CELEBRITIES sent personal words of thanks to workers at Oxfordshire hospitals. Famous faces, including Stephen Fry, Mel Giedroyc, and Claire Balding, all participated in a virtual concert created by Oxfords Hospitals Charity to show their gratitude to the county s NHS staff this Christmas. The concert is being shown on a half-an-hour video and also includes videos from local choirs and musicians. Several local instrumentalists had links to the hospitals, including the Radcliffe Orchestra, the Oxford Man Choir, Oxfordshire medical student, and the Dragon School. The fundraising Christmas Concert is usually held at Dorchester Abbey, but due to the pandemic, that was not possible.
Anabella Fowler, aged four, from Didcot with a Christmas present. Picture: Oxford Hospitals Charity THOUSANDS of patients in hospital this festive season will receive a special gift on Christmas day, thanks to the generosity of the Oxfordshire community. Oxford Hospitals Charity, which supports the John Radcliffe, Churchill, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Horton General and Oxford Children’s Hospital put out an appeal earlier this month asking people to support their Give a Gift Campaign by making a donation online. So many people and organisations donated, it allowed the charity to buy hundreds of personal gifts for children spending Christmas in hospital as well as 2,000 gift packs for older patients across the four hospitals.
Tresa s friend Sarah Franklin Ms Cooper said: “From the moment we walked through those doors, we knew that Colin was in good hands. “Although it’s not easy having to spend so much time in hospital, the staff really looked after us - we became part of their family. “It was during the second week of Colin’s treatment that I knew I had to give something back and say thank you, and so came up with the idea to run 2020 miles over the year and try and raise £2,020, which at the time seemed like the hardest challenge.”
Tresa s daughter Lauren Spraggs