This Sunday 23rd June, Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Chief Nurse, Rachel Overfield, will step off the roof of the House of Fraser building in Birmingham city centre.
She joins fellow SWBH staff members who are bravely abseilling down the side of the 120ft department store in memory of late staff nurse Ramandeep Kaur.
Ramandeep, who was affectionately known as Raj, tragically lost her life aged just 22 following an asthma attack. A much-loved colleague, Raj has been sadly missed but not forgotten as photographs and a plaque adorn the walls of the ward where she cared for patients with respiratory illnesses.
As well as raising funds for the Trust charity, Rachel and the other abseilers are putting on their helmets and securing their harnesses in a bid to raise awareness of asthma, a condition that affects over 5 million people in the UK.
Rachel has recently completed a half marathon and will run the Great Birmingham Run later this year so is no stranger to fundraising. When asked what made her swap running on roads for ropes and roofs she said: “I’m not a fan of heights but how could I not take up the challenge with so many staff members leading by example?
“Events such as these are brilliant as they’re a fun way of bringing teams closer together outside of work whilst remembering a valued colleague and supporting a good cause.”
Carly Jones, Head of Fundraising at Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, added: “We wanted to organise an event that would help to raise awareness of asthma while remembering a much-loved colleague so have worked closely with the staff from City Hospital’s D17 ward where Raj worked.
“We’re really grateful for all of the money that has already been donated as sponsorship and hope it continues as we want to raise as much as possible to have a real positive impact on local asthma services.”
Registration for the event is now closed but you can sponsor the Ward D17 team by heading to their Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/teams/d17abseilers.
The charity abseilers are due to take part in this rewarding challenge between 10am – 4pm, under the supervision of specialists from the Creation Climbing Centre. Spectators are welcome.
For more information please contact the SWBH Fundraising Team on 0121 507 5196 or email swbh.fundraising@nhs.net
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