Leeds Hospitals Charity

17/03/2026

Meet Frankie!🐶

The latest pawsome new member of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease team recently met Rob and Lindsey Burrow’s children, Macy, Maya and Jackson.

Frankie is an Australian Labradoodle and a qualified therapy dog and will be there to provide comfort and companionship for families at the centre. 💜

16/03/2026

Sumana first became an Events volunteer for Leeds Hospitals Charity in 2023 while she was studying.

Now Sumana volunteers on our Charity Trolley, providing refreshments free of charge to poorly children and their families at Leeds Children's Hospital.

We spoke to Sumana about her experience as a Trolley Volunteer:

“The smiling faces I see on the wards are the reason I continue to volunteer. Sometimes parents tell us that we are a lifesaver to them, by simply offering them a cup of tea and a granola bar. After visiting some of the wards a few times, the children know when to expect us and some are waiting for us to arrive and say ‘please come back tomorrow!' 💜

Find out more about our volunteering opportunities here https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/volunteer-for-us

16/03/2026

Every day, people at Leeds Cancer Centre face some of the hardest moments of their lives.

And thanks to your donations, they don’t have to face them alone.

Our patron Dr Amir Khan, sat down with Frin Lewis-Smith, Specialist Chaplain for Oncology and Palliative Care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to find out more about the difference she makes.

Because of you, we have funded Frin's role for the past two years, helping her support almost 200 patients and offer more than 700 moments of peace, comfort and understanding through spiritual care.

Frin provides compassionate, spiritual and emotional support to cancer and palliative care patients, as well as their loved ones.

One patient who benefitted from Frin's support says, “I have spent twelve months preparing to pass on. I am going to spend the next twelve months preparing to live!” 💜

Thank you, Frin.

You can watch Dr Amir's last interview with Peter Enever, Head of Radiotherapy at Leeds Cancer Centre here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwZ6cZo-IIY

15/03/2026

12/03/2026

🎉 Our brand new shop is now open in Morley! 🎉

Today we officially opened our doors and joined the wonderful Morley community.

Inside, we’ve created more than just your average charity shop - as well as plenty of bargains you'll also find a welcoming community space with coffee machine — the perfect spot to take a break, enjoy a hot drink, and have a chat with our team, volunteers or friends. ☕️

Every item donated and every purchase made in our Morley shop helps us support over one million patients cared for at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust each year, including many families living in and around Morley.

You’ll find us in the Windsor Court shopping area and we're open seven days a week thanks to our amazing volunteers and staff. 💜

💜 Thank you, Morley — we can’t wait to welcome you in!

Interested in joining us as a volunteer?
👉 https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/volunteer-for-us

12/03/2026

On World Kidney Day we are pleased to announce our growing partnership with Kidney Research Yorkshire working together to develop research and tackle health inequalities across Yorkshire. We’ll be working together, alongside Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds to work towards transforming care for renal patients and their families.

Rebecca Baldaro-Booth, Director of Grants and Impact at Leeds Hospitals Charity:

“We know that kidney disease and kidney failure is prevalent in Leeds and continues to have a significant impact across our local communities. The need for dialysis treatment is a growing issue, and this will continue to increase every year.

We are fortunate to have brilliant researchers across Yorkshire who are passionate about tackling and improving these health inequalities. We’re excited to be growing our partnership with Kidney Research Yorkshire to support innovative research that can help improve outcomes for those most affected by this disease and ultimately improve their quality of life.”

Sunil Daga, Scientific Advisor at Kidney Research Yorkshire:

“This partnership marks an important step forward for kidney research in our region. By working together, we can enable research in Yorkshire that accelerates discovery, supports clinical innovation and ultimately improves outcomes for patients.

This collaboration will give researchers the resources and environment they need to drive meaningful progress to deliver better outcomes for people living with kidney disease.”

11/03/2026

It was fantastic to welcome Mike Bates and Gareth Timmins to the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease recently, where they spoke to Yorkshire Post about their motivations ahead of the latest leg of their Row4MND challenge, which is currently underway.

The four-year challenge - which comprises of rows around the UK and across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans - is helping raise vital awareness and support for people living with MND.

Read more about their visit and the epic rowing challenge they’re undertaking: 👇

​Mike Bates and Gareth Timmins had a tour of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease before a major rowing challenge. They spoke to John Blow.

10/03/2026

Because of play… Ruby gets to feel like a teenager, not just a patient. 💜

Ruby has Williams Syndrome and spends a lot of time at Leeds Children's Hospital often missing out on everyday moments other teens take for granted.

But because of play, her hospital stays are filled with joy, comfort, and connection instead of fear and isolation.✨

Ruby loves having her nails and make‑up done, and when she had to spend her 16th birthday in hospital, the Play Team surprised her with a pink‑themed pamper party, making sure her special day still felt magical.🎂🎈

Her mum, Danielle, says the Play Team have become “really close to our family" supporting Ruby in happy times and through the toughest challenges too.

Thanks to you, the Play Team runs seven days a week across Leeds Children’s Hospital.

Your donations can help us continue to make every child’s hospital stay brighter — because of play https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/Appeal/play

10/03/2026

🌼 Win up to £4,000 in our Super Spring Raffle! 🌼

Enter our Super Spring Raffle for your chance to win one of 40 cash prizes, all while helping to support projects that make a real difference to patients, families and staff across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust!

Your tickets don’t just give you more chances to win, they help fund vital support across Leeds hospitals:

✨ 10 tickets = 10 chances to win
… and could help provide free drinks and snacks from our volunteer trolleys for patients and families.
✨ 20 tickets = 20 chances to win
… and could help fund new technology that reduces anxiety for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.
✨ 50 tickets = 50 chances to win
… and could help fund a Play Specialist at Leeds Children’s Hospital for a morning.

Play today and help brighten someone’s hospital experience. 💜

🎟 Enter by 7 April 2026
👉 Link in the comments

09/03/2026

On Saturday, the Row4MND Team set off on the second leg of their incredible four-year challenge. Departing from Dale, Pembrokeshire, they headed into open water once again.

This incredible team are taking on four world class rowing challenges over four years, rowing thousands of miles across brutal waters to help raise £57 million in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

In July 2025, the Row4MND Team completed leg one, the first half of the circumnavigation of the UK. Now the team are on day three of the second leg, completing the second half and making strong progress, just off the coast of Ireland.

Their endurance challenge shines a spotlight on MND, raising vital awareness and funds to help research, care and support for people living with MND.

Find out more and support Row4MND here: www.row4mnd.com

08/03/2026

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women who care, who comfort, who uplift and who make moments of joy possible, even in the darkest of times.✨

Sam Oakes, MND Family Support Worker at the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease is one of those remarkable women, supporting people living with motor neurone disease and their loved ones.

Thanks to your donations, we can fund resources to help Sam create special moments, from memory boxes, to keepsakes and shared moments. 💜

Read more about Sam 👇
https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/News/rob-burrow-centre-for-mnd-blog-making-memories-that-matter

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

08/03/2026

This International Women's Day we're putting the spotlight on Jacqui Drake, inspirational cancer patient and fundraising extraordinaire!

Despite living with terminal cancer, Jacqui continues to shine with hope, determination and unstoppable passion in her mission to raise one million pounds for Leeds Cancer Centre through her Jacqui's Million fundraising appeal.

We are so proud to celebrate Jacqui, who reached the phenomenal milestone of half a million pounds raised through her appeal in the summer.

Jacqui continues to fundraise tirelessly and spread positivity to everyone she meets, bringing hope to other at difficult times. fundraises tirelessly, all while lifting others with her positivity.

From hospital stalls, to fabulous events and her very own podcast, Jacqui has already changed countless lives… and she’s not stopping until she hits that million! 💪💜

Read Jacqui's story and donate to her fundraising appeal here https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/Appeal/jacquis-million