Lions donate hundreds of bottles of water and goody bags to hospital staff

The items were delivered to Matron Joanna Byers and Head of Nursing Jane Plenkiss.

The bottled water was a specific request, to allow staff wearing PPE to just grab a bottle, drink and dispose of it safely.

In addition, two days later, 122 goody bags,were delivered to Matrons Joanna Byers and Teresa Dann.

These contained lip balm, soap, hand cream, antiseptic hand wipes and chocolate treats.

The organiser, Lion Brian Drayson explained: “I made a casual comment on The BEAT Facebook page about giving an extra clap on a Thursday for the NHS staff working at The Irvine Unit at Bexhill Hospital and from the response just look what’s happened.

“We would like to continue our support by keeping these deliveries going through the summer.”

Teresa Dann and Joanna Byers Irvine Unit Matrons and Jane Purkiss Head of Nursing and Governance responded by saying: “We would like to send a heartfelt thanks to the amazing generosity of the Bexhill Lions.

“They have not only provided us with bottled water to keep us afloat for the next three weeks but also they have literally given everybody who works within the unit a goody bag each individually labelled with our names.

“Such kindness and thoughtfulness has really helped us to maintain a positive frame of mind and boosted morale no end. The gifts are so very gratefully received.”

Lion President Andrea Etheridge commented: “I am really pleased that we are able to support our local NHS staff in this way.

“I would particularly like to thank Sandy Tsalikidis, Colemans ABC Ltd, Karen and her staff at Savers in Bexhill and the general public for their donations and support.

“With further donations from the general public we hope to continue supporting Bexhill Hospital during this difficult time.”

The Irving Unit, which is run by 100 staff, is an intermediate care service offering both stroke rehabilitation and generic inpatient facilities.

You can donate to the Irvine Unit Fund by visiting the Lions’ website www.bexhill-lions.org.uk.

The pandemic has forced the Lions to cancel a number of planned fund raising events this year, including a new event, RunFest, which was planned for July and is now planned for July 2021. If you want to learn more about Bexhill Lions or to talk about becoming a member you can contact the Lions via their website or by calling the Club Secretary on 0345 833 9591.