Memorial fund donates £10,000 to QE Neuro Unit

Over the last 22 years, Sheila Leighton has been a very busy lady. With the help of her family and friends, she has been tirelessly fundraising for the Keith Leighton Neuro Fund, which she set up in memory of her husband Keith who passed away from a brain tumour in 1987.

Sheila lives near Hay-on-Wye and the whole community has supported her in raising thousands of pounds for the fund which donates to neuro charities.

The most recent donation of £10,000 was made to UHB Charities [now the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity] for the Neuro Critical Care Unit (NCCU) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as Sheila explains: “Over the last 22 years, we have raised over £46,000 for neurological charities – the money funds equipment and research. This latest donation to the QE will purchase two new beds for the NCCU, one in memory of my husband Keith and the second in memory of Chris Price, another local lad who passed away in September last year after fighting a brain tumour for over five years”.

Chris’s mum Sheila Price, who lives in Three Cocks near Hay, has teamed up with Sheila and their combined fundraising in memory of their loved ones has resulted in the £10,000 donation to the NCCU.

The people of the border town and surrounding villages have supported the fundraising in a number of different ways. Sheila Price, family and friends organised a memorial fun day which included a charity football match and a “grand auction” which raised over £3,000 for the fund. Sheila Leighton held a community jumble sale which raised another £3,000 and for the last 15 years customers at J M Penning, the opticians where Sheila works, have been paying for small repairs by putting something in the donation box on the counter.

Dee Cope, Clinical Nurse Manager  on the NCCU, accepted the funds on behalf of the Neuro Unit: “Sheila has been fundraising for over 20 years, which is incredible and our thanks go to all those who have supported Sheila and contributed to the fund. We are fortunate to be able to benefit from their hard work and hope to purchase two specialist beds for the unit which will benefit staff and patients, enabling us to ensure improved mobility and prevention of pressure ulcer development, which in turn improves the quality of care delivered to our patients.”