THE trust that runs the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital is thanking Cumbrian communities for their generous donations and support to patients and staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

During the ongoing situation North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has been inundated with an abundance of kind donations from communities for NHS staff and patients.

To manage the demand all donations are now being coordinated through a central point to ensure they are distributed to the most appropriate places.

Peter Scott, interim chair at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We have received so many generous donations for our wonderful NHS staff and the patents they're caring for - thank you to all of our local communities in Cumbria who have supported us, your donations really do make a difference.

“We never quite expected to receive this many donations and have set up a central point to make sure they go to the right place.

“We’re asking anyone who wants to make a donation or who wants to enquire further to contact us first and not just turn up at one of our sites.

“We have also set up a Trust Just Giving charity page, where people can make donations directly to the Trust, every single penny that is generously donated will be used to support our patients and staff. Any donation, no matter what size, is very welcome, and will help our colleagues and patients throughout the challenging time we are all facing. Donations to the Trusts Just Giving charity page will enable us to provide a range of items and services for patients and staff that aren’t routinely funded by the government.

“We’d also like to thank those people who have been sending in their heartfelt messages and thanks to our staff, this really makes a difference. We’ve received lots of fantastic artwork for our new wall of hope project at our sites. There is such a great community spirit being felt in are what are very unusual times.”

The Trust is also encouraging people show their support on social media by tweeting the Trust twitter page @NCICNHS, or posting a message to the Trust's Facebook @NCICNHS with the hashtags #nhsheroes #nhsthankyou

To make a donation or to find out more if you are planning on donating please contact the Trust via email at: Volunteering@ncic.nhs.uk or call 01228 814567 rather than turning up to our sites. You can also donate via our Just Giving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/NCIC-Covidappeal