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- About
Former England Rugby League International and One Family Ambassador Ikram Butt is raising funds for our Emergency Care Fund initiative to deliver Care Boxes to frontline NHS staff. Ikram created history by becoming the first British Asian to represent England at either code of Rugby during the 1995 European Championships.
Like me, you’ve probably been moved to tears by the super-human efforts of our NHS heroes during the Coronavirus pandemic. And as we prepare to enter the sixth week of lockdown, now is the perfect time to say a huge thank you, by pledging your support to One Family’s emergency Frontline Care Boxes.
Providing a much-needed pick-me-up for hundreds of dedicated hospital staff, our Care Boxes contain revitalising essentials such as an eye mask, socks, ear plugs, lip balm, hand moisturiser, mouthwash, glucose tablets, energy-boosting sweet treats and an assortment of other refreshments. Lovingly hand-packed by our volunteers, the boxes offer a little respite from emotionally draining shifts at the coalface of Covid-19, while also giving us all the chance to show how grateful we are for the love, compassion, and selflessness of those on the frontline.
The Frontline Care Boxes are a key part of One Family’s Emergency Care Fund, which launched earlier this month in a bid to get aid to the UK’s most vulnerable people. The boxes were the brainchild of junior doctor Marissa Lewis, who identified some of the biggest needs of on-duty hospital staff. After creating the care package as a way of expressing her solidarity with colleagues, she was quickly inundated with requests for more by fellow workers.
Thankfully, we are also receiving much-needed support from some extremely generous partners,including Candy Kittens, Plexal, RB’s ‘E45’, Swish2Go, SquashStix, and the Amir Khan Foundation. Without their kindness in supporting with key items for the boxes, none of this would be possible.
I’m personally involved in the development and production of the Care Boxes, and it’s been a real privilege to help coordinate such a positive and heartfelt initiative. Dozens of boxes have already been packed and distributed across London hospitals by a small army of volunteers – including Chelsea and Westminster, Guy's & St Thomas', Queen’s Hospital in Romford and Northwick Park – one of the worst-hit in London. Having taken part in these delivery runs, it’s been incredibly humbling and moving to see how well the boxes are being received by staff so far. In fact, Lisa Knight, Chief Nurse at Northwick Park Hospital told us: “I’m so impressed with the contents of these Care Boxes and how considered the approach to each item has been. They are wonderful!”
The boxes are clearly having a big impact on those working around the clock to save lives, especially as the staff are dealing with so much on a daily basis. We have witnessed a sense of genuine fear and uncertainty in the hospitals – not only for the patients they are treating 24/7, but also around their own lives and futures. It’s hard for most of us to imagine the pressure they are under in the face of this cruel illness, but with your help, we can do more for them. So much more.
Thank you for your support.
Ikram Butt
Ambassador, One Family