HUNDREDS of pounds have already been raised by generous Leader readers to support local NHS staff.

Covid-19 has brought the country to its knees and as the UK enters its second week in lockdown, concerns are still rising.

Now more than ever we are reliant on doctors and nurses in our hospitals. These guardians of the community are serving on the frontline under impossible pressure to save lives.

The Leader has launched a fundraising campaign for the Wrexham Maelor Hospital League of Friend,s which allows us to say 'thank you'.

The Leader:

In just a few hours of being launched, the campaign had already raised hundreds of its £5,000 target.

Leader reporter Andrew Nuttall said: "It's true that now more than ever we are reliant on doctors and nurses in our NHS hospitals, including the Maelor.

"As reporters, we've heard amazing stories in the last few weeks about people going above and beyond for their local NHS workers - from signs of appreciation in windows to a nationwide applause.

The Leader:

"We have set up this campaign to say thanks and to take the pressure off those who are saving lives daily."

The League of Friends was established in 1968 and its objective is to raise funds to purchase equipment, often specialist, when hospital funding is unavailable. This equipment is used within the Wrexham Maelor Hospital for both inpatient and outpatient use.

Reporter Joe Robinson added: "We're facing unprecedented times right now - the government is doing its best to cover the costs of the socio-economic turmoil the country is currently facing. But there will always be public sectors that lose out due to government commitments elsewhere.

"Charities are one such sector. They're rapidly losing funding and are finding it increasingly difficult to stay afloat in these most difficult of times.

"The Wrexham Maelor's League of Friends is a charity which aims to support the hospital in any way it can. And this includes by buying new equipment.

"We need to raise as much funds as possible for the charity, so it can continue to support the brilliant healthcare workers at the hospital who are under the most intense and unimaginable pressure at this time of an international health crisis."

The Leader:

The main source of income for this vital charity came from its two shops, which until recently, were operating on a daily basis within the hospital building.

With those shops now closed due to the outbreak, an all-important income generating stream and vital service to both patients and staff has been lost.

The Leader is hoping, with the help of our readers, to go some way to filling the funding gap left by the shop closures, setting a target of £5,000 for the Wrexham Maelor Hospital League of Friends.

We cannot do it without you.

If you would like to help, as a way to say thank you, please visit the fundraising page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-league-of-friends

The Leader: