The Strumpet of Knaresborough is coming!

NHS colleagues and friends in Harrogate have been preparing the grease paint and polishing up on their double entendres to put on a comedy, all in aid of Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity – and they are hoping for a lively audience from around the area.

The Strumpet of Knaresborough debuts at 7.30pm on Wednesday 22 March and runs until Saturday 25 March, at the Frazer Theatre, Knaresborough (behind Tesco on the High Street).

It’s been developed by the Trust-us-Theatre Company, which is composed of colleagues from Harrogate District Hospital and beyond. This year the Company asked for a slightly more ‘grown-up’ theme than its usual panto. And that’s what they’ve got! The excellent script, written and directed by pathologist Carl Gray, is an exploration of dating and love, contrasting the modern day and the Restoration Period with bites also taken out of the media and the hotel industry.

This production is not recommended for children under 12 years of age; but of course older kids will explain everything to their parents! There are flashing lights.

All profits from tickets and refreshments go to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity and help to enhance patient care. Tickets are £10 per person (no child reductions) and are available from the General Office by the front door at Harrogate District Hospital and online at www.justaddtickets.co.uk.

Author Carl Gray said: “We really enjoy putting on productions and raising money for a great cause. It’s always lots of fun. Our modern-day actors are offered a rediscovered Restoration Comedy which they attempt to put on in costume. Please come along, join in the fun and who knows, maybe you’ll find out who – or what – the Strumpet of Knaresborough is!”

David Fisher, Community and Events Fundraiser at Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, said: “It’s wonderful to have such fantastic support from the staff, showing just how passionate they are for the work they do and the people they care for.

“Thanks to the amazing support of the writers, performers and other volunteers involved, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity is able to provide funds to pay for specialist equipment, research and patient and family support that would otherwise not be there, making a real difference to patients and their families when they need it most.”

ENDS

Photo: (L to R) Some of the cast of the Strumpet of Knaresborough: David Hoskins, Andrew Forsyth, Carl Gray, Helen Ratcliffe, Amanda Gillespie, Julia Bullock and Pam Blythe.

For further information please contact: Paul Widdowfield, Communications and Marketing Manager, [email protected] and 01423 557470.

Health and social care professionals have joined forces for the first time working as one community team providing better health and wellbeing for the residents of Boroughbridge, Knaresborough and Green Hammerton.  The What Matters to Us pilot launched at the start of February will test out the new care models ready to go live across the rest of Harrogate district in the summer.

The What Matters to Us programme, is one of the ambitious national Vanguard programmes; led by NHS Harrogate and Rural District Commissioning Group, along with Harrogate and District  NHS Foundation Trust, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, Yorkshire Health Network and Harrogate and Ripon Centres for Voluntary Service.

The Knaresborough, Green Hammerton and Boroughbridge team has community and mental health nurses, social workers, pharmacists, physiotherapists and care support workers working together alongside GPs to make sure patient care is as joined up as possible.  Key to this new community approach will be a very close link with voluntary services within each area, helping each individual have access to the right care and support when needed.

Bruce Willoughby, GP and clinical lead for the new care model ‘What Matters to Us’ said: “We firmly believe that people should have access to the right care as close to home as possible to keep them healthy, well and independent and only go to hospital if they really need to. This means changing the way we deliver services so that local people get the right care in the right place, first time, and experience the health and care services they deserve. We have listened to what local people have said through the consultation held in May last year and responded to those needs.  We will continue to listen to make sure that the services we provide fit the needs of the community”.

Gail Cooper, District Nurse and Team Leader for Knaresborough and Boroughbridge (in photo) said “We are all very excited about this new pilot service. By having the team working together as one in the same location and closer to the community it will make the care more joined up and responsive to the patient. Having close contact with GPs will also help us better understand patients individual needs, helping them stay healthier and in their own community as long as possible”.

Eight year old Phoebe Kendall from Pateley Bridge has raised over £500 for Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity and the Little Princess Trust simply by having a haircut!

Having always been her pride and joy, Phoebe’s hair was very long, flowing down below her waist. But on 22 December, Phoebe asked her hairdresser to give her a shorter haircut so that she could donate the cut hair to the Little Princess Trust, which uses donated hair to make real hair wigs for children that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment.

As this was such a big change for Phoebe, she also decided that she wanted to ask people to sponsor her to have her hair cut, and wanted to raise money for poorly babies so chose to support the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Harrogate District Hospital.

Phoebe said: “I wanted my hair to go to someone who didn’t have any as I would be very sad not to have hair. When Mummy’s friend said about being sponsored I wanted to help babies on Special Care. Harrogate Hospital has looked after me and my brother when we have been poorly on the children’s ward.”

Phoebe’s mum, Louise Kendall, a childminder in Pateley Bridge, said: “I am so proud of my daughter. Her hair has always been her pride and joy and it was a struggle to get her to have a trim! So when the night before her ‘trim’ appointment she said she would like to have a ‘big’ cut to send hair to little girls with no hair, I was lost for words. My friend suggested she was sponsored to do it to which she said she wanted to raise money for poorly babies at the hospital. Her aim was to raise £100 so to raise over £500 she is ecstatic. Everyone who knows Phoebe knows what her hair means to her so this is a massive gift for her to give!”

Phoebe’s hairdresser, Kate Marshall, was delighted to have the honour of cutting Phoebe’s hair following her own experience of the Special Care Baby Unit. She said:  “I was privileged to be asked to cut Phoebe’s hair as she was donating it to The Little Princess Trust and wanted to raise money for SCBU which is very close to my heart due to giving birth to my twins 13 weeks early and then spending 14 weeks in three different special care units getting incredibly cared for. The staff at the unit are amazing. They really don’t get enough credit for the long, demanding hours that they put in.“

David Fisher, Community and Events Fundraiser at Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, said:  “Thanks to the amazing support of people like Phoebe, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity is able to provide funds to pay for specialist equipment, research and patient and family support services for that would otherwise not be there, making a real difference to patients and their families when they need it most. Phoebe is an inspirational young lady, and we are very grateful for her kindness and thoughtfulness towards others. We would like to thank Phoebe and everyone who has sponsored her for their fantastic support.”

Anyone wanting to add their support for Phoebe’s fundraising can make a donation to her justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/Phoebe-kendall2.

Staff in Harrogate District Hospital’s Emergency Department have (almost) bared all in a cheeky charity calendar inspired by a former colleague who died of cancer in September 2015.

The male staff members – now known as the Calendar Boys – have stripped off to raise money for the Emergency Department and Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity.

The 2016 calendar is inspired by former colleague and cover star Chris Skeels, who was a much loved Charge Nurse in the Emergency Department. Chris, who was incredibly proud of being a nurse and whose career spanned 40 years at Harrogate, sadly died earlier this year. Chris was and remains inspirational to the Emergency Department team. The calendar idea came from, and includes, a mischievous photo of Chris, posing in a shower with a rose between his teeth.

The calendar sees colleagues posing with props including a beach ball, a snowboard and a giant Christmas present.

Andrew Severs, Emergency Department nurse and Mr July in the calendar, said: “I think Chris would have loved what we’ve done, he would have wholeheartedly supported it. He did love having his photo taken!

“I am honoured to take part and although it was nervewracking stripping off, the cause is totally worth it. If the Calendar Girls can do it, why can’t I?! I did have a very large beach ball to hide my modesty, of course!”

The calendar can be purchased from the Emergency Department secretaries for £10, please email [email protected]  or call 01423 557384.

Dr Helen Law, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Harrogate District Hospital, said: “Chris was an excellent nurse, a superb friend and dedicated 40 years of his life to the NHS. We pride ourselves on being a close-knit team and it’s testament to his reputation among colleagues that people were keen to take part.”

“The photo of Chris posing in the shower was typical of him and has now led to this charity calendar, which has been a lot of fun to put together. It’s part of our efforts to keep his memory alive, and has also helped colleagues support each other through a tough few months.”

Thanks go to Harrogate District Hospital porter George Hodan who took the photos.

To say thank you for the fabulous care given to her grandfather, Alex Eckford, at Harrogate Hospital’s Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Cancer Centre and the support from Macmillan after he was diagnosed with blood cancer, Georgina Green organised a grand charity night to raise money for both Macmillan and Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity.

On Saturday 21 November 2015, Georgina and her family and friends took over the Harrogate Conservative Club for a charity night of fundraising.

The night was a great success with an amazing £2,402.14 being raised through a range of fundraising activities including tombola, raffle, auction and a quiz. The night finished off with a disco and everyone had a wonderful time all in memory of Alex.

David Fisher, Community and Events Fundraiser at Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity, said: “Thanks to the amazing support of people like Georgina, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity is able to provide funds for pay for specialist equipment, research and patient and family support that would otherwise not be there, making a real difference to patient and their families when they need it most.”

Georgina said: “After all the support and care that the amazing nurses gave my granddad in his time of need I felt that raising money to say thank you was the way forward but didn’t think for one minute how much I would of ended up raising.

“It was a challenge doing the event which I did enjoy a lot and with amazing support from friends and family we made it happen, I just hope it inspires others to do the same.”

Michaela Ryder, Fundraising Manager for Macmillan, said: “We are a national charity with a local heart, and believe that no one in North Yorkshire should have to face cancer alone. Cancer is a cause that touches almost everyone and the need is now greater than ever, with over 3,500 new cancer diagnoses every year across the area. As a charity we rely almost entirely on voluntary donations, so the work we do simply wouldn’t be possible without the fantastic support of people like Georgina, and we’d like to say a huge thank you to her and her family from everyone at Macmillan!”