Touching donation by Northampton homebuilder to hospital staff who gave end-of-life care to employee's grandmother

Northampton homebuilder Barratt and David Wilson Homes has recently donated £1,000 to the Walter Tull Ward at Northampton General Hospital. The donation was made following an employee’s emotional recital of the staff’s dedication to end of life care.

Sean Porch, design engineer at Barratt Northampton, suggested the ward to receive the donation after his grandmother, Johanna was admitted to hospital with a brain aneurysm in January. Sean and his grandfather had since praised the hard work that the entire ward put in, to ensure that Johanna was well looked after in her final days.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes are now in the second year of their Community Fund scheme. Each month, the initiative sees deserving local charities receive a £1,000 donation from the company and their staff members are invited to suggest charities that have had a profound effect on them.

Sean said: “We cannot thank the staff working on the Walter Tull Ward enough for the care and compassion shown to Johanna in her final days. Each and every member of staff that we came in contact with worked tirelessly to ensure she was comfortable and that the visiting family were well too.

“This generous donation for Barratt and David Wilson Homes is hugely appreciated by my family and we would like to thank them for helping us to show our appreciation to all those working on the Walter Tull Ward.”

The ‘Walter Tull’ Ward, which opened in 2018 is named after the Northampton Town Football player, who was also the first British Army officer of black heritage. The new ward deals with all aspects of end-of-life care for elderly patients.

Alison McCulloch, head of fundraising at The Northamptonshire Health Charity, said: “It is always so lovely to receive donations in thanks for care received from one of our hospital teams. We are very grateful for this donation made to the Walter Tull Ward as the ward team can use it in a way that they feel will make a difference to the care that they can provide for their patients. Thank you for thinking of the charity and [of the] Walter Tull Ward, we are very grateful”

Sean and his Grandfather, William, recently visited the hospital’s charity office to present the cheque, where they were greeted by two members of staff from the ward.

Sean added: “This has given us the opportunity to show our gratitude and hopefully the donation will help the ward keep up the work that we were so grateful for.”

Andrew Swindell, regional managing director at Barratt Homes Northampton, said: “Our Community Fund initiative is designed to help support the local community in a whole plethora of aspects. It is very touching to be able to provide a donation to a cause that has touched the heart of one of our employees.

“As health care services have been under immense pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is exceptionally important to continue our support for these institutions. Northampton General Hospital is a vital service for those in our local community and we are proud to provide some financial support during these trying times.”