You stepped up magnificently during the first wave of COVID-19 and the impact on our staff and patients was extraordinary. Now we need your support again.

The pressure and hardship faced by our staff and the physical and emotional toll are as great now, if not greater, than during the first wave of the pandemic.

They face this challenge exhausted, after ten exceptionally demanding months.

They have supported patients in their final moments, they have held iPads and said goodbye on behalf of families, they have lost friends, family and colleagues. They are physically, emotionally and mentally drained.

But they are facing up to this renewed challenge with inspiring levels of resilience, bravery and professionalism. Always putting patient care first - often ahead of taking care of themselves.

The vaccination programme means there is light at the end of the tunnel, but before we get there, we need your support to help us protect our staff and our community.

Your support will enable us to:

- Provide free hot meals delivered to the wards and departments for staff who cannot or will not leave their patients - and cold drinking water to staff who get dehydrated when spending hours in PPE

* £1,000 will fund 200 meals for staff working through the night

- Support the Wingman Lounge, in which staff are provided with a comfortable and relaxing first class space, waited on by airline cabin crew, served tea and coffee, and given a chance for a friendly chat and to decompress

* £150 will fund a week's worth of supplies for the Wingman Lounge (milk, coffee, tea, cups, biscuits)

- Provide products such as moisturisers and skin wipes that compensate for the effects of using hand gel and spending long shifts in personal protective equipment

* £100 will enable us to provide 25 staff members with large pots of moisturiser

- Provide staff welfare support sessions

* £40,000 will fund six months of reflective practice sessions to support staff welfare, aimed at addressing the mental health burdens placed on them as a result of the pandemic

- Provide safe, comfortable spaces in which staff can get some socially-distanced rest on their breaks

* £3,000 will enable us to install a heated igloo on the hospital site. These igloos are large enough to accommodate multiple people, while allowing staff from different wards to remain separate. The igloo can stay in place for up to 10 years.

Thank you for your support!

The Charity team can be reached at: fundraising.whitthealth@nhs.net