Ramsgate Waitrose
Waitrose in Ramsgate has been working to supply care packages to the hard working nurses, doctors and staff at QEQM Hospital.
This month the store donated items to the staff which included fruit, showering essentials, tea, coffee, sugar, cleaning wipes and hand soap etc – things to make their day just a little easier.
The effort was arranged by staff member Ann Slade and has been gratefully received by the hospital.
A store spokesperson said: “It has been humbling to see so many members of the public pull together to support one another during this pandemic. Staff are very proud to live in such a fantastic community.”
The Rotary Club of Thanet
The Rotary Club of Thanet members, who are unable to meet at the Royal Temple Yacht Club on their usual Monday evening during this lock down period, have been donating their weekly meal money towards local charities who are being seriously affected during this horrendous pandemic.
To date the club have donated £1,000 each to the Thanet Food Link (Margate), the Gap Project (Broadstairs) and the Salvation Army (Ramsgate) to purchase food and essential supplies in support of those in need within our Thanet community.
We are also donating £1,000 to the Pilgrims Hospice who are desperately short of funds due to the current crisis.
We will also be supporting Oasis Domestic Abuse Services. The increase in domestic violence during this isolation period is frightening as incidences have risen by 110% over the last few weeks and has stretched their key workers. Extra funds to support those in dire need has never been greater.
The Rotary Club of Thanet had already pledged £2,500 towards the Oasis Charity Golf Day at North Foreland, which obviously has now been cancelled, but we will still honour this donation as their current needs are even greater than usual.
Weekly donations will be collected from our Rotary members to continue the support and we will be circulating business leaders within the Thanet community to seek their additional help in supporting these worthwhile charities.
Should readers be prepared to support these charities as well as others within Thanet that the Rotary Club of Thanet are assisting, please contact Neal Elliott on [email protected] who can supply you with further information.
Free book giveaway via YouTube
Thanet author, Carol M. Salter, wanting to do something to help during this time of health crisis and lockdown, has decided to release her novel, Witch on the Warpath free to the public via YouTube.
She is doing this in weekly Podcasts on YouTube so that members of the public, and those learning to read English, plus those with problems reading the written word, can also enjoy the story by listening to her read a chapter at a time.
Witch on the Warpath is an urban Fantasy novel for all ages and much of the book is set in Thanet making it a read that is also relevant to local residents.
Folk can subscribe for free too to receive reminders when the next chapter is ready.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOTNWcUzYRk
TAG Pet Rescue
Covid-19 has hit so many businesses and charities hard and at TAG we are very worried about the impact of our charity shop closures on the future of the sanctuary.
We have set up a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise money to help us get through this challenging time and to help us raise the funds we need to make sure we can care for the animals currently at the sanctuary, and care for those that are going to need our help in future.
We anticipate a high demand for our help over the coming months as the economic and health costs of covid-19 adversely effect households, and as vets are not able to carry out neutering at the moment.
Founded in 1988, we are a registered charity that rescues and re-homes unwanted pets in and around east Kent. We take in dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents, birds and occasionally reptiles who are unwanted, stray or abandoned or whose owners can no longer care for them. We are a no-kill shelter and strongly believe that every animal deserves a chance at finding happiness.
£5000 goal is what we need to cover the cost of care for the next 2 months.
To care for our animals, every month we need:
£30 per cat
£210 per dog
£23 per rabbit
£23 per guinea pig
£10 per reptile
£44 per aviary
And this does not include medication and veterinary costs for animals with ongoing conditions.
East Kent Hospitals Trust
An events director is urging people to continue to seek help for medical problems during the coronavirus outbreak – after receiving life-saving heart attack treatment.
Chris West, who runs Classic Music and Motors and who is also an Academy FM Thanet radio presenter, spoke out after figures revealed fewer people were coming to East Kent Hospitals’ emergency departments or dialling 999 for heart attack symptoms, potentially because of fears around coronavirus.
Doctors are reminding people that expert staff are still on hand to treat conditions other than COVID-19 – a view backed up by Mr West.
He said: “The message I want to get over is that the normal work is still going on with the NHS. It is their daily routines, but it saved my life. I received excellent care and the cleanliness in the hospital was second to none.
“These people in the NHS are saving lives – not only for coronavirus victims but for everyone.”
Mr West, from Deal, started experiencing pain in his arms after returning from a six-mile bike ride. His wife dialled 111 for medical advice and an ambulance was despatched.
After tests, crews took him to the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, where another test revealed he was suffering a heart attack.
He was transferred to the William Harvey Hospital for life-saving pPCI treatment to insert a tube to unblock the arteries leading to his heart. He then spent three days on a ward.
Mr West said: “The service was just brilliant, from start to finish. The emergency department was so efficient and at Ashford they took me straight to the cardiac catheter unit and the doctors started working on me immediately.
“The ward was a really safe environment and I had no concerns being in there whatsoever. I would say to anyone else don’t be worried about going to hospital. They are there for you just like always.”
East Kent Hospitals’ Consultant cardiologist Paula Mota said people should always seek help for symptoms such as chest pain or tightness.
She said: “We are seeing fewer people than we would normally, and this is a huge concern. Numbers have dropped by almost a half.
“It may be that people are worried about the dangers of COVID-19, but the heart can be severely damaged if someone is not treated quickly, with actually a greater risk to their lives than COVID-19.
“We are continuing to provide the same emergency service for people with suspected heart attacks, and we are working to keep everyone safe, so we do encourage people to seek help if they need it.”
Paramedics will be able to run tests that will immediately show whether a patient needs hospital treatment – and if they do, the earlier the treatment is received, the quicker someone recovers.
Mr West also thanked the South East Coast Ambulance Service crew who looked after him.
He added; “If it wasn’t for Ben the paramedic and the driver, a young lady called Charlene, who drove like Lewis Hamilton, I might not still be there. I can’t thank everyone enough who was involved in saving my life.”