Fundraising success for Westgate club

Fundraisers raised almost double their target for the hospital that saved their friend and colleague’s life.

Members of Westgate United Services Club collected almost £4,000 for East Kent Hospitals Charity, after chairman Glenn Nattrass chose it as his charity of the year.

The money will go towards refurbishment of the relatives and staff room at the critical care unit at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, where Glenn was treated after developing a blood clot in the artery that leads to his bowel. He needed major surgery over two days and at one point was told he had less than a 20 per cent chance of surviving.

The club handed over a cheque for £3838.75 to critical care nurse educator Tracy Lewis and head of charity Dee Neligan at their Christmas party last Saturday.

Dad-of-one Glenn said: “If it wasn’t for the wonderful staff in the critical care unit I wouldn’t have made it from there to a ward, let alone to survive and lead a normal life.

“I quite literally owe them my life so this is a small way of giving something back and saying thank you.”

The money was raised at a range of events, including a race night that netted more than £1,100. The team had originally set themselves a target of £2,000 but ended up collecting almost double that.

Graham Morris, from the club, said: “As usual we had fantastic support from our members and I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated.

“The hospital means a lot to many of our members so we were glad to be able to support them in a small way through our fundraising.”

You can find out more about the club on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/servicesmanclub