VOLUNTEERS supporting Salisbury Hospital’s Charity are celebrating after raising more than £71,000 through the Stars Appeal bookshop and bucket collections last year.

The impressive total was revealed at a special presentation attended by volunteers and hospital staff.

During the year, the bookshop – located in the hospital’s main entrance – raised £47,024.74, while bucket collections and contactless donations brought in a further £24,329.93.

Stars Appeal ambassador Sister Ingrid Webb, who works on the Neonatal Unit and attended the presentation, praised the efforts of those involved.

She said: “This is a fantastic achievement for our wonderful bookshop and bucket collection volunteers, and we are hugely grateful for the time and dedication they give in supporting the charity.

“We would like to say a massive thank you to them and to all the patients, visitors and staff who so generously support the bookshop and bucket collections, helping to make a difference to thousands of patients, their families, and hospital staff.”

Money raised by the Stars Appeal helps to fund new medical equipment, improvements to hospital buildings and a wide range of projects designed to support patients and make their time in hospital more comfortable.

During the presentation, volunteers were shown some of the initiatives their fundraising has helped to support.

These included emergency patient clothing and toiletry packs, as well as new voice amplifier devices that are helping patients with hearing difficulties communicate more easily with doctors and nurses.

Volunteers also had the opportunity to meet Pembroke Cancer Unit aromatherapist Shelley Baker and Children’s Unit play assistant Emma Lewis, whose roles are funded by the charity.

The Stars Appeal continues to rely on the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of the local community to enhance care at Salisbury District Hospital.

For more information about the Stars Appeal, visit www.starsappeal.org