Matt Hancock Thanks Newsquest Readers As NHS Campaign Raises £500k
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has paid tribute to readers of Newsquest’s titles in a personal video after their efforts helped raise more than £500,000 for the NHS during Covid-19.
In total across Newsquest’s network of 160 local papers, readers raised more than £503,990 for hospital charities and trusts up and down the country with its Support Our Guardian Angels campaign.
Mr Hancock has issued a special message of thanks to our readers for their gargantuan efforts in a video which has been published on Newsquest’s large network of news websites across the UK.
He said: “I am incredibly grateful to your readers for their generosity toward the Support Our NHS Guardian Angels campaign during the colossal national effort to tackle coronavirus.
“For nearly 72 years, the NHS has always been there for us, and this global pandemic has been its toughest challenge yet. Across the whole country, the bonds between our heroic NHS staff and local communities have been further strengthened by the support of your readers.”
Newsquest, launched the campaign in March and its local news titles across the country raised money for NHS Charities Together and much-needed funds for local hospitals.
As part of the campaign, the Southampton Daily Echo has helped raise more than £177,000 for Southampton Hospital Charity, a pioneering centre that has been leading the way for coronavirus research during the pandemic.
Readers of The Wirral Globe have helped raise £61,207 for Wirral University Teaching Hospital’s Covid-19 support appeal.
The team at The South Wales Argus helped raise £45,095 for St David’s Hospice Care. The hospice was facing an uncertain future in April as a lack of donations saw its loss of income plummet.
The team at The Gazette in Essex have raised more than £3,000 to buy Personal Protective Equipment for medics on the frontline while an anonymous business donated an additional £7,000 to the cause, taking the total up to £10,000.
Meanwhile, The Impartial Reporter in Northern Ireland collected £10,387 for their Help Our Health Heroes campaign in conjunction with The Fermanagh Trust.
The editorial team at The Hereford Times, one of Newsquest’s flagship weekly titles, held a virtual fundraising gig over Facebook Live in honour of the group’s nationwide campaign.
Henry Faure Walker, Newsquest chief executive, said: “The essential role that local newspapers play in communities up and down the country has been underlined by the Covid crisis. Audiences to our local websites have surged as local people seek out trusted and reliable news sources to keep them properly informed.
“But a local paper does much more than this — celebrating local heroes, calling out wrongdoing and of course championing and galvanising communities behind important causes.
“We’re really proud of the readers of local Newsquest titles for raising such an amazing amount of money for local hospitals and hospices.”