A MONMOUTHSHIRE school has come to the aid of St David's Hospice Care, which is in need of significant funding to survive the coronavirus pandemic.
After chief executive of St David's Hospice Emma Saysell - whose two children attended the school - made contact with staff to ask for help, the school mobilised to ensure as much money will be raised as possible.
The money raised by school staff and students will go towards protective visors for the hospice.
Ms Saysell has explained the urgent need for help, and has thanked the school for their efforts so far.
“The NHS contributes 30 per cent of the clinical costs to St David's Hospice Care, the hospice has to raise the rest through its shops and fundraising to pay nursing salaries," she said.
"With the shops shut and all fundraising events postponed, the hospice faces major cash flow issues. Demand on hospice clinical services is dramatically increasing as Covid-19 hits its peak, and the hospice wants to ensure it can meet this.
Chief executive of St David's Hospice Care Emma Saysell
“Visors are a key piece of PPE (personal protective equipment) to ensure the safety of our staff and patients. As a hospice we are committed to providing end of life care to patients in their own homes, but to do this safely, we need the protection this equipment provides.”
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The school will be hosting a virtual festival called 'Voices for Visors' on Friday, May 22 to raise as much money as possible.
Staff have also asked for Chepstow residents to get involved as part of a wider 'Chepstow's Got Talent' programme.
To enter, post a video of your performance on Twitter, tagging @chepstowschool and adding the hashtag #chepstowsgottalent. Then donate £5 to the school's GoFundMe page, and add the link to your entry in the notes.
The deadline for entry is Friday, May, 8 at 5pm, and the winner will get the chance to close the festival with their winning performance.
All funds raised will directly assist Aneurin Bevan Health Board and St David’s Hospice Care.
To donate to Chepstow School's fundraising efforts, visit their Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/voices-for-visors.
Noah Herniman, who is a student at the school and a regular fundraiser, has also started his own page. You can donate to that at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ppe-nhs-materials.
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