Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has received a donation after being chosen as a worthy recipient of £5,000.

During lockdown, Fulwood-based Arco Clothing Centre staff and families joined together to fundraise through their ‘Spread a Little Kindness’ competition.

The competition was to design a rainbow that could be made, coloured or sewn. So many people entered that the competition was split into four categories – adults, family, 10 years and over and under 10s.

After plenty of deliberation by the judges, the overall winner was Julia Gruszka from the 10 years and over group, with her winning rainbow design featuring a colourful hard hat.

Julia then chose the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to receive the £5,000 donation.

Head of Charities and Fundraising at the Trust, Paula Wilson, said: “We are extremely grateful to have been chosen by Julia to receive this wonderful donation of £5,000 from Arco, which will help make a huge difference to our clinical colleagues, who constantly go the extra mile.

“Recently they have been called upon to work in ways that we could never have anticipated, supporting patients and their relatives in some of the most challenging circumstances.

“Now it is time to give a little back to these amazing people and help them recover by investing in things that improve their physical and mental well-being so that they too are given space to recover and can continue to provide the very best patient care, long after the worst of this is over.

“We have also been asked to mark the lives of those lost, and so we are also raising funds to provide memorial gardens across our hospitals – this will leave a lasting legacy for families and for staff to lost colleagues and friends to this dreadful disease, helping them to come to terms with their loss.

“Thank you once again for supporting us. This will enable Lancashire Teaching Hospitals to give a little back to those who have given so much.”

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Arco has donated £300,000 to charities related to Covid-19, including Arco Community Coronavirus Grants, helping local projects support those in need during lockdown.

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Have you spread any kindness during lockdown? Let us know in the comments below.