Kind-hearted colleagues raise money for Milton Keynes Foodbank

As part of a day of celebration to mark the 10^th anniversary of local Clinical Commissioning Groups in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, NHS staff used the occasion to support others less fortunate through holding a charity raffle that raised £440 in just a couple of hours.

The proceeds have been split evenly between four foodbanks and will help make difference to food and supply stocks at Milton Keynes Foodbank as well as Luton Foodbank. Dunstable Foodbank and Bedford Foodbank.

Felicity Cox, as the newly appointed Integrated Care Board Chief Executive said,

“The celebration event at Wrest Park was a great opportunity to bring together colleagues and celebrate the consistent hard work of the NHS over the last 10 years.  Through the raffle, we also had an opportunity to give back to our local community and help those who are living vulnerably in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes. Working with our community and partners is something to which the new Integrated Care Board is committed, and we look forward to doing so over the coming months and years”.

Louisa Hobbs Operational Manager at Milton Keynes Foodbank said,

“We are so grateful for this donation to MK Food Bank, raised from the NHS staff charity raffle. This could not have come at a better time, as we are experiencing an unprecedented level of demand for our emergency food parcels. The current cost of living crisis is impacting more and more families and individuals across Milton Keynes, many of whom have never had to ask for help from a charity before. In the first six months of the year, we have seen an increase of nearly 30% in the number of people needing our support.

“This donation will make a real difference to our operation – we’ll be able to continue helping everyone who needs food – for whatever reason – and play our part in easing them through these difficult times.  Once again, we are very grateful for this support – every single penny makes a big difference in our community.”

NHS staff were marking the last day of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Clinical Commission Group, which on Friday, 1 July 2022 was replaced by NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board. In addition to the charity raffle, the celebrations at Wrest Park on 30 June 2022 included a bake off, ice cream treats, and games of rounders.