Delighted children whose parents are NHS workers have said a huge thank you to an online company which has donated hundreds of gift bags to a healthcare Trust.
Bookblock, which specialises in creating personalised gift boxes and bags, made the generous gesture to Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust staff as a way to say thank you to their children for supporting their parents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bags contained age appropriate toys, which included jigsaws, colouring books and paints, and other activities for the children to get stuck into.
Bookblock was first contacted by junior doctor Vijaytha Murali, about the donation. The company then liaised with the Trust’s registered charity Your Trust Charity to ensure the delivery was made.
Vijaytha said: “We’ve worked hard with Bookblock over the past couple of months to create bags for children from the age of three to 16. It’s a wonderful gesture to say thank you to everyone who has worked so hard in this pandemic and their families.”
One of those to receive gifts bags for her children was Joan Doherty, a nurse working at Sandwell Hospital.
She said: “During the start of the pandemic, I was temporarily redeployed and worked on a COVID-positive ward for several weeks.
“Naturally, my daughters were anxious about this but they understood the necessity and were very supportive throughout.
“My twin daughters Amy and Emily were delighted with their goody bags from Bookblock which contained lovely, high quality gifts, including a journal, a make your own glowing pendulum, and a beautifully illustrated colouring book.
“I want to say a huge thank you Bookblock for the lovely gifts which were appreciatively received.”
Mike Blaber, pastoral lead for junior doctors at the Trust added: “It’s been a very difficult time for many people working in healthcare over the last six months and lots of different things have been happening to support the wellbeing of the staff, which is vital to delivering excellent patient care.
“We are conscious that a number of staff members have children at home who have not seen them as frequently as they might normally do and that’s hard for everyone.
“Vijaytha worked closely with Bookblock to help raise some funds to support the wellbeing of staff in the Trust. We looked at how best to spend that money and thought about the children of staff members and what we could do to show them our appreciation.
“Out of that, came this idea of creating some wellbeing packs for children. We want to thank them for releasing their parents and loved ones to spend more time away from home than normal during this difficult period. We hope these gift bags signify that thanks.”
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