It is the fourteenth year in a row that they have sent Christmas presents to the local hospital. They will be received by around 100 patients across every ward.
Yesterday (Thursday), volunteers from the Friends of Fulbourn Hospital and the Community group picked up the gifts from the Council’s offices in Cambourne. The group will personally deliver the gifts to the hospital so that patients, many of whom won’t have any visitors during the festive season, will still get to open a present.
Every year, lots of generous staff at South Cambridgeshire District Council buy an extra gift to donate in this way as part of their own Christmas tradition.
Fulbourn Hospital treats people with dementia and other psychiatric conditions that make it difficult for them to be nursed on open wards.
The Chairman of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Douglas de Lacey, said: “I am always surprised, and always impressed and delighted, at the generosity of our Officers who give so freely to ensure that our residents in hospital do not feel forgotten over Christmas. Once again we are able to share with them the pleasure of giving and receiving; and once again I want to thank all those Officers who have organised and supported this venture. Christmas-tide is all the more blessed for that.”
David Livesey, Chair of the Management Committee at The Friends of Fulbourn Hospital and the Community, said: “We know that the thoughtful chosen gifts donated annually by the staff of South Cambridgeshire District Council are cherished and can be a landmark on the patient’s recovery journey. The gifts are also the evidence and reminder, that all of us need in these troubled times, that people care about other people and that given the opportunity they are only too willing to lend help and support in practical ways. When this project started, the aim was to provide presents to two of the wards. This year, for the first time, staff have provided sufficient gifts for patients in all the wards. This is a truly magnificent effort.”