The familiar face behind 11 years of fundraising for families
Inspired by the families she meets through her work on PCCU, Joy Weise has spent the last 11 years fundraising for Nottingham Children’s Hospital’s Child Bereavement Team -raising an incredible £23,000 to help support families through grief.
For more than 11 years, Nottingham Children’s Hospital housekeeper Joy Weise has been fundraising to support families experiencing the unimaginable. Joy has raised an incredible £23,000 through community fundraising initiatives that help bring comfort, compassion and support to bereaved families.
As Nottingham Hospitals Charity marks its 20th anniversary, we’re shining a spotlight on the incredible supporters, donors and fundraisers whose kindness and dedication help make extraordinary things happen across our hospitals every day.
Since 2014, Joy has raised an incredible £23,000 for the hospital’s Child Bereavement Team - through fashion shows, raffles, wellbeing events and her much-loved bargain stall at Queen’s Medical Centre, Joy has become a familiar face to staff, patients and visitors alike. But for Joy, fundraising has always been about something much deeper - helping families feel supported during the hardest moments of their lives.
We caught up with Joy at the opening of the new Child Bereavement Suite at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, a space her fundraising has directly helped make possible.
Speaking about why she first started fundraising, Joy said:
“I started fundraising more than 11 years ago for the children’s bereavement team after working on PCCU and seeing the incredible support they give to families. I just wanted to do something that could help in some way.”
What began as a way to give back has grown into more than a decade of dedicated fundraising, driven by the connections Joy has built with people across the hospital.
“One of my favourite things about fundraising is meeting people - staff, visitors and patients - and hearing their stories.
“Knowing the money raised will make a real difference is what keeps me going.
“Seeing the new bereavement suite and knowing the fundraising has helped support something that will benefit families and the staff caring for them is really special. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Behind every donation, fundraiser and project are people who care deeply about making a difference for others. For 11 years, Joy has done exactly that - helping bring comfort, compassion and support to families when they need it most.
