Macclesfield Emergency Department staff climb Snowdon to raise funds for ECHO charity

A team of nurses, doctors, administration staff and health care assistants who work at Macclesfield Emergency Department took on the challenge of Snowdon last Friday (27^th April) in a bid to raise money in support of ECHO, the charity of East Cheshire NHS Trust.

The team managed to complete the gruelling feat in just over 7 hours, raising over £1300 for the charity so far.

Kirstie Hawes, Senior Sister within the Emergency Department said, “Our original target started at £500 but with all the generous donations we are now way over £1000. Our department is undergoing a lot of changes to improve the building structure and flow through the area, so we thought this would be the perfect time to try and raise some money to invest directly into improvements for our patients. Thank you to everyone who donated!”

Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales and at 1085m above sea level, it’s a tough climb to reach the summit, but the team were rewarded with the most spectacular panoramic views across Snowdonia National Park and beyond.

Akash Jadhav, a newly recruited international registered nurse was one of the team members taking part in the challenge. “The whole experience was just the reset button I needed. After finishing off the climb and reaching the top, it made me realise that the community I live in and the people who live here are amazing, and I felt very humbled to be a part of such a nice initiative. We stopped to rest and marvel at the beauty of the scenery and it was a reminder to truly appreciate the little moments. I would like to thank all the team members and all the people who donated and showed their esteemed support and effort”.

Emma O’Brian, Junior Sister in ED also took part in the challenge. She said: “I'm not fit, and I think if I knew what was ahead of me, I'd have chickened out but with the support of my ED colleagues I made it to the top and back down in one piece. I feel so very proud of myself and all my colleagues. Thank you to everyone who has donated to the cause, this will really help us and our department”.

ECHO helps East Cheshire NHS Trust go the extra mile for its staff, patients and service users. They achieve this through research, training, enhanced facilities and cutting-edge medical equipment over and above what the NHS funds.

To donate, click here to go to the ED JustGiving page.

Notes for editors

• For further information about East Cheshire NHS Trust, contact the trust press office on 01625 663935 between the hours of 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday.
• East Cheshire NHS Trust is the main provider of acute and community health services for the people of East Cheshire. The trust is based at Macclesfield District General Hospital.
• Follow East Cheshire NHS Trust on Twitter for all the latest news @EastCheshireNHS
• ECHO is East Cheshire NHS Trust Charitable Fund, the official charity of East Cheshire NHS Trust. ECHO raises money for Macclesfield District General Hospital, Knutsford Community Hospital, Congleton War Memorial Hospital and all our community services.
• ECHO helps East Cheshire NHS Trust go the extra mile for our staff, patients and service users. We aim to provide high quality care and be a brilliant place to work. We achieve this through research, training, enhanced facilities and cutting-edge medical equipment over and above what the NHS funds.
• You can make a donation to the charity on JustGiving here.
• To keep up to date with ECHO follow us on social media @ECHOnhscharity or visit the website https://charity.eastcheshire.nhs.uk/