Welsh stars come out to help raise vital funds for NHS
CELEBRITIES from the world of film, comedy, music and sport will team up tonight to raise vital funds for the Welsh NHS as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, writes Joshua Knapman.
Hollywood stars including Taron Egerton, Luke Evans, Rhys Ifans and Michael Sheen will join a stellar cast including Katherine Jenkins, Rob Brydon, Ruth Jones, Gareth Edwards, Max Boyce and Rhod Gilbert.
They will be chatting live to host Matt Johnson on the live show from 6pm, livestreamed exclusively on WalesOnline’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The event aims to raise muchneeded donations for the NHS in Wales, and also help spread crucial messages about social distancing and other key measures that will help ease the enormous burden on healthcare workers as the crisis continues.
The NHS Wales Livestream Fundraiser will provide a focal point for households in lockdown in Wales to come together and hear special guests, which also include Charlotte Church, Gruff Rhys, Mike Phillips, Shane Williams and Craig Roberts, share stories and experiences, and raise the nation’s spirits.
“It is currently an incredibly challenging time for the NHS in Wales,” said Deborah Longman, fundraising manager at Swansea Bay University Health Board, which has organised the overarching NHS Wales fundraising mission across all Wales’ six health boards that the livestream will contribute to.
“A huge amount of work has taken place to help Wales face the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. There have been sweeping changes across hospitals, while staff have taken on extra duties, additional training and even different roles to ensure the best possible patient care is provided.
“The best thing that the public can do for us right now is to follow government advice. As we have been asking the people of Wales, ‘We come into work for you, please stay home for us.’
“Our needs are changing day by day, hour by hour, we are setting up field hospitals across Wales and changing the ways that we are operating our services.”
The idea is the brainchild of Welsh film director Jamie Adams who has put the line-up together in a little over a week, after being inspired by a similar livestream broadcast in the US and presented by American TV show host Rosie O’ Donnell.
He said: “It started when I saw the doctor across the road from me going to work. I’m on lockdown with my family – and my neighbour is on the frontline trying to save lives. And then I read about Aaron Ramsey donating £10k to Cardiff Health Board and that led me to notice that all the health boards in Wales were setting up JustGiving pages desperately seeking support.
“Our NHS In Wales is facing a pandemic that is stretching its resources very thin – but what could I do? I’m a film maker. Then I watched a fundraising livestream live from New York, got in touch with the producer of that event and figured if they could do that then I should do that – generate a livestream fundraiser where artists and sports men and women would come together and share stories about how they’re doing and what their thoughts are on this new world we live in and shine a light on the support we can give the NHS here in Wales as a general public
“I watched that American livestream featuring Broadway artists and I came away feeling a sense of community spirit and hope, and that’s what I want to achieve with our NHS Wales livestream fundraiser.
“I hope the livestream will galvanise the Welsh effort to support our NHS here in Wales at an unprecedented time when the strain on our health service across the six health boards has never been greater.”
The event starts at 6pm, and you can watch it exclusively on WalesOnline’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
To donate to NHS Wales, please go to www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/nhswalesfundraiser