Gifting firm backs hospital charity’s Christmas presents appeal

Gifting company Colleague Box has launched a partnership with Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity to bring some festive cheer to hospital patients this Christmas.

Company owners Natalie and Adam Bamford have teamed up with the charity’s festive appeal, which ensures every patient across the charity’s sites in Derby, Burton, Lichfield and Tamworth are given a Christmas Day gift, after being deeply touched when their four-year-old daughter Poppy received a present in 2021.

They are now calling on businesses, individuals and other organisations to back the appeal.

Natalie said: “Poppy was really poorly with a virus and after calling 111, I advised to take her to A&E, where they did observations on her for a few hours before letting us go back home in the early hours of the morning.

“She received a unicorn game, and I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, what a lovely touch this is’. It was really touching, and it managed to put a smile on her face, even though she was very poorly.

“It really brought home the fact that while we were able to walk out of that hospital that evening, there would be children and other patients having to stay in for that Christmas period.”

In the past, the hospitals charity has undertaken to give a present to every patient across its hospitals who are spending Christmas Day in hospital – amounting to around 2,000 gifts for adults and children the charity has paid for, carefully chosen and distributed every year.

This year, the charity has opened up its Christmas campaign to the community, with Colleague Box coming on board to create thoughtfully put together gift boxes for patients being cared for in hospital on 25 December.

Rachael Vowles, head of stakeholder management and marketing at Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, said: “It’s very important to our charity that everyone being cared for in our hospitals on Christmas Day gets a gift.

“Some patients may not have any family or loved ones around them and so it’s really important for our charity to help to spread a little joy on Christmas Day by providing a gift.

“Our charity team work alongside our dedicated hospital teams, each year, to make sure all the gifts are distributed to every single ward across five hospitals in time for the big day.

“Colleague Box has been brilliant. They really listened to us and have come up with a beautiful list of gifts that we will be very proud to give to our patients at Christmas.

“We hope that businesses will come on board to back our Christmas campaign, and in turn we will repay their generosity through brand awareness in our hospitals.”

To support the Christmas gifting campaign, visit http://www.colleaguebox.co.uk/derbyhospitals.