Members of the Midlands office of national audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill have presented a cheque for £7,586 to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Charity towards the recently opened Fisher House facility for military patients and their families.
It was Crowe Clark Whitehill’s Midlands chosen charity for 2012-13 and fund-raising initiatives included a Stratford to Stratford cycle ride – the 122 miles from Stratford, East London to Stratford-upon-Avon – headed by Midlands partner Dave Darlaston, who with Midlands managing partner Johnathan Dudley and colleagues Chris Mould and Miriam Sherwood were shown round the new unit.
Now fully operational, it is already making a huge difference.
“It was amazing,” said Mr Dudley. “We were really impressed with the thought and attention to detail which has gone into making Fisher House a comfortable home for injured troops and their families at an incredibly difficult time for them. Our partners and staff are delighted and proud to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause.”
Mike Hammond, chief executive of the QEHB Charity, said: “Fisher House is a true ‘home away from home’ for military patients and their families, but it is only made possible thanks to the generous support of individuals, organisations and companies like Crowe Clark Whitehill.
“I have been honoured to get to know the staff as they have worked so hard in supporting Fisher House over the past 12 months and I would like to thank them all.”
The Queen Elizabeth is the receiving hospital for all UK military patients who are wounded or injured anywhere in the world and most particularly in the on-going Afghanistan conflict.
Fisher House, in the hospital grounds, has been built as a ‘home from home’ where troops can spend time away from the ward with their families, friends and colleagues, who in turn can be on the spot without having to make often long and tiring journeys from home on a regular basis.
The purpose-built two storey £4.2 million facility was officially opened on June 21.
It was funded by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity in partnership with Help for Heroes and America’s Fisher House Foundation for whom it is a first venture into the UK.
It includes 18 en-suite rooms.
