FUNDRAISING NEWS Marking 75 years of the NHS

As part of this special anniversary for the NHS the Countess Charity has commissioned 100 special medals to thank supporters of the charity.

Lesley Woodhead, Head of Fundraising, said: “We are so thankful to all our supporters – those who run and jump from planes, those who sponsor and support our events and those who give up their time to help us at events or in the fundraising office. We could not make a difference to patient care without their hard work (and blisters) and sometimes tears of joy!

“The medal is a way for us to say thank you and mark this special NHS anniversary. Some of the first medals have been given out, with many more still to be awarded. Please follow our Facebook page for more photographs and information.”

The first medal was presented to Jane Nightingale, who has supported the charity for 10 years and has a special reason this year for wanting to go the extra mile.

Jane said: “After losing my amazing grandad last year I wanted to give something back to show my appreciation for the great care he received from the Countess in his final days, so I decided to sign up for The Chester Triple and raise some money for The Countess Blue Skies Balcony Appeal. This is such a worthy cause and a charity close to my heart, so this has really spurred me on to complete the challenge. I’ve now done two out of three races and the training continues for the metric marathon in October, which is my biggest challenge yet!”

Two other worthy recipients are Gavin Mathews from Chester Dee Radio and retired Countess staff member Ian Gibbons. Both support the Chester Duck Race and the Santa Dash and bring cheer and commentary to our popular events. Congratulations and thank you.