Milton Keynes Hospital staff launch campaign to support children with learning difficulties

Hospital staff in Milton Keynes have launched a fundraising campaign in support of learning disability charity MacIntyre. The campaign marks the start of the hospitals ‘giving something back initiative’ which is aiming to raise £6,000 by the end of the year.

The campaign is also being supported by Manor Hospitals, part of Circle Health Group, with the money raised directly supporting the charity’s vital work delivering everything from specialist care services to further education opportunities for 16–25 year olds at local colleges across Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire.

Staff and doctors are keen to begin raising money with the first event, 'Move with MacIntye’ due to take place in May. There are also further plans for Saxon and Manor hospital staff to participate in the Bedford Running Festival from 2-4 September 2022.

Staff are hoping to raise £3,000 at each site by the end of the year through a variety of fundraising events including sponsored challenges, a bake sale, tombola, trying their luck in the MacIntytre charity and making regular trips to the Macintyre café for team meetings. Staff also want to dedicate their time to volunteering with MacIntyre, donning their gardening gloves to support with new garden projects in Milton Keynes and Bedford.

Circle Health Group’s ‘giving something back initiative’ was launched in 2021 and empowers Circle’s 52 hospitals nationwide to select a charity in their community to partner with and raise for. All money raised will be matched by Circle centrally to the tune of £2,000.

So far, Circle Health Group has donated over £40,000 to charities across the UK with thousands more being raised by hospitals and staff individually.

Andrew Jeavons-Fellows, executive director at Circle Health Group, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with MacIntyre. The charity is close to the hearts of many of the staff and doctors at the Saxon and Manor. The charity makes an incredible difference to the lives of children, young people and adults across our community and beyond – we hope that the money we raise throughout the year will go some way towards supporting that work.”

MacIntyre was established in 1966 by Kenneth Newton Wright and is committed to providing learning, support and care for more than 1,200 children, young people and adults who have a learning disability across England and Wales.

Claire Kennedy, head of fundraising at MacIntyre, said: “ We are really excited at the prospect of working with Circle Health Group this year. We have already discussed a number of ways in which we can work together to raise funds and, at the same time, to share our knowledge and experience.”