NHS staff encouraged to support Armed Forces Day through payroll charity giving
Staff at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health and learning disability services to people in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, are being encouraged to show their support to this year’s Armed Forces Day by signing up to the charity payroll giving scheme, Pennies from Heaven.
Armed Forces Day is Saturday 26th and is an opportunity for the nation to show their support to the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving troops to service families and from veterans to cadets.
The Pennies from Heaven scheme enables staff to donate a few pence to charity every month, with staff pledging any pence shown in their monthly salary to Pennies from Heaven, who then pass on the money to the nominated charity.
Last summer, Trust staff had the chance to nominate and then vote for a charity to donate their spare pennies and Help for Heroes was selected as the Trust’s chosen charity for the coming year.
The charity was nominated by a member of staff who has family currently serving in Afghanistan, but many other members of staff also selected it as their number one choice.
Help for Heroes uses donations to provide practical and direct support for wounded servicemen and women. The message of the charity is simple – it is strictly non political and non critical; and wants to help. It believes that anyone who volunteers to serve in a time of war, knowing they are risking their life, is a hero.
The maximum amount that could be donated by any member of staff through the scheme is 99p per month, or £11.88 per year. Individually this won’t make a big difference to salaries, but collectively the Trust could raise £29,700 a year for Help for Heroes!
The Trust’s HR business manager James Corson said, "It is important for us to say thank you to our troops and provide all the support we can to help in the rehabilitation of the wounded, who have put their lives on the line. There is lots of media coverage for soldiers who have lost limbs, but not as much on the psychological side. Our staff are all too aware of the impact mental health problems can have on every day life and we hope our proceeds can help provided the necessary counselling centres."
Read more about Help for Heroes online at www.helpforheroes.org.uk