ITHealth are aiming to raise money to celebrate 70 years of the NHS by challenging 3 of its employees to ride a 200 mile journey from Manchester to Abingdon, via Nottingham over the course of 2 days (17 & 18 July 2018). Can you help them reach their target?

ITHealth has been working with NHS organisations providing them with IT security for over 25 years. As this year sees the NHS celebrate its 70^th birthday, ITHealth want to take the opportunity to raise some valuable funds in support of the important work that’s carried out by the NHS and supporting charities.

The idea for the Manchester-Abingdon route sparked from ITHealth’s relationship with IT security partner, Sophos. (Both ITHealth and Sophos work closely together to ensure NHS organisations remain cyber secure.) The Sophos Head Office is in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and the NHS was founded 70 years ago at Park Hospital, Manchester (now known as Trafford General Hospital) so a route from Manchester to Abingdon, via the ITHealth offices and Hayward House in Nottingham, seemed a great idea and a suitably challenging distance.

ITHealth selected the Hayward House Appeal because it's run by the local Nottingham Hospitals Charity and offers high quality, specialist palliative care for life-limiting illnesses. It’s renowned for its professional, positive and considerate care and offers a sanctuary where medical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of patients and their families are compassionately addressed.

The money you donate in support of the ITHealth challenge will make a huge difference, helping patients and families at the most difficult times of their lives. Donations will fund a range of enhancements to the care received, including:

• Complementary therapies, to help patients and their loved ones with a sense of well-being
• Art activities, which provide relaxation and a way to express thoughts and emotions
• Counselling, giving patients and families vital support in dealing with life limiting illness and bereavement
• A quiet room, a private family room, counselling rooms and ongoing improvements to the inpatient unit to make it more comfortable
• Additional nursing staff, to ensure an even greater degree of patient support
• Further enhancements to the patient environment, including development of the garden

Thank you in advance. Your support will be very gratefully received.