Partner's News: Reverse advent calendar a success

Big hearted staff at a Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire based health trust who recently launched a reverse advent calendar appeal to help those less fortunate have exceeded all expectations.

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) staff put a new spin on the old festive tradition and filled rucksacks with food, toiletries, hats, scarves, gloves and Christmas treats.

Each rucksack will now be given out to people in need who use the Trust’s Access Teams and children’s urgent services over the festive season and who literally have no food.

Dr Judith Graham, Deputy Director for Organisational Development at RDaSH, who adopted the idea, said: “We’ve run this appeal for three years now and they are always a huge success.  We helped over 120 families and patients in need at Christmas time last year.  This year we have filled 178 rucksacks and we have also received other donations including toys from a shop in Scunthorpe which are valued around £800.

“The response has been amazing and truly humbling and shows just how caring our staff and local residents are.”

The Reverse Advent Calendar is a way of helping people with limited resources over Christmas