North Wales nurse fronts national Marks and Spencer campaign to raise money for NHS charities

A North Wales nurse is starring in a new nationwide campaign to help raise funds for the NHS.

Zoe McDonald, 51, is a senior staff nurse with the renal acute team at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and is one of four nurses to feature in the campaign, which is being run by Marks and Spencer.

The nurses’ personal stories about how NHS Charities Together, a federation of over 250 charitable organisations that support the health system, has provided crucial support during the Covid-19 crisis will be shared in stores across the country throughout August.

M&S stores in North Wales have been raising money over the last few months and customers have already raised over £36,355 for the federation.

All of the funds generated will go towards helping local NHS services and the North Wales NHS charity, Awyr Las, is one of those which has received donations.

It has supported the development of a wellbeing service that provides a support and counselling network for NHS staff, like Zoe, during the pandemic.

The generous donations have also bought iPads for the wards to help patients keep in touch with their family, virtually, whilst in hospital.

Zoe, who works on the Hebog Ward, said: “The first time I had to go to a Covid-19 ward to dialyse a patient, I didn’t sleep the night before.

“I was terrified, literally shaking when I walked in. The staff on the ward were so good, they put me at ease and now it feels OK to go there. I put my protective gear on; it’s become part of what we do.

“The charity helped fund a wellbeing service that provides support for staff to talk to about their fears or how the pandemic was affecting them, anything really.

“I’ve heard from quite a few people who’ve used it and they said it helped a lot. The camaraderie of the staff has got me through. From my incredible manager to staff I’ve met for the first time, we’ve all helped each other.”

Peter Swallow, Head of Region for M&S stores in North Wales said: “Our local NHS Charity, Awry Las, plays an essential role supporting the community and we can’t thank them enough for their incredible efforts over the past few months.

“The donations raised so far in M&S stores in North Wales have already done so much to support patients and their loved ones through these challenging times, and we look forward to raising more funds this month with our customers’ support.”

As one of four nurses to feature in the campaign, Zoe is one of four nurses featured in the campaign alongside Mhairi-Jane Ramage, a specialist practitioner district nurse in Midlothian, Scotland; Ray Atienza-Hawkes, charge nurse in the Ambulatory Assessment Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford; and Suzanne Vickers, a matron for palliative and end-of-life care at County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust.

M&S’s partnership with NHS Charities Together has so far raised over £7,448,100 across the UK for good causes.

Donations from M&S have been raised through a number of initiatives, including the retailer’s Rainbow Sale, which saw ten per cent of each purchase, excluding VAT, donated to the federation.

It has also been selling limited edition bags for life and t-shirts and raising money through one-off donations at till points.

Customers will continue to have the opportunity to donate to NHS Charities Together throughout August.

Stores across North Wales that have contributed to the fundraising include those in Prestatyn, Wrexham Eagles Meadow and Llandudno.