Gemma’s toy donation drive brightens up Christmas for local children’s hospital

Here at Eastcott Veterinary Referrals, we always like to do our bit to help the community.

This Christmas, our wards technician Gemma Brown has engaged with us on a brilliant initiative to donate presents to the children’s ward at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

Gemma has been donating gifts to the children at this hospital for more than 10 years now, following her own personal experience spending time on the ward.

It’s due to her time at the hospital that Gemma has been so determined to give kids who have to spend Christmas away from home something small to smile about.

This year, Gemma approached our management team who jumped at the opportunity to help out with such a fantastic and worthy cause.

Our staff contributed massively throughout December, including our annual Christmas Jumper Day, donating a range of toys for children right through from new born to 18 years old.

Gemma said: “Donating toys to GWH over Christmas is something that is so close to my heart and I really love how something so simple and little has a massive difference to how kids, and their parents feel on Christmas day.

“I am overwhelmed with the response from my colleagues at Eastcott and cannot thank them enough.

“The quality and quantity of presents we have collected is just wonderful and I can’t wait to drop it off to the hospital soon.

“Because of safety measures around Covid-19, the presents will be wrapped and handed out by nurses on the ward and we are so pleased that kids who are ill and families who may be spending Christmas in the hospital will have something joyful to unwrap on Christmas morning.” What a fantastic initiative and three cheers for Gemma!