The current £1.5 million fundraising appeal at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has had a £4,000 boost thanks to the customers of Tesco Ellesmere.
![Helen Knight, RJAH Fundraising Manager [right], receiving a cheque for £4,000 from Sophie Penrose, Tesco Ellesmere Community Champion](https://www.shropshirelive.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Tesco-cheque-donation-810x613.jpeg)
The Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre Appeal was launched back in November 2018 to help fund a dedicated centre with a more military feel specifically designed for veteran patients to make them feel more comfortable.
The appeal was put forward in Tesco’s Bag for Help scheme – an initiative which involves the money raised from sales of Bags for Life to fund local projects across Britain.
Each time a customer shops they are offered a blue token at the checkout which allows them to vote for a project with grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 being handed out approximately every two months.
The Oswestry-based hospital’s appeal received the most votes in the latest round of voting and was successful in achieving a grant of £4,000.
Helen Knight, Fundraising Manager, said: “I am absolutely delighted that the Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre Appeal has had a lift of £4,000, and I’d like to say a big thank you to all of Tesco Ellesmere’s shoppers for their support.
“This money is really going to make a difference to the lives of our veteran patients. The Trust’s vision is to deliver world class patient care and this dedicated facility will definitely support that.”
The centre will also allow the current Veterans’ Orthopaedic Service led by
Lieutenant Colonel Carl Meyer, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Serving Officer
in the British Army, to be further extended.
The current service is the first of its kind in the UK with Lt Col Meyer running two outpatient clinics a month to those who have served within the UK military, including National Service, with arthritic lower limb problems.
Helen added: “I’d also like to thank Tesco in the Community for supporting our appeal with the Bags of Help scheme – this money is really invaluable to us.”
The Bags of Help scheme was born in October 2015 and has supported over 23,000 community projects.
Sophie Penrose, Community Champion at Tesco Ellesmere, said: “We are pleased to be able to support local charities through the Bags of Help scheme.
“It’s a great way to engage our customers with the work Tesco does in the local community.”
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