Time for George's - An Evening to say Thank You
24 February 2022
The team at St George’s Hospital Charity were so excited for the return of the event, which wasn’t able to happen last year due to the pandemic. It’s always a great opportunity to show the Charity’s appreciation to its donors, fundraisers, and everyone that supports the charity.
As well as using the occasion to say thanks to the Charity’s supporters, we also took the time to reflect on the hard work and sacrifices the hospital staff have made during the past couple of years, and of course look forward to a brighter and more exciting future.
The night included speeches from the Trust CEO Jacqueline Totterdell, Charity CEO Amerjit Chohan, the Charity’s Chair of Trustees Anna Walker, and Shamim Umarji, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at St George’s Hospital.
Guests were served drinks and canapes by the brilliant staff at Tooting Tram and Social, which received many positive comments.
Everyone at the Charity worked really hard to pull the event together, from planning it to volunteering their time on the night – which included everything from welcoming guests to running the cloakroom.
“It’s a really fantastic evening with people locally supporting St George’s, having our staff here and really being made to feel that St George’s is at the centre of our community, and we are much loved by our community and that’s just brilliant!” – Jacqueline Totterdell, Chief Executive - St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Jacqueline, who will celebrate her 5th anniversary as the Trust’s Chief Executive this year, spoke at the event highlighting the important work of the Trust staff and thanking the Charity for its invaluable support.
“It was really great to hear about the difference the Charity made during Covid, and I think having Shamim and Jacqueline [speak] really brought it all together.
“I thought some of the videos were very emotional and underlined how much they care at St George’s and also how hard they worked during the pandemic.
“It’s also been a great opportunity to say thank you to everyone that has supported us over the past couple of years and now it’s time to look to the future.” – Schellion Horn, St George’s Hospital Charity Trustee
Schellion has lived locally in Balham for 15 years and both her children were born at St George's Hospital. Her daughter continues to receive treatment at St George’s Hospital and so she experiences first-hand the work of the its brilliant staff and the difference that St George’s Hospital Charity can make to patient care and experience.
“It was amazing to be able to be able to thank our supporters in person after the past couple of years.
“Speaking on behalf of everyone at St George’s Hospital Charity, we really appreciate all of the support we get and every single donation makes a difference.”
“We of course knew how hard the staff at the hospital worked during the height of the pandemic, and the effort they put in every single day, but Shamim’s speech really emphasised the sacrifices they made during Covid and the importance of the work we do to support them.
I am very excited about the future and all of the amazing things we have planned, and with our supporters by our side I’m sure we will have another great year.” – Amerjit Chohan, St George’s Hospital Charity CEO
Amerjit joined the Charity in 2018 and is responsible for leading the Charity's vision and strategy alongside our Trustees and Senior Leadership Team.
“It’s been a lovely evening, and a real opportunity to say thank you to our supporters.
“We’ve had a huge amount of support from both the Charity and the community, and it has provided some much-needed positivity during these challenging times, - the staff have been hugely grateful.” – Shamim Umarji, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, who spoke at the event.
Shamim, who has been with the Trust for over a decade, is the clinical lead for the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics at St George’s Hospital.
She was one of many members St George’s Hospital staff who had to quickly adapt to a world turned upside down by a pandemic, taking up new responsibilities in the face of what was then a novel virus that very little was known about.
“Tonight has been fantastic, it’s been such a lovely acknowledgment of the work we do and a look back to the past couple of years which of course have been challenging.
“It’s been a lovely opportunity to celebrate everything we have achieved and thank our generous supporters.” - Leanne Saddler, General Manager – Outpatients
Leanne was an integral part of the St George’s team that rolled out virtual clinics during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mark Graham, the owner of pizzeria Sorsi e Morsi – locating in Tooting’s Broadway Market, commented: “It’s been great to meet more of the Charity staff who were so insightful. It was a really well-run event and the food was fantastic.
“We (Sorsi e Morsi) are really looking forward to getting more involved with the Charity.”
Sorsi e Morsi has kindly offered to provide free pizzas for the Charity’s three-day Abseil for George’s event starting on Thursday 12th March – there’s still time to sign up and Do It For George’s
We couldn’t be more grateful to all those attended but also want to extend our thanks and appreciation to everyone who has supported St George’s Hospital Charity over the past two years.
Everything we do at St George’s and Queen Mary’s Hospitals is made possible because of our supporters, who care so much and want to make them better places for the whole community.
We can’t thank you enough.
Would you like to join Team George’s and help us support the amazing work the staff at St George’s does both in our hospitals and in the community across south west London?
There are a number of ways to get involved with St George’s Hospital Charity, you can leave a message of support for Trust staff, donate to help us fund improve the experience of patients, families, and staff organise a fundraising event or take part in one of our many challenge events.
