Patients at Noble's Hospital will be offered extra comforts during their stay, thanks to a double donation from Isle of Man based Zurich International.
Staff at the firm's newly-opened headquarters in Isle of Man Business Park donated a consignment of books for readers of all ages and tastes, to stock the hospital's popular library trolley. A cheque for £1,250 for the Patients' Comfort Trust was presented to volunteers and staff when they collected the books – the proceeds of staff donations for dress-down days, which are matched by the company.
Books and magazines are in constant demand at Noble's, where they are borrowed by patients from a trolley taken around the wards by volunteers. A wide variety of books from paperback novels, thrillers and hardback autobiographies to children's pop-up books and art and craft, gardening, cookery, DIY and hobby titles are on offer.
Good quality magazines are also popular, offering topics for conversation companions to chat about when they visit patients with memory problems or dementia. A selection of donated books is kept in reception for sale to staff and visitors, with all money raised going to projects supported by the Trust, such as the sensory garden next to the Diabetic Centre.
Both the library service and book trolley are well supported by the public and staff. Front of House Coordinator Bev Wilson said:
'Donations are regularly left at the volunteer office, especially at weekends when people have a clear-out at home. Our helpers sometimes struggle to get through the door on a Monday morning! But even so, we need constant donations, as stock often runs low.'
She added:
'Other items such as jigsaws, CDs, DVDs, tapes and even pictures are left - all disappear swiftly, after they are loaded onto the trolley. We never cease to be amazed how generous the public can be when we empty the donation box.'
Zurich International (ZINT) Isle of Man distributes around £40,000 to the local community each year through its charity committee, which organises regular fund-raising events and chooses local good causes to support.
ZINT Global Community Champion Ruth Adamson said:
'It's great that we have been able to tie in our monthly dress-down collection, which is made up from staff donations with £ for £ matching, with our recent Zurich Group World Book Day campaign. Our staff in the Isle of Man generously donated 250 books in excellent condition, among the 6,150 books donated across the Zurich Group, which can now benefit patients at Noble's Hospital.'
