Big-hearted charity joins MP for kids’ donation
Little patients on Bumblebee Ward at Hillingdon will have more to keep them amused thanks to the generosity of a local charity.
Hand on Heart, based in Harefield, teamed up with Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Danny Beales to deliver bags of goodies to the ward at Hillingdon Hospital.
Originally a charity working to tackle homelessness, Hand on Heart has branched out to include social inclusion and other good causes, through its crowd-funded and online appeals.
It’s heart-warming to know that there is a hospital in our community that does amazing work for children
“It’s heart-warming to know that there is a hospital in our community that does amazing work for children,” said co-founder Asifa Pradhan, who accompanied husband Afzal to the hospital in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, with a trolley full of bags of puzzles, activity books, games, pens and pencils for the children on the ward.
The idea came through conversations with ward staff who pointed out that the tremendous generosity they see every Christmas would be lovely to have at other times of the year as well, given the constant need for toys, games, books and writing materials for young patients. Hand on Heart sprang into action and reached out to Mr Beales as the MP whose constituency covers Hillingdon Hospital.
Ward matron, Chris Mann, was delighted with the donation, which she accepted accompanied by nurses and ward staff, and 12-year-old patient Leandro De Franca Ferreira.
This generosity means a lot to me and the team on Bumblebee and we’re really grateful to Hand on Heart
“Donations like this are so welcome because they keep us supplied with material to make the children’s stay in hospital a little bit better. This generosity means a lot to me and the team on Bumblebee and we’re really grateful to Hand on Heart,” she said.