Contact Us
The Christie charity has received a generous grant of £50,000 from NHS Charities Together. This vital funding has provided a range of additional services for patients and staff impacted by the second wave of COVID-19.
These services have helped improve patients and staff’s mental health, physical health and wellbeing during challenging times such as isolation, increased stress and ill health.
The Christie art service
Art classes have continued virtually since April 2020 on Zoom, and the NHS Charities Together grant will now help to support this. The sessions run 3 times a week and around 20 patients benefit from the sessions. To get new patients to access The Christie art service, Pat has launched a closed Facebook group for Christie patients only.
Pat Mountford, artist-in-residence, said: “Most of the patients had materials that I could work with, so we have done different projects trying new ideas and learning different things. The sessions work really well and have been successful, some of the patients live on their own and this service has kept them connected and certainly helped with wellbeing during lockdown.”
Once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Pat is looking forward to being able to give out art packs to new patients on the wards. She would also like to start a beginners’ art class for new patients.
Pat would also like to continue with Zoom classes in the future to engage with patients who may be too ill to leave the ward or travel to the hospital.
The Christie garden
The outdoor space at The Christie is always appreciated by patients and staff as an area to relax and enjoy some fresh air, and it has never been as important as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Trust gardener has worked hard to keep the garden areas maintained and cared for, and he can now enhance the garden with the NHS Charities Together funding. Taking his vision from the memorial garden, he wants staff and patients using the garden to feel they are within an area that is loved and so promote a peaceful, calm and relaxing space.
Hot and cold snacks for Christie patients
The funding will also help the catering department provide a variety of hot and cold snacks for patients. This has also meant the catering team can better meet all diverse allergen needs, including a dedicated menu for patients requiring a low fibre diet.