Luxury self-care gifts are a big “Thank You” on Florence Nightingale’s 200th Birthday

Nurses working across Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust were given luxury self-care gifts supplied by The Hut Group’s lookfantastic.com brand today, to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s 200th Birthday.

Florence Nightingale’s birthday is marked around the world today (Tuesday, 12th May) but, during these current unprecedented times, many nurses won’t be able to enjoy some of the celebrations they had planned.

As the fundraising arm of the trust, our charity decided to organise and distribute gifts from The Hut Group for both male and female nursing staff. The Hut Group donated 10,000 items, including lookfantastic Beauty Boxes and men-ü Matt Skin ‘Refresh’ Gels.

Sarah Naismith, Director of Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, said: “When we partnered with The Hut Group and we found out what sort of products we’d receive we knew we wanted to use them for a very special occasion – and what could be more poignant than Florence Nightingale’s birthday?

“Our nursing staff have been working incredibly hard and we wanted them to know the Charities team are supporting them in every way we can.

“Many businesses including, of course, The Hut Group have made some fantastic donations. We cannot thank them enough for all they have done for us. We are so grateful that incredible people are doing amazing things to support our NHS.

“We also have a well-being fund set up so that we can continue to support staff into the future. Anyone who wants to support us can find out more details on our website.”

The Trust has ten hospitals in the Greater Manchester and Trafford area, including Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital.

Jill Findlay, a matron in the Emergency Department at Manchester Royal Infirmary said: “It is so nice to get a little treat after a long shift.

“When you’re wearing PPE on the ward all shift your skin can get very dry so the face mask will be lovely to try on at home.”

Jake Wright, a staff nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary, said: “It was a really generous product to receive. During these challenging times it will be good to have these items to relax when I get home from work.”

Our charity has had more than £1million-worth of items donated for staff and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have set up a well-being fund, so that individuals who want to help can make a contribution too. We fundraise throughout the year to support the treatment, research and care of patients treated at NHS hospitals across the city of Manchester and Trafford.

For more details, follow Manchester Foundation Trust Charity on social media and use the hashtag #ThankyouTeamMFT.