The Forever Friends Appeal is the fundraising charity for the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH). The hospital provides a range of acute services to a catchment population of over 620,000 people from across Bath, Somerset, and Wiltshire. These services include medicine and surgery, services for women and children, accident and emergency services, and diagnostic and clinical support.
We fund projects that make a real difference to the lives of our patients and families, as well as the staff that go the extra mile, each and every day. With the help of our fundraisers and donors, we pay for life-saving medical equipment for our wards and departments, new buildings and facilities, patient services, as well as finishing touches and extras, that go above and beyond what standard NHS funding can provide.
Photo taken in 2019.
Every day, our Hospital Heroes continue to go above and beyond for anyone who needs them, but as we move through the initial challenges brought by the crisis, we’re now faced with new ones. We need your support now more than ever to ensure that we can continue to make a difference at the RUH, now and for the future.
Kirstie Flood, Senior Sister in the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care (NICU), has temporarily moved to the adult Intensive Care Unit along with some of her colleagues, to work on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis.
"It's been an honour to become temporarily part of the amazing ITU team. Caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients has been extremely challenging, especially as we are now caring for fully grown adults and learning at an accelerated rate. It's certainly both emotionally and physically tiring, but we are all loving giving intensive, compassionate care to these very vulnerable patients. It's a wonderful feeling when you see a patient recover and leave the ward.
“Charitable funding makes a huge difference to everyone, not only during a pandemic but at all times. The Appeal helped fund our incredible new NICU, which opened its doors in 2011. Not only has the unit won awards for its healthcare design, even better, it has improved developmental care and outcomes, dramatically reducing stress levels experienced by our babies and parents. In the last few months, everyone on ITU has been so grateful for the care packages filled with goodies, as a little pick me up during a long shift.
“None of this would have been possible without everyone who has supported our charity so far– thank you so much.”
With your support, we can continue to transform the hospital that cares for you and your loved ones.
The Walk of Life is our annual sponsored walk, that usually takes place along the Kennet & Avon Canal. First set up in 2006, it all began with, and then in memory of a wonderful supporter of ours, Vanessa Kyte. With the support of her sister, the walk has been running for over a decade since. Due to coronavirus, we’ve sadly had to cancel the 2020 canal walk and we face losing over £100,000 that it was anticipated to raise for our patients, families and staff. We can’t let this happen.
We know that many of our supporters are finding their own socially distanced ways to support the hospital during these extraordinary times. So whilst you’re doing things on your own, we want to make sure you’re not alone in making a difference– and so My Walk of Life Marathon has been created, especially for these unusual times!
Our walkers usually take part for many different reasons, whether it’s walking in memory of a loved one, as a patient themselves or to get active and support a good cause – and we hope you’ll agree, that there’s no better time than now, to step out to thank our Hospital Heroes as well.
