CHARITY volunteers have donated sweet treats and soft drinks to staff working on the front line at Blackburn Royal Hospital.

The Ummah Welfare Trust (UWT) made the donation, which was supported by a local family, to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s official charity, ELHT & Me. The donation was made as a ‘thank-you’ on behalf of the local community for their hard work in critical care.

Denise Gee, ELHT&Me fundraising manager, said: “When our staff in Critical Care are working long shifts wearing PPE, a small sweet treat and a drink as a ‘pick-me-up’, can make the world of difference.”

“We are absolutely delighted to accept this donation from the Ummah Welfare Trust – our first major donation since the second wave lockdown began. Thank you so much to UWT and their supporters, including the family who donated, for their generosity.”

Junaid Chapti, North West public relations manager for Ummah Welfare Trust, said: “Ummah Welfare Trust is a charity based on the universal Islamic values of empathy, generosity and selflessness, and so we were delighted once again to support NHS staff who are going above and beyond in this pandemic.

“Since March, we’ve delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of PPE and other essentials to NHS staff, patients and front-line services up and down the country.

“Tens of thousands of pounds of goods alone have been delivered to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust staff in several visits during the first Covid wave. We’re happy to return with assistance once again as the number of cases sadly rise.”

A member of the unnamed family who has been supporting Ummah Welfare Trust, as well as many other local causes, said: “I hope that the staff working in Critical Care know that we see how hard they are working and we appreciate everything they’re doing in this challenging time.”