Hospital staff get an egg-stra special treat from local mums group
Wednesday 4th April 2018

Staff at the Queen Victoria Hospital received an egg-xtraordinary surprise when they were unexpectedly showered with Easter gifts thanks to the power of an online Facebook campaign.
East Grinstead Mums, a local Facebook group, decided to thank hardworking hospital staff for the care and attention they’ve shown their families when they’ve needed them. From visits to the minor injuries unit through to inpatient stays in the Peanut children’s ward, members of the group had nothing but praise for the Queen Victoria Hospital.
So when group admin and mum Eva Sonneveld came up with the idea of thanking staff she was overwhelmed with the response.
Eva said: “As a mum of four I’ve taken my children to the hospital and always thought the staff were amazing – whether it was singing nursery rhymes for 20 minutes to keep my baby still, or just being gentle and caring even though they’re really busy. On our Facebook group I kept seeing so many posts from other mums talking about what an amazing job all the staff are doing I thought if everyone donated a pound or two, I could make a giant Easter hamper to bring over to say thanks form us all. Within a day I had nearly £200 – plus people went out especially to buy eggs and bits to drop off. Together with other local mum Jamie Tucker we delivered our car-full of Easter treats on Easter Saturday complete with our bunny ears on! It was so nice to see how pleased the staff were. Our way of giving a little something back to the staff who work so hard.”
Jo Thomas, Director of Nursing at Queen Victoria Hospital, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to the East Grinstead Mums Facebook group. Our staff are genuinely passionate about what they do and are proud of the important part Queen Victoria Hospital plays in the local community. The Easter treats were a lovely surprise for our staff who were working over the bank holiday weekend, taking care of our patients and anyone who needed our help.”
Thanks also to the Forest Row mums group on Facebook who contributed to the generous surprise.
If you’d like to support Queen Victoria Hospital its charity, QVH Charity, is running a spring fundraising campaign to help improve its waiting areas for children. To find out more visit www.supportqvh.org or contact Camilla Slattery by email Camilla.slattery@nhs.net or phone 01342 414170.
Pictured: Eva Sonneveld and Jamie Tucker thank hospital staff on behalf of the East Grinstead Mums Facebook group with a car full of edible gifts.
For more information please contact the QVH Press Office on 01342 414508.