Bassetlaw Hospital staff to enjoy a wild day out as a thank you

Taking place on Saturday September 25, staff at Bassetlaw Hospital, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Montagu Hospital and Retford Hospital will gain exclusive access to the 175 acre park to say thank you for the tremendous efforts throughout Covid-19.

The DBTH Trust’s Board of Directors will personally greet guests, as well as present a special ‘thank you’ badge to all of the staff at DBTH.

Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive of DBTH said: “Over the past 18 months, every single member of Team DBTH has worked tirelessly to adapt to new ways of working which has allowed us to continue to care for patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“A large number of them have also spent a lot of time away from their families and they themselves have had to deal courageously with additional worries and anxieties of having a loved one fighting this disease on the frontline.

“We want to recognise these truly heroic contributions during the pandemic, and we thought the Yorkshire Wildlife Park provided the perfect opportunity for this.

“It is a small gesture, but the least we could do for our amazing team.

Mr Parker added: “Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Trust colleagues again for the inspiring effort and bravery you have displayed over the last few months and extend this thank you to your families for their resilience and patience.”

The event has been funded by kind donations given to the Trust during the pandemic, with YWP match-funding providing half of the allocation of tickets.

Each member of staff will have access to one free ticket, and can also purchase two more at half-price.

The offer is also extended to those who work at the hospitals but are not contracted to the NHS, as well as students and those who do regular bank shifts within the Trust.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park CEO John Minion said: “We are delighted to show our support for front line workers after what has been an incredibly tough year for them all.

We are really proud to host them all at our newly expanded park and will do everything to ensure they have a great day out.”

A number of local celebrities will be at the park on the day to say thank you to their health heroes including silver-medalist Olympic Taekwondo athlete Bradly Sinden, European Championship gold-medallist sprinter Lee Thomson, and current Scottish record holder for the 200m sprint, Beth Dobbin.

Throughout the pandemic, the Trust received an overwhelming amount of support from residents in Doncaster and Bassetlaw, and many who donated money made specific requests that their donations be used for the benefit of staff.

Amongst these donations, DBTH Charity received a number of large sums from local businesses and individuals including Premiere League footballer and local lad, Danny Rose, whose contribution will fund a large proportion of the events.

To-date, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals have cared for over 3,700 people with Covid-19.