A message from the Chief Executive of St Mark’s Hospital Foundation:
To all our valued supporters and fundraisers, I want to keep you up to date with how the charity is responding to the coronavirus pandemic. This is an unprecedented situation that we all find ourselves in, and I hope that you are all coping with the adjustments that accompany the current crisis.
Let us for a moment, focus on how such moments of crisis can bring out the best in people who demonstrate true altruism in their behaviour and desire to help one another. We commend everyone on their continued efforts, whether this is volunteering to help those who are most at risk in the community or by self-isolating to protect the most vulnerable. We especially thank our clinical colleagues here at St Mark’s Hospital and across the whole NHS, who are the frontline staff helping those affected.
We are assessing the potential impact that the coronavirus will have on our fundraising income, as key fundraising events, such as marathons, cycling, and challenge events are being cancelled in line with the UK Government’s advice. In addition, we have had to make the difficult decision to either cancel or postpone all of our impending educational courses planned before the summer. We are liaising with our Trustees to put a strategy in place to mitigate the economic impact on our charity. The challenges that we face over the weeks and months will undoubtedly be difficult but we start from a secure and stable footing.
My team will aim to be as responsive as possible to queries we receive, and we thank you for your patience as we adjust to new patterns of working.
During this difficult time, I would like to thank all of you for your continued support and understanding.
We are more aware than ever that even though the clinical priorities right now are on combatting this new virus, the challenges for patients with IBD, colon cancer and other complex bowel issues have not gone away. Please take care and thank you for supporting a hospital that has been researching, educating and innovating to improve the lives of people with complex bowel diseases since 1835.
Warm regards,
Jason Bacon