Doncaster Racecourse's generosity nets thousands for hospital helipad appeal

Sheffields Northern General Hospitals New Helipad with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance

29 June 2016
Copyright Paul David Drabble
www.pauldaviddrabble.photoshelter.comom — Sheffields Northern General Hospitals New Helipad with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance 29 June 2016 Copyright Paul David Drabble www.pauldaviddrabble.photoshelter.comom

Doncaster Racecourse donated a number of tickets for a raceday which included a concert by Tom Jones.

Staff from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals had the opportunity to buy the tickets at a reduced rate which resulted in over £4,700 for the charity appeal.

Kieran Gallagher, Executive Director at Doncaster Racecourse said: “We were pleased to be able to support the helipad appeal at the Northern General by donating raceday tickets which included the Tom Jones concert.

“We hope that the hard working staff enjoyed their day at the races and look forward to welcoming them again soon.”

Isla Denoon, fundraising team manager at Sheffield Hospitals Charity, said: “This was a fantastic gesture from Doncaster Racecourse to provide tickets for such a great event. It has raised thousands of pounds of much needed money which will go directly towards the final costs of the new Helipad.”

Sir Andrew Cash, Chief Executive, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added: “We are really grateful to Doncaster Racecourse for this generous donation.

“As well as raising valuable funds for our new helipad, it was a great morale boost for our staff who work incredibly hard every day to provide good quality care for our patients. To have this opportunity to see Tom Jones was brilliant and welcomed by our teams.”

Sheffield Hospitals Charity launched the Helipad Appeal in October 2014, and since then, hundreds of local people and businesses have run, baked, biked and walked to help make the new helipad a reality.

Before the new helipad was built, air ambulance helicopters had to land on a helipad which was built more than 20 years ago, and because of its distance from the Emergency Department, it required a secondary transfer by land ambulance to reach the hospital.

The new helipad is located right next to the Major Trauma Centre which means there is no need for a land ambulance transfer.

To find out more about the helipad or to make a donation visit: www.sheffieldhelipad.com or call Sheffield Hospitals Charity on 0114 271 1351.