight trustees who together make up the Board of Trustees. They are unpaid volunteers who set the strategy for the Charity and make sure it is implemented. Trustees elect a Chair from amongst their number who chairs the meetings of the Board of Trustees and takes a more active role in supporting the Charity Chief Executive in the management of the Charity.

Trustees are appointed under arrangements made by the Secretary of State for Health under Section 51 of the NHS Act 2006. Vacancies are advertised and all potential Trustees must be interviewed and recommended by a panel consisting of two members of the Charity and one external assessor. Candidates must show knowledge of, and an interest in, the hospital and the community it serves and be willing to give the time necessary. Trustees are also selected to give the Charity a good mix of relevant professional skills, such as finance, investment and fundraising.

Trustees serve a fixed term of no more than four years (renewable to a usual maximum of ten years in total). New Trustees receive an induction pack consisting of the governing documents, previous trustee reports and accounts, relevant Charity Commission guidance, and policies and procedures of the Charity. They are also given a tour of the Trust. Appropriate training is provided in areas including charity law and administration, investment management and charity finance. The Charity’s professional advisors provide helpful guidance, and membership of NHS Charities Together gives the Trustees access to regular conferences and training events.

The Charity has a Corporate Trustee: The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. The members of the NHS Trust Board who served during the financial year were as shown in the table opposite;

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Trustee
Role within The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE
Group Chair of the Board
Joe Chadwick-Bell
Group Chief Executive (From 1 January 2025)
Caroline Walker
Interim Chief Executive Officer (From 1 May 2024 to 31 December 2024)
Professor David Loughton CBE
CIHSCM
Group Chief Executive (Appointed as Interim Chief Executive: April 2021 and
Appointed as Group Chief Executive: 23 March 2022 to 30 April 2024)
Kevin Stringer
Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer and Group Chief Financial Officer
Alan Duffell
Group Chief People Officer
Gwen Nuttall
Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Dr Jonathan Odum
Group Chief Medical Officer
Dr Brian McKaig
Chief Medical Officer
Sally Evans
Group Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
Simon Evans
Group Chief Strategy Officer
Tracy Palmer
Director of Midwifery
Kevin Bostock
Group Director of Assurance
Debra Hickman
Chief Nursing Officer
Stephanie Cartwright
Group Director of Place
John Dunn
Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair
Professor Louise Toner
Joint Non-Executive Director
Professor Martin Levermore
Joint Non-Executive Director
Julie Jones
Non- Executive Director
Allison Heseltine
Joint Non-Executive Director
Lisa Cowley
Joint Non-Executive Director
Lord Patrick Carter
Special Advisor to the Board
Dr Gill Pickavance
Associate Non-Executive Director (Current term to May 2025)
Angela Harding
Associate Non-Executive Director (Term ended 31 January 2025)
Dr Umar Daraz
Joint Associate Non-Executive Director
Rachel Barber
Joint Associate Non-Executive Director
Dawn Brathwaite
Joint Non-Executive Director==

The main Charity, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity, registered charity number 1059467, was entered on the Central Register of Charities on 27 November 1996 in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. The Charity is constituted of circa. 98 individual funds. The notes to the accounts distinguish the types of fund held and disclose separately all material funds. Please refer to pages 86-101.

Charitable funds received by the Charity are accepted, held and administered as funds and property on trust for purposes relating to the health service in accordance with the National Health Service Act 2006 and the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. The Charity has no employees but reimburses the NHS Trust for the financial and other services it provides. The Charity relies on the NHS Trust to identify the appropriateness of funding requests.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust as the Corporate Trustee has devolved responsibility for the ongoing management of funds to the Charity Committee which administers the funds on behalf of the Corporate Trustee. This committee was formed in 2006.

The names of those people who served as agents for the Corporate Trustee, as permitted under the NHS Trusts (Membership and Procedures) Regulations 1990 were as follows:

Caroline Walker - Group Chief Executive Joe Chadwick-Bell - Group Chief Executive Kevin Stringer - Martin Levermore - Non-executive Director Julie Jones - Non-executive Director

The Group Chief Executive of the NHS Trust (Joe Chadwick-Bell) and Group Chief Financial Officer (Kevin Stringer) have day to day responsibility for the management of the Charitable Funds under a scheme of delegated authority by the Corporate Trustee. They must personally and together, on behalf of the Corporate Trustee, approve all expenditure over £10,000 with an upper limit of £50,000. Expenditure in excess of £50,000 on a particular project must be authorised by the Trust Board of the Corporate Trustee.

Mr Kevin Stringer was the principal officer overseeing the day to day financial management and accounting for the Charitable Funds during the year.

Principal Office

The principal office for the Charity is:

Group Chief Financial Officer The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Hollybush House

New Cross Hospital Wolverhampton WV10 0QP

Your RWTC is one of more than 400 NHS linked charities in England and Wales who are eligible to join NHS Charities Together. As a member charity, we have the opportunity to discuss matters of common concern and exchange information and experiences, join together with others to lobby government departments and others, and to participate in conferences and seminars which offer support and education for our staff and members of the charitable funds committee.

The Charity holds a related party relationship with The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. The transactions with these parties have been disclosed in note 17 of these financial statements.

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All the Charity’s funds are pooled for investment purposes and the official pooling scheme was registered with the Charity Commission on 24 June 1998.

For management purposes all funds held and received by the Charity fall into one of the following categories:

Within the unrestricted category separate designated funds have been established which reflect the wishes of donors to help named wards and departments in the hospital. Subsequent donations and gifts received by the Charity that are attributable to the already established funds are added to those fund balances. Where the donations and gifts are not attributable to already established funds, new funds are set up. In this way the Corporate Trustee fulfils the legal duty to ensure that all funds are spent in accordance with the objectives of each fund and that the wishes of donors are always considered.

Unrestricted funds form the largest category with £1,796,000 of funds at 31 March 2025. There are charitable funds for most clinical specialties (e.g. medicine or ophthalmology) and for some wards and departments within specialties.

Non-Executive members of the Trust Board are appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission and Executive members of the Board are subject to recruitment by the NHS Trust Board. Members of the Trust Board and the Charity Committee are not individual Trustees under Charity law but act as agents on behalf of the Corporate Trustee.

Acting for the Corporate Trustee, the objective of the Charity Committee is to provide strategic direction to the Charity and ensure that it is managed and administered in accordance with the Charity’s purposes. The committee is responsible for:

The accounting records and the day-to-day administration of the funds are dealt with by the Finance Department located at The Clinical Skills and Corporate Services Centre, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton WV10 0QP.

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The Trustees recognise the responsibility that they have to identify and control the risk that the Charity is exposed to. They actively review the major risks which the Trust and Charity face on a regular basis and believe that systems have been established to mitigate those risks. The Trustee is confident that reliance can be placed on the management arrangements in place, which include internal and external audit services, to minimise any risk to the funds.

The Trustees assess the risks for both likelihood of occurrence and potential financial impact, with procedures established to mitigate these as far as possible. Risks which score highly on both scales are monitored closely. At present, the most significant risks identified are the possible losses from a fall in the value of the investments and the level of reserves available to mitigate the impact of such losses.

The investments are held by the Investment Fund Managers who act in accordance with the agreed investment policy and are subject to regular review. Given that they are externally managed, no specialist skills are required internally. In addition, unrealised gains and losses are allocated to funds at agreed intervals. Procedures in place ensure that both spending and firm financial commitments remain in line with income. Income is covered by the Standing Financial Instructions and there is an agreed boundary for the receipt of donations. This policy has been communicated to staff.

There is an agreed expenditure and reserves policy together with a tight approval procedure which gives the Corporate Trustee confidence that the expenditure will remain within the limits of the Charity’s resources to enable the level of reserves available to mitigate impact of any losses from fall in investments.

Other risks include compliance whereby the Charity may not operate within its object or risks relating to the public profile of the Charity. There are also operational risks such as the risk of contravening legislation and compliance with all accounting standards and SORP compliance. The Standing Financial Instructions which the Trust and Charity adhere to, and regular internal and external audits of the Charity help to mitigate these.

Surplus funds are pooled and invested in order to maximise income, whilst minimising risk for the Charity.

Income and cash, gains and losses are distributed equitably across the Charity funds. The income from investments amounted to £105,456 (£108,161, in 2023/24).

Throughout 2024/25 the investments were split into two portfolios.

During the year, the Trustees requested both the Shorter and Longer Term Portfolios continue to hold a 50:50 split of the overall investments.

At the year end the Shorter Term Portfolio held £1,080,741 and the Longer Term Portfolio held £1,505,391. Both portfolio’s were split between investment types. The two portfolios together were split in the following way:

The Charity does not own any investment properties.

The Charity has an investment policy that was reviewed in January 2025. See page 79.

The Trustee is content that the controls described have operated effectively during the year and therefore the risks outlined have been mitigated.

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A reflection on the last 12 months, as at 31 March 2025 As at 31 March 2025, the combined value of both portfolios stood at £2,587,132. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Long Term Portfolio returned 3.8%, relative to a composite benchmark return of 4.9%. While behind benchmark it is important to note that the portfolio has held up well against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tension, sweeping tariff policies, and market uncertainty – your portfolio outperformed its peer group (ARC Steady Growth Charity Index +2.7%), which reflects the performance of other charity investors with a similar risk profile.

The past 12 months have been characterised by shifting market sentiment. The year began with cautious optimism as inflation continued to ease across developed economies. This, combined with resilient labour markets and steady consumer spending, bolstered hopes of a “soft landing” for major economies. Equity markets responded positively through the summer of 2024, led by strength in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors. However, bond yields remained elevated as central banks signalled an extended pause on rate cuts, awaiting more conclusive evidence that inflation was sustainably under control. The period ended against a more volatile geo-political backdrop, with rising geo-political risks, protectionist trade policies in the US and the threat of more economically damaging policies coming to pass.).

Over the year, we actively rebalanced equity exposure - reducing concentrated positions in semiconductors and IT infrastructure, instead favouring software businesses (e.g. ServiceNow, Fortinet and Microsoft) and more diversified global companies. In fixed income, we trimmed corporate bonds in favour of gilts and cash as the premium available from UK corporate bonds, in particular, fell to historically low levels. We also launched a new mega theme, ‘Security’, reflecting rising global fragmentation, trade protectionism, and heightened geopolitical risks. Having held an overweight stance in equities for much of 2024, as equity markets rose, we have become more cautious of late, first reducing risk in early February of 2025 and again in early March.

Our allocation to alternatives, particularly gold, proved effective during volatile periods, while infrastructure and renewable energy trusts rebounded as discounts to net asset values recovered. We maintained a cautious but flexible stance, with a preference for high-quality businesses delivering strong cash flows and resilient earnings.

Looking ahead, markets, and the risks within them, remain finely balanced. While rate cuts are expected to continue, albeit at a far slower pace than many had expected, rising wage pressures, geopolitical uncertainty, and protectionist US trade policies (especially following President Trump’s re-election) could slow global growth and heighten inflation volatility.

Nevertheless, our long-term thematic focus and strategic asset allocation should continue to drive performance. With valuations outside of the technology sector appearing more reasonable, and with central banks likely to provide a floor under asset prices, we retain a constructive but selective approach to equities and risk assets more broadly.

Sarasin & Partners LLP

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Your RWTC seeks to produce the best The MBE for financial return within an acceptable level of risk.

The investment objective for the long term portfolio is to generate a return in excess of inflation over the long term whilst generating an income to support its ongoing activities of Your RWTC.

The investment objective for the short term portfolio is to preserve the capital value with a minimum level of risk. Assets should be readily available to meet unanticipated cash flow requirements.

Your RWTC has approximately a 50/50 split for investments between long term and short term, in order that unanticipated cash flow needs can be met.

The Charity’s ethical investment policy precludes direct or indirect investment in companies that generate more than 10% of revenues from alcohol, armaments, gambling, pornography and will not invest in tobacco.

The charitable funds that the Charity manages, and from which grants are made, are held as endowment funds (expendable or permanent), restricted funds and unrestricted funds (designated or nondesignated).

It is the Trustees’ policy to ensure that all grants made from these funds are used in accordance with the purposes of the individual fund and Your RWTC’s purposes and aims.

Individual funds’ purposes include research, equipment, and patient and staff welfare.

The definitions of endowment, restricted and unrestricted funds are detailed below:

All of the different types of funds have fund advisors who facilitate local decision making and offer expertise in the particular area of the fund.

The fund advisors have delegated powers and responsibility to authorise expenditure in line with the Trust’s Authorised Limits Schedule contained within the Standing Financial Instructions (SFI’s). The fund advisors can make recommendations on how to spend the money within their designated area up to a level of £5,000 per transaction subject to any specific donor wishes. The Deputy Chief Operating Officers have delegated powers and responsibility to authorise transactions up to £10,000. For expenditure in excess of these limits they make recommendations to the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer who have authority limits up to £50,000. Any transactions over this limit must go to the Trust Board for authorisation.

All of Your RWTC’s restricted and unrestricted funds can be spent at any time. Grants from these funds are applied for by fund advisors.

79

The Corporate Trustee acknowledges that it is the donors’ intention that their contributions be used as soon as possible to enhance the service provided by the Trust. Consequently, it is the policy of the Charity that significant reserves are not held. The Charity does not intend to increase fund balances unless this is as a result of significant donations or legacies. From time to time, however, balances are held in particular areas until sufficient funds have been donated to make specific purchases.

The Trustee has established a reserves policy as part of their plans to provide long term support to the services provided by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. The Trustee calculates the reserves as that part of the Charity’s unrestricted income funds that is freely available, after taking account of the designated funds, which have been earmarked for specific service purposes, in accordance with the stated Charity Objectives.

Total funds of the Charity were £2,656,000 (2024 £2,822,000) of which £1,796,000 (2024: £1,950,000) are unrestricted funds, £778,000 (2024 £790,000) restricted funds and £82,000 (2024: £82,000) were endowment funds

The free reserves currently stand at £295,000 and are calculated as follows:

The Trustees intend that designated funds are spent within a reasonable period of receipt and therefore, foresee a need only to maintain reserves sufficient to provide certainty of funding to cover the administrative, fundraising and governance costs of the Charity in the short term. The Trustee aims to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately a year of non-designated, unrestricted charitable expenditure. The Trustee considers that this level will provide sufficient funds in the short term, to cover costs in the event of unforeseen circumstances which prevented the operation of the Charity in the longer term.

The Trustee reviews the balance held in designated funds, in accordance with the provisions of the NHS Acts relating to charitable funds, to determine whether these funds are likely to be committed in the near future and the extent to which there is a continuing need identified for any particular designated fund(s). Any inactive funds are closed and transferred appropriately. Additionally, within the level of designated funds held, the Trustee ensures that there are sufficient funds held to cover a fluctuation in the value of funds held in investments.

The policies specific to the Charity reserves are as follows:

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Auditors - External

WR Partners Belmont House Shrewsbury Business Park Shrewsbury SY2 6LG

Auditors - Internal

RSM UK Festival Way Festival Park Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5BB

Bankers

Co-operative Bank plc 1-2 Dudley Street Wolverhampton WV1 3EN

Solicitors

Browne Jacobson 44 Castle Gate Nottingham NG1 7BJ

Investment Fund Managers

Sarasin & Partners LLP Juxon House 100 St Paul’s Churchyard London EC4M 8BU

This annual report comments on some of the features of the full accounts which are provided on the following pages for your information. Copies of the full accounts have been lodged with the Charity Commission and carry an unqualified audit report.

The text and accounts shown in this report were approved by the Trustees on 20 October 2025 and is signed on their behalf by the Chair.

Martin Levermore

Chair of the Charitable Funds Committee

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The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees’ report is approved has confirmed that:

Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees on 20 October 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

Martin Levermore

Chair of the Charitable Funds Committee

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Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity (the ‘charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and the related notes, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland

(United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

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Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditors’ report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.

If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

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Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.orq.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditors’ report.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

WR Partners

26 November 2025 For and on behalf of WR Partners

Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditors Belmont House Shrewsbury Business Park Shrewsbury Shropshire SY2 6LG

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Note Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Endowment Endowment 2024/25 2024/25 2023/24
funds funds funds funds funds funds Total funds Total funds Total funds
Incoming resources £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Voluntary income:
Donations and legacies 3 351 110 - 461 429
Grants 3 - 187 - 187 186
Other trading activities 3 97 6 - 103 94
Investments 12 68 37 - 105 108
Total incoming resources 516 340 - 856 817
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 4 (204) (7) - (211) (210)
Charitable activities 4 (471) (354) - (825) (629)
Other expenditure (2) (0) - (2) (2)
Total expenditure (677) (361) - (1,038) (841)
Net gains/(losses) on investment 11 5 - 16 121
Net income/expenditure (150) (15) - (165) 97
Transfer between funds (3) 3 - - -
Net movements in funds (153) (12) - (165) 97
Reconciliation of funds:
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Total funds brought forward
Fund balances carried forward at
31 March 2024
~~\~~		 ~~\~~ 1,950
1,796
~~\~~		 ~~\~~ 790
778
~~\~~		 ~~\~~ 82
82
~~\~~		 ~~\~~ 2,822
2,656
~~\~~		 ~~\~~ 2,725
2,822
~~\~~

==> picture [534 x 501] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Note|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|2024/25|2023/24| |funds|funds|funds|Total funds|Total funds| |£000|£000|£000|£000|£000| |Fixed assets| |Investments|11|1,727|778|82|2,587|2,571| |Total fixed assets|1,727|778|82|2,587|2,571| |Current assets| |Debtors|13|149|-|-|149|50| |Cash and cash equivalents|14|218|-|-|218|372| |Total current assets|367|-|-|367|422| |Creditors: Amounts falling due|15|(298)|-|-|(298)|(171)| |within one year| |Net current assets/(liabilities)|69|-|-|69|251| |Total assets less current| |1,796|778|82|2,656|2,822| |liabilities| |Net assets|1,796|778|82|2,656|2,822| |The funds of the Charity| |Endowment funds|16|-|-|82|82|82| |Restricted income funds|16|-|778|-|778|790| |Unrestricted income funds|16|1,796|-|-|1,796|1,950| |Total charity funds|1,796|778|82|2,656|2,822|

----- End of picture text -----

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Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash flow
from operating activities		 Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash flow Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash flow Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash flow
Net income/(expenditure) for 2024/25 (as per the Statement of
Financial Activities)		 2025
£000
(166)		 2024
£000
97
Adjustment for:
(Gains) / losses on investments (16) (121)
Dividends, interest and rents from investments (105) (108)
(Increase) / decrease in debtors (99) (5)
Increase / (decrease) in creditors 127 11
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (259) (126)
Cash Flow Total funds
2024/25		 Total funds
2023/24
Cash flows from operating activities: £000 £000
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (259) (126)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest and rents from investments 105 108
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 105 108
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period (154) (18)
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Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period
\~~*~~		 372
218
~~*~~		 ~~*~~ 390
372
~~*~~

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity, working as Your RWTC is an unincorporated charity in England. The address of the registered office is given in the Charity information on page 75 of this report.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)(issued in October 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair’ view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Your RWTC meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

After making enquires, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The Charity therefore continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.

The key risks to the Charity’s continuing going concern status are a fall in income from donations or investment income but the Trustee has arrangements in place to mitigate those risks (see the risk management (page 77) and reserves (page 80) sections of the annual report for more information).

Where there is a legal restriction on the purpose to which a fund may be put, the fund is classified either as:

Restricted funds are those where the donor has provided for the donation to be spent in furtherance of a specified charitable purpose.

Endowment funds arise when the donor has expressly provided that the gift is to be invested and only the income of the fund may be spent. These funds are sub analysed between those where the trustee has the discretion to spend the capital (expendable endowment) and those where there is no discretion to expend the capital (permanent endowment).

The Charity has three permanent endowment funds, all of which are invested within the long term portfolio and the return from this investment is transferred into either an unrestricted fund or a restricted fund dependent on the restrictions placed on the fund by the donor.

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable (more likely than not) that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

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Where there are terms or conditions attached to incoming resources, particularly grants, then these terms or conditions must be met before the income is recognised as the entitlement condition will not be satisfied until that point. Where terms or conditions have not been met then the relevant income is not recognised in the year but deferred and shown on the balance sheet as deferred income.

Gifts in kind, such as food and care packages are not accounted for when they are accepted and immediately distributed unless a single donation is material.

Gifts of tangible assets such as microwaves and fridges are recognised as a donation at fair value (market price) on receipt and charitable expenditure when they are distributed.

Where gifts in kind are held before being distributed to beneficiaries, they are recognised at fair value as stock until they are distributed.

The recognition of income from legacies is dependent on establishing entitlement, the probability of receipt and the ability to estimate with sufficient accuracy the amount receivable. Evidence of entitlement to a legacy exists when the Charity has sufficient evidence that a gift has been left to them (through knowledge of the existence of a valid Will and the death of the benefactor) and the executor is satisfied that the property in question will not be required to satisfy claims in the estate. Receipt of a legacy must be recognised when it is probable that it will be received and the fair value of the amount receivable, which will generally be the expected cash amount to be distributed to the Charity, can be reliably measured.

The incoming resources received from the invested endowment fund are transferred to the restricted or unrestricted fund as per the donors request.

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Other income is recognised in the period in which it is receivable and to the extent the goods have been provided or on completion of the service.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to each category of expense shown in the Statement of Financial Activities. Expenditure is recognised when the following criteria are met:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged against the category of resources expended for which it was incurred.

The Charity is not a grant giving organisation.

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Support costs are those costs which do not relate directly to a single activity. These include some staff recharges, costs of administration, external audit costs and IT support. Support costs have been apportioned between fundraising costs and charitable activities on an appropriate basis. The analysis of support costs and the bases of apportionment applied are shown in note 6.

The costs of generating funds are those costs attributable to generating income for the Charity, other than those costs incurred in undertaking charitable activities or the costs incurred in undertaking trading activities in furtherance of the Charity’s objects. The costs of generating funds represent fundraising costs which include expenses for fundraising activities and a recharge paid to a related party, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (see note 18). The recharge is used to pay the salaries and support costs of the Charity’s Fundraising Team.

Costs of charitable activities comprise all costs incurred in the pursuit of the charitable objects of the Charity. These costs, where not wholly attributable, are apportioned between the categories of charitable expenditure in addition to the direct costs. The total costs of each category of charitable expenditure include an apportionment of support costs as shown in note 6.

Investments are a form of basic financial instrument. Fixed asset investments are initially recognised at their transaction value and are subsequently measured at their fair value (market value) as at the balance sheet date. The Statement of Financial Activities includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluation and disposals throughout the year. Quoted stocks and shares are included in the Balance Sheet at the current market value quoted by the investment analyst, excluding dividend. Other investments are included at the trustee’s best estimate of market value.

The main form of financial risk faced by the Charity is that of volatility in equity markets and investment markets due to wider economic conditions, the attitude of investors to investment risk, and changes in sentiment concerning equities and within particular sectors or sub sectors. Further information on the Your RWTC investments can be found in note 11.

Debtors are amounts owed to the Charity. They are measured on the basis of their recoverable amount.

Cash at bank and in hand is held to meet the day to day running costs of the Charity as they fall due. Cash equivalents are short term, highly liquid investments, usually in 90-day notice interest bearing savings accounts.

Creditors are amounts owed by the Charity. They are measured at the amount that the Charity expects to have to pay to settle the debt.

Amounts which are owed in more than a year are shown as long-term creditors.

All gains and losses are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities as they arise. Realised gains and losses on investments are calculated as the difference between sales proceeds and opening carrying value (purchase date if later). Unrealised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the market value at the year end and opening carrying value (or purchase date if later).

The Charity does not have any staff. All staffing costs are recharged from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

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Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2024/25 2023/24
£000 £000 £000 £000
Donations from individuals 122 6 128 172
Corporate donations 32 1 33 31
Legacies 197 103 300 226
Grants - 187 187 186
351 297 648 615
2023/24 Total funds £000 290 325 615

Donations from individuals are gifts from members of the public, relatives of patients and staff.

Donations of goods, to the value of £21,038 2024/25 (£18,001 2023/24), are included in income valued at their market value. All of these donations have been distributed during the year.

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2024/25 2023/24
£000 £000 £000 £000
Community 20 3 23 36
Individuals 16 - 16 1
Events 57 3 60 57
Corporate 4 - 4 -
97 6 103 94
2023/24 Total funds £000 87 7 94

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Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2024/25 2023/24
£000 £000 £000 £000
Fundraisers’ costs 161 - 161 167
Investment Management 14 6 20 18
Support costs 29 1 30 25
204 7 211 210
2023/24 Total funds £000 183 27 210
Grant funded Support Total funds Total funds
activity Costs 2024/25 2023/24
£000 £000 £000 £000
Purchase of new medical equipment 109 - 109 85
Patients welfare and amenities 386 58 444 455
Staff welfare and amenities 60 9 69 78
Building work 139 - 139 -
Research 64 - 64 12
758 67 825 630
2023/24 Total funds £000 563 67 630

The Charity did not undertake any direct charitable activities on its own account during the year. All of the charitable expenditure was in the form of grant funding.

Grants were approved in favour of the partner organisations, principally the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to carry out activities that will benefit patients and their families. The Charity incurred expenditure with third parties in pursuance of those grants or reimbursed expenditure incurred by them.

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Support and overhead costs are allocated between fundraising activities and charitable activities. The bases of allocation used are as follows:

Raising Charitable Total Total Basis
funds activities 2024/25 2023/24
£000 £000 £000 £000
Internal audit - - - - Direct
External audit 3 6 8 8 Direct
Financial services 26 56 81 77 Time
Support administration costs - - - - Time
Other administration costs 2 5 7 7 Expenditure
30 67 97 92
2023/24 Total funds £000 25 92 92

Remuneration for the Board of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is provided in The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust 2024/25 published Accounts available on the Trust website, and as such remuneration and expenses with regards to the Charity Committee are not separately identified.

The Charity has no employees (2023/24 none). Costs for staff incurred by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust are recharged to the Charity in the form of a Financial Services management fee along with the salaries for the Fundraising Team. The management fee for the year amounted to £81,307 (2023/24 £77,134) and the Fundraisers’ salaries amounted to £138,108 (2023/24 £129,213). The Charity does not directly pay salaries national insurance or pension contributions (2023/24 £Nil).

Analysis of staff costs recharged by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

2024/25 2023/24
£ £
Fundraisers’ salary 138 129
Financial services 81 77
219 206

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There were transfers of £3,459 (2023/24 £255,196) during the year, with £2,059 of this being between New Cross General Purpose Legacies and Arts and Heritage, whilst £650 was received in total by RWT Choir from General Purpose and NHS CT.

External auditors’ remuneration of £8,340 including VAT (2023/24 £7,650 including VAT) related solely to the audit with no other additional work undertaken (2023/24 £Nil).

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|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Movement in fixed asset investments|31 March 2025|31 March 2024| |£000|£000| |Market value at 1 April|2,571|2,449| |Less disposals at carrying value|-|-| |Add: additions to investments at cost|-|-| |Add net gain (loss) on revaluation|16|121| |Market value as at 31 March|2,587|2,571| |Analysis of market value|31 March 2025|31 March 2024| |£000|£000| |2,587|2,571| |Investments listed on Stock Exchange| |2,587|2,571| |Fixed asset investment by type|31 March 2025|31 March 2025|31 March 2024|31 March 2024| |£000|%|£000|%| |Equities|1,245|48.1|1,347|52.4| |Fixed Income (Inc Bonds)|756|29.2|895|34.8| |Property|57|2.2|53|2.1| |Other|270|10.4|183|7.1| |Liquid Assets (Inc Cash)|259|10.0|93|3.6| |2,587|100|2,571|100|

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The Trustees consider the value of the investments to be supported by their underlying assets.

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12. Analysis of gross income from investments
and cash on deposit		 12. Analysis of gross income from investments 12. Analysis of gross income from investments
31 March 2025 31 March 2024
£000 £000
Investments listed on Stock Exchange 105 108
105 108
13. Debtors
Amounts falling due within one year: 31 March 2025 31 March 2024
£000 £000
Prepayments and accrued income 149 50
149 50

31 March 2025 31 March 2024 £000 £000 The Co-operative Bank Account 218 372 218 372 15. Creditors Amounts falling due within one year: 31 March 2025 31 March 2024 £000 £000 Trade creditors 274 153 Other creditors 13 16 Deferred Income 10 2 298 171 96 ~~\~~

i) Analysis of endowment fund movements ii) Details of permanent endowment funds

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|||| |---|---|---| |31 March 2025|31 March 2024| |£000|£000| |A General Purposes Fund|26|26| |B W.H.Fowler Trust|14|14| |C Nell Phoenix Fund|42|42| |82|82| |Name of permanent endowment|Description of the nature and purpose of each permanent| |endowment| |A General Purposes Fund|To earn interest for the benefit of the non designated fund of Your RWTC| |To earn interest for the benefit of the designated Maternity and| |B W.H.Fowler Trust| |Gynaecology fund within the Obstetrics and Gynaecology area| |To earn interest for the benefit of the restricted fund which is to provide| |C Nell Phoenix Fund| |musical entertainment for Nursing staff|

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i) Analysis of restricted fund movements

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Name of fund|Income|Expenditure|Transfers| |Gains and| |31 March|31 March| |losses| |2024|2025| |£000|£000|£000|£000|£000|£000| |A|Joan Jones|99|5|(4)|-|1|101| |B|Edith Mary Jeavons|4|-|-|-|-|4| |C|Nell Phoenix Fund|34|3|(3)|-|1|35| |D|Cystic Fibrosis Funding|2|-|-|-|-|2| |E|Sheila Whiting Legacy|68|3|(3)|-|-|68| |F|Marjorie Ferguson Legacy|1|-|-|-|-|1| |G|CCH General Purpose - Legacies|19|1|(1)|-|-|19| |H|Rotary Dowding|223|10|(9)|-|1|225| |I|Millicent Jessica Dwight - Legacy|17|1|(1)|-|-|17| |J|Swan Fund|14|5|(2)|-|-|17| |K|Cancer Centre Fund|28|1|(1)|-|-|28| |L|Kenneth Arthur Hollins - CCH|82|4|(4)|-|-|82| |Dialysis Centre| |N|New Cross General Purposes -|84|3|(4)|-|1|84| |Legacies| |O|RWT Singers|6|8|(9)|-|-|5| |P|Individual funds < £500|1|-|-|-|-|1| |Q|Arts & Heritage Fund|4|95|(100)|3|-|2| |R|NHS Charities Together|104|99|(117)|-|1|87| |S|Mr Worrall Legacy|-|103|103|-|-|-| |790|341|(361)|3|5|778| |Ed| |97| |©|

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Name of fund Name of fund Description of the nature andpurpose of each fund
A Joan Jones to provide medical equipment to the Renal, Oncology, Vascular and Cardiac
Units
B Edith Mary Jeavons to provide medical equipment to RWT
C Nell Phoenix Fund to provide musical entertainment for Nursing staff
D Cystic Fibrosis Funding to support patients and their families who suffer with Cystic Fibrosis
E Sheila Whiting Legacy to support Rheumatology services at Cannock Hospital
F Marjorie Ferguson Legacy to support the services provided at the Rehabilitation Day Unit at Cannock
Hospital
G CCH General Purpose - Legacies to support services at Cannock Hospital
H Rotary Dowding to support services at Cannock Hospital
I Millicent Jessica Dwight Legacy to provide equipment to RWT
J Swan Fund to support End-of-Life Care with in the Trust
K Cancer Centre Fund to provide a top class facility for cancer patients in the area
L Kenneth Arthur Hollins - CCH Dialysis
Centre		 to provide support within the Cannock Hospital Dialysis Centre
M Special Fund for Nano Bubble Pump for the provision of a Nano Bubble Pump
N New Cross General Purposes - Legacies to support services at New Cross Hospital
O RWT Choir to improve staff morale and enhance patient and visitor experience around
the Trust
P Individual Funds <£500 Lindsay Clift Memorial Fund is to support patient safety by way of training or
providing vital monitoring equipment. Calabar Wolverhampton VISION 2020
Link is to support staff training with links to other countries, Arts in Health
Trust Fund is to support deliveryof the Trust's Arts In Health Programme
Q Arts & Heritage to provide additional resources that contribute to and enhance the healing
environment, therapeutic art activities for patients, their families and staff and
to record the historyof and the advancements of healthcare at RWT.
R NHS Charities Together to provide support to patients and staff using funds from NHS Charities
Together
S Mr Worrall Legacy to support children in hospital who have cancer

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i) Analysis of unrestricted funds movements

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |31 March|Income|Expenditure|Transfers|Gains and|31 March| |2024|losses|2025| |£000|£000|£000|£000|£000|£000| |A|Anaesthetics|71|14|(10)|-|1|76| |B|Medical Directorate|299|29|(83)|-|2|247| |C|Haematology and Oncology|277|206|(101)|-|2|384| |D|Cardiac Services|305|29|(82)|-|2|254| |E|Renal Unit|44|7|(20)|-|-|31| |F|Obstetrics and Gynaecology|45|4|(12)|-|-|37| |G|Ophthalmology|80|13|(12)|-|1|82| |H|Orthopaedics|86|3|(11)|-|-|78| |I|Paediatrics|160|89|(143)|-|1|107| |J|Surgical Directorate|92|11|(22)|-|-|81| |K|Clinical Support|2|-|-|-|-|2| |Wolverhampton Medical|0|-|-|-|-|0| |L| |Institute| |M|Other Smaller Funds|80|5|(17)|-|-|68| |N|Community Work|8|-|(2)|-|-|6| |O|Research Funds|55|3|(10)|-|-|48| |1,604|413|(525)|-|9|1,501| |Non-designated funds| |P|General Funds|346|102|(152)|(3)|2|295| |1,950|515|(677)|(3)|11|1,796|

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ii) Details of unrestricted funds

ii) Details of unrestricted funds
Name of area Description of the nature and purpose of each area
A Anaesthetics benefit of the Anaesthetics Directorate
B Medical Directorate benefit of the Medical Directorate
C Haematology and Oncology benefit of the Deanesly Centre and Cancer Services
D Cardiac Services benefit of the Cardiothoracic Directorate
E Renal Unit benefit of the Renal Unit
F Obstetrics and Gynaecology benefit of the Maternity and Gynaecology Directorate
G Ophthalmology benefit of the Ophthalmic Directorate
H Orthopaedics benefit of the Orthopaedic Directorate
I Paediatrics benefit of the Paediatric Directorate
J Surgical Directorate benefit of the Surgical Directorate
K Clinical Support benefit of Clinical Support Services
L Wolverhampton Medical
Institute		 benefit of the Wolverhampton Medical Institute
M Other Smaller Funds benefit of Emergency Department, Ambulatory Care, Ear Nose and Throat, Theatres,
TherapyServices, Nurse Training, Chaplaincyetc.
N Community Work benefit of the Community Nursing Teams
O Research Funds to support Research projects at the Trust
Unrestricted funds - Non designated funds
P General Funds benefit of New Cross Hospital

Trustees have exercised their discretion to set aside part of the unrestricted funds for designated purposes. The designation applied has taken account the wishes expressed by the donor when the funds were given. Designated funds remain unrestricted as Trustees can remove the designation at any time.

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During the year neither the Corporate Trustee nor members of the key management staff or parties related to it has undertaken any material transactions with or received any remuneration or expenses from Your RWTC. As part of the normal course of business the Charity has made payments totalling £799,000 (2023/24 £565,000) to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust as Corporate Trustee of the Charity. In 2024/25 an amount of £274,423 (2023/24 £152,596 was owing to the Trust at 31 March 2025. The total income of the Corporate Trustee in the year ended 31 March 2025 amounted to £1,041,391,000 (2023/24 £940,686,000) and the adjusted retained deficit amounted to £13,103,000 (2023/24 retained deficit of £26,657,000).

The Charity has commitments totalling £534,054 at 31 March 2025 (2023/24 £240,404) arising from requisitions placed for which the relevant goods and services have not been received. These commitments relate to unrestricted and restricted funds and include the purchase of an ECG machine within Cardiac, Trollies within the Neonatal unit, the refurbishment of the restaurant within West Park and a Paxman scalp cooling system. There are also commitments to support a research project and provide Complimentary Therapists to cancer patients.

Donations in kind have been made to aid the Charity’s mission to support The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Donations to the value of £21,038 (2023/24 £18,001) have been included in the accounts this year for items of clothing, toys for the children’s ward, knitted blankets, sensory items and other kind gifts that help improve patients hospital stay. All of these items will be used for some time to come. We also received several offers of kindness for the staff and patients of the Trust and the wider community for items such as care packages, hand creams, lip balms, food and drink. The value of these items were estimated at £31,035 (2023/24 £33,623.

When received, all items were distributed as soon as possible and shared amongst the whole of the Trust.

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Charity Annual Report and Accounts 2024125 102

Designed and produced by The Department of Clinical Illustration, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton - Tel: 01902 695377 MI_15717014_09.12.25_V_3