Give the gift of a festive treat to Nottingham’s NHS front-line staff

This Christmas, Nottingham Hospitals Charity is launching a new initiative to help local businesses and community groups support NHS front-line teams who will be working tirelessly across Nottingham’s hospitals over the festive season.

Many staff members are unable to leave their wards for celebrations or organise off-site festive events due to rota commitments, making it difficult to mark the season with their colleagues. To help, the charity is providing supermarket vouchers valued from £100, depending on ward size and staffing levels, allowing teams to enjoy festive treats together on their ward.

Sam Paterson, Corporate Fundraising Lead, explains:

"We've received lots of suggestions from local corporates, as well as feedback from staff teams who are unable to partake in off-ward festive celebrations due to clinical responsibilities. Staff receive many festive gifts from patients and families, which are gratefully received, but local businesses are often looking for ways to make an even bigger impact without overwhelming staff. It’s really hard to cater to a one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s why we’re working directly with front-line teams to ensure there’s a practical and meaningful way for corporates to show their support."

Businesses and community groups can get involved in two ways:

Purchase supermarket vouchers directly in quantities of £100 (please retain your validation receipt and contact the charity to arrange collection or delivery). To ensure all wards can easily redeem their vouchers at a store convenient to them, please ensure these are for one of the following: Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, or Tesco.
Donate towards the scheme, and the charity will purchase vouchers on your behalf.

These vouchers will be distributed to over 100 wards across Nottingham’s NHS hospitals, allowing each ward to arrange its own festive celebration.

The deadline for donations is Friday 5^th December 2025 to ensure enough time for vouchers to be distributed.

To discuss the scheme or get involved, contact Nottingham Hospitals Charity on 0115 962 7905 or reach out to Samantha Paterson, Corporate Fundraising Lead, via email: samantha.paterson3@nhs.net.

We will be working with teams across Nottingham University Hospitals Trust to physically deliver vouchers to wards as part of festive visits. For this reason, please purchase physical gift cards and retain the validation receipt/s.

If you would like to purchase vouchers directly, please purchase in denominations of £100. If you would like to donate directly to support the scheme, there is no minimum donation, as the charity will purchase the vouchers on behalf of supporters. Please contact us to arrange a donation.

Yes, every front-line ward and department open on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will receive a voucher – that’s roughly 100 wards! We will be distributing them with teams from NUH from mid-December.

We know some wards and departments are larger than others. The amount each ward receives will reflect the number of staff.

Vouchers will be distributed to the Ward Manager, who will work with their team to decide the best way to use them. This ensures the entire team can enjoy festive celebrations if they wish. Every ward and team are different, so autonomy is given to those who know their team best.

Ward Managers will be able to decide how to use the vouchers within Trust guidelines.

Yes, Friday 5th December. Vouchers will begin to be distributed from mid-December, allowing enough time for them to be redeemed. You can also contact our team to arrange collection or drop-off of vouchers.

No! If you’re a community group or individual who would like to support, your donation will be gratefully received.

Yes! There are many ways to support patients and our hospitals this festive season. You can find out more by visiting our Festive Hub.

To ensure wards can easily redeem their vouchers, we are limiting them to major national supermarket retailers: Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco. This ensures stores are conveniently located near each ward and that teams can get the best value from their vouchers.