Support your local NHS through Circle of Wishes

“We created Health Stars to enable individuals and groups to access funds from NHS Humber,” Charity Manager, Jenny Preston, tells us. “Our Circle of Wishes process was launched in August 2016 and allows NHS staff members, patients and family members of patients to put a wish in for charitable funds with the aim of improving facilities and working environments.”

The money, which is donated by the NHS Trust or raised through Hull Stars campaigns, could go towards a trip out for volunteers, refurbishing a space within an inpatient unit or upgrading specialist equipment.

“A great example is our work in Granville Court, Hornsea. We renovated a community garden in order to make it more accessible for wheelchair users,” explains Jenny. “We also installed a learning kitchen at Westland's inpatient unit in Hull. The aim was to teach patients the necessary skills so that they can care properly for themselves when they return home.”

Health Stars’ focus is entirely on boosting the facilities that the NHS already provides to 600,000 people in the area:

“The NHS is doing a fantastic job of providing core facilities and equipment. We don’t supply anything that the NHS would usually fund,” Jenny points out. “The NHS provides the biscuit and we put the chocolate on top!”

Their wonderful work means that dedicated staff that often operate in stretched environments have a chance to do their jobs in an inspiring space.

“Health Stars is here to add a bit of sparkle to the day for staff and patients,” adds Jenny.

You can leave a wish easily via the Health Stars website. Simply fill in their online form, including your wish and how it will benefit those working for and being treated by the NHS.

For inspiration, see what others have wished for in this list of recent and existing wishes. Some individuals have asked for a bit of waste ground to be transformed into a wildlife garden, some for art supplies, others for resources for language and speech therapy sessions.

In the past, Health Stars has managed to fund Christmas get-togethers for service users, replace equipment in recreational and social areas, create memory boxes for patients with dementia, and kit out a kitchen for patients to develop skills needed for independent living.

All this has been made possible by the generous donations from the public, through fundraising events and monthly contributions.

This year, the charity has a heap of fantastic sponsored events for people to get involved in. For Easter, an egg hunt is to take place across Hull City Centre. Health Stars have also organised a Whitby to Willerby bike ride, sponsored walks, quiz nights and a parachute jump, plus there’ll be a group of fundraisers running the Hull 10K and Humber Half Marathon.

Further details about all of these events can be found by contacting Clare Woodard at c.woodard@nhs.net.