Charity

Our aim is not to fund patient care, but to enhance and improve it – providing grants to projects that are over and above government funding. Leeds Community Healthcare Charity can make a difference by investing in new equipment; improving patient environments; or providing additional support for staff training.

Some examples of what Leeds Community Healthcare Charity has funded:

• An aquarium and colourful new duvets for children at Hannah House, a ‘home from home’ styled facility providing planned or emergency short-break care for children with complex health needs.
• Sickle Cell service social trip for patients and families to share experiences of their condition with other families in their community
• Makaton Foundation workshop - a language programme designed to provide a means of communication to individuals who cannot communicate efficiently by speaking, further training that goes above the 'taster'  currently provided
• Plants and decorations for our Improving Access to Psychological Therapies clinic areas.

A donation given to Leeds Community Healthcare Charity can make a significant difference to people across Leeds, and a difference that will continue for years into the future. Donate to Leeds Community Healthcare Charity today to help us achieve more for the people of Leeds.

We are really delighted to have recently received a grant from NHS Charities as part of the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Urgent Appeal. 

This has enabled us to:

• Provide Clinical Psychologist support to all Trust staff, helping them cope with the additional pressures of the pandemic
• Boost staff morale with on-site provision of healthy lunches, fruit, hot drinks and biscuits
• Support staff wellbeing through the funding of fitness equipment and stress-management sessions. This has provided staff with greater support to continue to provide great care to patients even at difficult and busy times.

Fundraise for us

Our fundraising pack contains all the information and helpful advice you need to plan your fundraiser. To receive a fundraising pack contact charity.lch@nhs.net

Are you a local business that would like to make a donation?

Contact us today at: charity.lch@nhs.net

How to donate

You can donate online simply via our Local Giving page. 

You can donate by post. You do this by sending a cheque made payable to Leeds Community Healthcare Charity, and send to: Finance Team at White Rose Office Park, Millshaw Park Lane, Leeds, LS11 0DL. Please let us know if you have a preference for where your donation is used, although for the Charity to be able to respond to funding that benefits people using all our services, this does not create a legal obligation. 

Gift Aid

If you are a UK taxpayer it is possible for your donations to go a lot further. Signing up for Gift Aid means that for every £1 that you give, we get an extra 25p from the Inland Revenue and so is well worth it!

Gift Aid can be claimed on all the donations that you make, at no extra cost to you. When making a donation, please ask to sign up for Gift Aid or call us and we will send you a form to complete.

Latest News

• QTeam LCH Conquer the Yorkshire Three Peaks for LCH Charity!

  On Saturday 26 June 2023, a team of LCH staff successfully took on the challenge of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, with four staff even running the 24-mile distance! Fortunately, the weather was kind although it was misty and cold on top of Pen-Y-Ghent and Whernside, a few people felt a little sunburnt after being exposed to the elements for 12 hours.

  The rocky scramble up Pen-Y-Ghent which started the day was a challenge in itself and Whernside felt like a long slog, but Ingleborough followed by the long trek back to Horton-in-Ribblesdale was the real challenge as sore knees set in from the steep descent off Whernside.

  The team did brilliantly in a feat that is just as tough mentally as it is physically with the 6.30am start being the biggest challenge for some. Several members of staff and their partners gave their day to be volunteer marshals keeping the whole team safe and motivated throughout – it was a real team effort to be proud of!

  At the time of writing this the team has raised £2,847.86 including Gift Aid for the LCH Charity. This will go towards improving the experiences of our patients and staff through initiatives like our current digital inclusion project which provides cellular tablets to unpaid carers to improve their access to health services. The Team LCH fundraising page is now closed but you can still donate to LCH Charity on our main fundraising page: Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Charity | Localgiving

• QLCH Charity Initiative Provides Care Packs for the Homeless Community

  The LCH Charity have provided around 30 care packs a week to our vulnerable patients in the homeless community to provide much needed basic items when they are required to stay in hospital. The Homeless Health and Inclusion Team requested funds of £1000 to provide the care packs.

  The care packs are shared with those patients who are homeless, often with no next of kin and without social benefits due to different social reasons. Helping them to complete their treatment has a direct impact on their health and wellbeing, as well as on ongoing healthcare costs, due to needing more intensive treatment if they stop a treatment pathway early. 

  Patients often have no visitors, struggle with social settings, and need help to pace their down time in hospital. Being able to take a client for a tea or coffee whilst in hospital has therapeutic benefits beyond the drink. As does, buying a newspaper or a bottle of juice, underwear or socks.

  “Thank you very much, now I can see clearly and read”.
  “Wow, I didn’t expect this, thank you so much”.
  “Have you really bought these for me, no one has ever bought me any-thing before”.
  “Thank you, for my colouring book, this will help me stay calm and feel less anxious”.
  “Thank for the juice, I was fed up drinking plain warm water”.

• QPoetry Workshops Held in Partnership with LCH Charity

  LCH Charity funded poetry workshops which created a safe space where patients confidently shared their feedback on the quality of service they received. Darren the facilitator arranged and delivered 11 group sessions with over 60 people attending. The workshops have empowered participants with confidence, self-esteem, a sense of inclusion, and writing techniques that enable them to express and explore themselves creatively and constructively in a safe space.

  The charity donated £1600 to facilitate a series of poetry workshops for patients, where they were guided to write detailed feedback in a fun and creative way. The feedback collected can now be used to educate professionals and improve the services they provide.

  A small run of books have also been printed that contain the patients’ feedback poetry and which gives them something tangible they can be proud of.

  The sessions have benefited participants mental health by:
  Relieving depressive symptoms.
  Improving self-esteem.
  Improving self-understanding.
  Encouraging the expression of feelings.
  Reframing traumatic events to better cope.
  Helping process negative experiences/feelings, using poetry.

  Feedback such as,“Listening to other people’s emotional heartfelt stories uplifted my spirits”, “What an awesome workshop. Fun, safe space, laughter, with heartfelt moments” and “Darren you were absolutely the right person to re-late to our ladies and encourage their creativity we have loved having you” have demonstrated the success of the workshops. 

• QLeeds Fan's Wish Comes True with Help from LCH Charity

  LCH Charity helped a palliative patient see his beloved Leeds United play football one last time and to meet his favorite players, including the Leeds United legend, Eddie Gray. The Palliative Care Team requested £205 to fund the cost of wheelchair hire. Without the funding he wouldn't be able to attend, as no suitable, free wheelchair could have been supplied.

  The patient who has a brain tumour and is non weight-bearing required a palliative ambulance to take him to Elland Road and a specialist, tilting, supportive wheelchair on hire to enable him to be transported.

  The patient had a fabulous day and got to meet a lot of the players including, Eddie Gray. He sang away to all the songs and was delighted. "I would like to thank you for all your support and funding as it wouldn’t have been possible without this and the family are really grateful" said a family member. 

  A fabulous day creating lasting memories for this patient and his family.

• QNew Minibus for Hannah House Thanks to LCH Charity

  The team at Hannah House have a new minibus so children at Hannah House can continue to access the community and enjoy meaningful activities whilst at respite at Hannah House. The new bus is wheelchair accessible and can take up to three wheelchairs at a time. 

  The children who are provided respite at Hannah House like to go out in the community to enjoy and explore the world around them. Having a mini bus means the team can take the children and young people out to places further afield, such as zoos, the coast, farms, etc.
  The children have enjoyed getting out into the community and visiting new places both inside and outside of Leeds that they haven't visited before with their families. This has provided the children at Hannah House with new experiences, enhancing their stays and their quality of life.

• QHannah House Gardens Transformed for Children to Enjoy

  At the beginning of the summer 2023, the work to install accessible play equipment in gardens at Hannah House was completed!

  Through the hard work of staff and kind donations from local businesses and supporters of the LCH Charity, the team were able to install an accessible swing and roundabout for children who are wheelchair users. A  gazebo was also installed for a shady place for children to relax in the garden as well, as planters and plants for a sensory experience.

  A family of a child that attends Hannah House also donated colourful lights which transform the garden into a magical wonderland on an evening.

  The wheelchair accessible swing and roundabout are fantastic for the children accessing Hannah House. The garden now provides them with a park experience that they may usually miss out on at local parks, due to the environment not being specially designed for wheelchairs and the environment being overstimulating. With the array of equipment provided there is a safe space to play for everyone and the shade and shelter the gazebo provides means that the garden is accessible all year round.

  The garden is now a welcome space for the children who attend Hannah House, their families and staff.

• QCarers Provided Tablets to Help Pandemic Isolation

  During the COVID pandemic, unpaid carers were suffering from isolation with no access to face-to-face support, as support groups had moved to online only. Carers care for family members 24/7 and support groups are often the only time they get to spend with others.

  Carers are also the key to better self-management of conditions for the people they are caring for and so access to digital was essential in achieving both objectives.

  LCH Charity was able to help fund and supply 20 tablets with sim cards and 12 months of internet access tablets for unpaid carers. 

   

• QLCH Transports Leeds to the Sixties at their Slice of Saturday Night Shows

  Staff at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust performed two shows of the West End musical A Slice of Saturday Night at St Chad’s Parish Centre to raise funds for the LCH Charity. Song, dance and laughter filled the room on both nights, as audiences were transported back to the swinging 60s in the joyful production. The shows were a huge success and there was smiles all around from the audiences. 

  Attendees were encouraged to dress up, and there was also a raffle were people were able to win some amazing prizes.
  
  A massive £2700 across both nights was raised for the LCH Charity.