Beryl still doing her bit for hospital charity
A RETIRED hospital worker has helped to raise £10,000 for a hospital charity.
Beryl Fairclough, a former ward clerk and receptionist at Barnsley Hospital, has not let retirement stop her involvement with the venue.
Since retiring in 2014, the 75-year-old from Silkstone has raised more than £10,000 for the charity’s Tiny Hearts Appeal to support premature babies, and the Make a Memory Appeal to help fund a transformation of the care of elderly ward and benefit patients with dementia.
Beryl co-ordinates a group of friends – named by the hospital as the ‘sensational six’ – who meet weekly at a craft group to create unique gifts from knitted and crocheted Christmas and baby gifts to flower arrangements and cards to raise funds for the charity.
They also receive support from a group of supporters who knit from home.
Charity development manager, Jane Mills, said: “We thank all of them for their time and efforts to help us keep making a difference for patients at the hospital.
“A special thanks to Beryl who is the driving force behind the fundraising.
“It is heart-warming to see the camaraderie that this group has – a special bond with friendship, laughter and joy being at the centre of their fundraising.”
The group have already completed this year’s Christmas crafts with them having created a new chocolate orange cover.
In attempts to raise even more money for the charity, if you are visiting the hospital and are able to donate a chocolate orange, you can do so by dropping it into Strawbridges’ fruit and veg stall outside Barnsley Hospital.
Beryl added: “Many people have collected these over the years and it has become a family tradition. I would like to thank everyone involved who knits and crafts and the local businesses who support us each year, as without them we couldn’t raise as much.”