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Skipton Building Society team help with hospital play area makeover

A group of 13 volunteers from Skipton Building Society have donated their time and resources to help with a refresh of the children's ward playground at Airedale Hospital.

The volunteers, part of the Skipton Building Society Engagement Team, reached out to Airedale Hospital & Community Charity to discuss upcoming projects and see how they could help.

Tracy Howarth, one of the team leaders said: “The Children’s Ward at Airedale is a ward that lots of us have used in the past with our own children, so we were really pleased to be able to give back to them and show our gratitude for the work they do.”

Jodie Hearnshaw, Charity Manager said: “When the team approached us to discuss volunteering, we immediately knew which project we needed a helping hand with!

“The outside space of Ward 17 is fantastic for the children staying on the ward, especially during the warmer months. It just needed a little TLC.”

Over two days the teams jet-washed the courtyard and some of the play furniture before getting creative with paints and adding colourful designs to the walls.

Tracy added: “The two days were amazing! I wasn’t expecting anyone to be as creative as they were, the team completely surprised me.

“Everyone got stuck in to create a really lovely mural on the back wall and brought a well needed splash of colour to the area. It was brilliant to see two teams come together and work so well for such a fantastic cause.”

New play items will also be added to the area courtesy of Airedale Hospital & Community Charity.

Jodie Hearnshaw added: “We can’t thank the team of volunteers enough for their dedication to this project. They have blown us away and completely exceeded our expectations with what they have created. We can’t wait to see the space being used by our little patients this summer.”

To discuss volunteer opportunities you can contact Airedale Hospital & Community Charity team by email anhsft.charity@nhs.net, phone 01535 294870 or for more information take a look at the dedicated volunteer webpage at https://www.airedalecharity.org/our-volunteers.

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