8 July 2020
Hampshire Cricket support Southampton Hospitals Charity
Proceeds from the online auction will help fund improvements to University Hospital Southampton’s General Intensive Care Unit (GICU).
Today, on the first day of the behind-closed-doors #raisethebat Test between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl, Hampshire Cricket has launched an online charity auction, to help raise funds for Southampton Hospitals Charity.
The auction forms part of the ECB’s Together Through This Test campaign and is one of a number of initiatives implemented by the cricket family during the COVID-19 pandemic aimed at supporting worthwhile community projects.
More than forty lots are open for bidding at www.ageasbowl.com/auction and proceeds raised from Hampshire Cricket’s online auction will help support the work of Southampton Hospitals Charity – which raises life-changing funds for University Hospital Southampton by enhancing the care, experience and outcomes for thousands of patients every year.
The commencement of the charity auction marks the formation of a new partnership between Hampshire Cricket, The Ageas Bowl and Southampton Hospitals Charity with money raised courtesy of the auction and burgeoning relationship to help fund a new rehabilitation space within University Hospital Southampton’s GICU, the requirement for which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hampshire Cricket and The Ageas Bowl Chief Executive David Mann, said:
Throughout the pandemic NHS staff have performed heroically and we all owe them a huge debt of gratitude. We are very keen to help in any way possible, and hopefully the money that we raise over the course of the summer, starting with this online auction, will help to fund much needed improvements in the resources they have available to perform their critical work. We would also like to support the life saving work being done by the Hampshire Cricket Foundation which has been severely hampered by the impact of the crisis.”
Jeneen Thomsen, Joint Interim Director at Southampton Hospitals Charity, said
As a top rated regional trauma centre serving the Central Southern counties and the Channel Islands, we’ve seen a 13% increase in demand for services over the last five years, however the current GICU infrastructure was not designed to cope with this escalation.
The department has also been under greater pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of space to offer rehabilitation to patients who have been receiving life saving care for long periods of time, has become more apparent.
We’re so grateful for the support from Hampshire Cricket to improve facilities for patients which will speed up recovery times and give patients a better chance of settling back into normal life. The Rehabilitation Space will enable us to further enhance the care of patients whilst continuing to provide world class healthcare.
Lots, including a holiday to Barbados for eight, a number of hotel, spa and leisure breaks, exclusive one-to-one cricket coaching and a host of memorabilia, will be live throughout July at www.ageasbowl.com/auction.
Image courtesy of Hampshire Cricket and Getty Images. Last updated: 08/07/2020